The Nigerian Labour Congress and its affiliate unions will on Monday embark on a five-day warning strike over the recent disengagement of civil servants by the state government.The NLC has vowed to resist the action of the state government, accusing the governor of not being sensitive to the plight of the workers.The NLC Chairman in the state, Ayuba Suleiman, disclosed that the industrial action will be accompanied by a peaceful protest which will be led by the President of the Union, Ayuba Wabba and other labour leaders across the country.

Former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has supported the call for national dialogue by southern governors to address the issue of insecurity and other challenges in the country.He stated that those who have faulted the action of the governors misunderstood their motive of making such a move.He says they put aside their political differences and called for a national dialogue, as well as restructuring of the country along with fiscal federalism, devolution of powers, and state police, among other demands.

The number of recorded COVID-19 infections in India climbed above 24 million on Friday amid reports that the highly transmissible coronavirus mutant first detected in the country was spreading across the globe.A WHO infectious diseases expert, Jairo Mendez says the Indian B.1.617 variant of the virus has been found in cases in eight countries of the Americas, including Canada and the United States.He says the variants have a greater capacity for transmission, but so far they have not found any collateral consequences.Public Health England says the total number of confirmed cases of the variant had more than doubled in the past week to 1,313 across the United Kingdom.

Canada’s Quebec province unveiled sweeping legislation aimed at curbing the decline of the French language in the former French colony, particularly in Montreal where businesses are using English more and more.The bill is a revamp of a 1977 law, reaffirming French as Quebec’s main language and promoting its use locally on signage, in education and in workplaces.Simon Jolin-Barrette, Quebec minister responsible for the French language says the French language is in decline across parts of the society.He says the updated law affirms that French is the only official language in Quebec and the common language of the Quebec nation.

South Africa-born pharmaceutical entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong says that his family's foundation will spend $211m to help develop vaccine production in South Africa.Dr Soon-Shiong, however, told a meeting of the World Health Organization on access to the means to fight the spread of Covid-19 that he wanted the donation to transfer the know-how around vaccine development and build self-sufficiency and innovation.Dr Soon-Shiong says he is concerned about the variants that have been prevalent in India and says second-generation vaccines now need to be developed.He added that he was motivated to act as a South African-born Asian American.

Kenya’s High Court has declared a government-sponsored bill to amend Kenya’s constitution irregular, illegal and unconstitutional.It has also ruled that President Uhuru Kenyatta violated the constitution by initiating a process that ought to be driven by the ordinary citizen.Kenya appeared headed for a referendum before next year’s general election, backed by state resources, the president and powerful opposition leader Raila Odinga.The judges say that by initiating the constitutional changes, President Kenyatta had usurped the powers of ordinary citizens.

Zambia's parliament has been dissolved exactly 90 days before the upcoming general election.The house held its last sitting on Wednesday and the clerk announced that it would formally dissolve on Friday.The Zambian constitution requires that parliament is dissolved 90 days before the next election. Zambians will head to the polls on 21 August.Zambian President Edgar Lungu is seeking re-election and has in the past assured international partners of a free and fair election.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami says that the federal government will soon resuscitate a special court for the trial of terrorism suspects.He reiterated the commitment of the federal government to end insurgency and other forms of insecurity ravaging the country.Malami says the Buhari administration is planning to resuscitate the special court for the trial of terrorism suspects in order to checkmate the menace.

President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, took on the 17 Southern governors, in Asaba, canvassing, among others, restructuring the country.The duo, during an interaction with reporters in Abuja, challenged governors to start the restructuring from their states.Lawan and Gbajabiamila both expressed reservations about the Southern governors’ advocacy, saying their charity should begin from home.Lawan says the governors should not be the ones agitating for restructuring.He urged them to first, do in their states what they are requesting the federal government to do.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, has faulted the declaration of the ban on open grazing in the South by governors in the region.He believes making a public proscription of the movement of cattle by foot in the southern part of the country by the governors cannot be as effective as meeting with the President to address the issues of concern.He noted that the governors should develop an immediate solution, a mid-term solution, and a long-term solution to open grazing.