Nigeria to get new govt:

Nigeria will finally get a new government on Wednesday after more than five months of waiting, when President Muhammadu Buhari assigns formal roles to 36 ministerial nominees approved by parliament.

Buhari was scheduled to make the announcement from 10:00 am (0900 GMT), bringing to an end 166 days in which he has effectively been in sole charge of Africa’s leading economy and most populous nation. The inauguration was scheduled to take place at his official residence, Aso Rock, in the capital, Abuja.

Buhari’s primary focus since coming to office on May 29 has been the fight against Boko Haram Islamists and launching an anti-corruption drive.

But the lack of ministers has given a sense of political limbo and created uncertainty in the business world. (AFP)

El Nino threatens 11m kids: Some 11 million children in eastern and southern Africa face hunger, disease and water shortages as a result of the strongest El Ni?o weather phenomenon in decades, the United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

Food and water shortages caused by drought and floods are causing malnutrition, which increases children’s vulnerability to killer diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, cholera and dengue fever, it said.

“The consequences could ripple through generations unless affected communities receive support,” UNICEF said in a statement, referring to stunting, which affects children who are getting too few proteins, vitamins and minerals in their food.

Stunted children have poor cognitive development and health, achieve less at school and, as adults, earn less than children who had adequate nutrition, studies show. (RTRS)