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RFK jr: Drug developers pressing ahead with public listings despite concerns over health roleFormer Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from his nomination to become President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general on Thursday. The announcement has raised questions: What does Gaetz' career look like moving forward, what happens now? Gaetz announced his withdrawal from the role in an X post on Thursday morning, "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General." Trump nominated Gaetz to become his attorney general on Nov. 13, one week after winning his re-election campaign, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump took to his social media platform , Truth Social, to respond, sharing his respect for Gaetz' decision: "Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!" Dig deeper: Matt Gaetz withdraws his name as Trump's nominee for attorney general Did Gaetz resign from Congress? Yes, Gaetz issued his resignation from Congress the same day Trump nominated him to serve as his attorney general. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced the news of Gaetz's resignation during a news conference on Nov. 13, adding that the move was effective immediately. Could Gaetz get his seat in Congress back? Yes, in theory, Gaetz could get his seat back in Congress, though his political future was uncertain as of Thursday. On Nov. 5, Gaetz won re-election to the new, 119th Congress , which begins on Jan. 3, 2025. He resigned during the 118th Congress, which began in January 2023 and will cease in January 2025. Gaetz reportedly wrote in his House resignation letter that he did "not intend to" take the oath of office in the new Congress. By federal law, Gaetz could get his seat back in Congress if he were re-elected during a special election. According to the Congressional Research Service, a special election to fill a House vacancy must be issued by the corresponding state's governor. In this case, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis must issue the special election. The scheduling procedures for these special elections differ from state to state, but Florida law does not provide a mandatory timeline. The day after Gaetz issued his resignation from Congress, DeSantis announced on X that he had instructed Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for an upcoming special election. A date had yet to be announced for this election, as of Thursday afternoon. Gaetz's wife, Ginger, posted a picture of the couple on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, saying, "The end of an era." Why did Gaetz withdraw his AG nomination? Gaetz did not cite a specific reason for his withdrawal, but over the past week, controversy of his bid swelled due to allegations of sex trafficking minors. The Justice Department, which Gaetz would have led if he were attorney general, investigated allegations that Gaetz committed statutory rape by paying for sex with a 17-year-old and for her to travel with him across state lines. The investigation was dropped without charges. But recently, the House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan panel made up of Democrats and Republicans, began investigating the allegations. The committee had planned to vote on whether to release a report of its findings two days after Gaetz resigned from his seat on Congress last week. Who will Trump nominate for AG next? It is unclear who Trump will nominate for attorney general in Gaetz' place. The president-elect has not made an announcement. Riley Beggin and C.A. Bridges contributed to this reporting. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com .Lagos – As the Nigerian Family Planning Conference (NFPC 2024) approaches this Monday, the spotlight will be on the critical need for sustainable funding, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and rights-based quality services to meet the FP2030 Goals. Making this assertion were experts at a media roundtable ahead of the eighth Nigeria Family Planning Conference who called for long-term funding for family planning initiatives amid the country’s population surge. The conference projected that Nigeria’s population would reach 450 million by 2050 without urgent action to address the escalating population through sustainable funding, advocacy, and resource mobilisation, drive multi-stakeholder accountability, and advance rights-based quality services. Specifically, the conference, themed, themed, “Sustaining commitments for family planning within the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative; advancing progress toward achieving FP2030 goals,” called for funding to provide broader choices and access for women and adolescents who need them. The experts urged the federal government to release the N2 billion outstanding in this year’s budget meant to execute intervention programmes across the country amid minimal progress so far attained in the family planning targets. Speaking, Dr. Ejike Orji, Chairman, Management Committee, Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) in Collaboration and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee NFPC, called for a release of the outstanding N2 billion allocated for family planning commodities in the 2024 budget. Though Orji lauded the release of $4 million counterpart funding for the procurement of essential family planning commodities, he stressed the need for the government to release the N2 billion budgetary allocation before the end of this year. Nigeria has not met the financing expectations for family planning commodities and services despite the bold pledge made in 2021. A report of the Development Research and Project Centre (dRPC) titled, ‘Funding for Family Planning at National and State Level,’ showed that Nigeria did not allocate any funds for contraceptive commodities between 2021 and 2023. In 2024, the federal government allocated two billion naira for family planning commodities. However, this falls short of what is required to achieve the National Family Planning Blueprint (2020–2024) targets and Nigeria’s FP2030 commitments. The funding deficit has grown steadily, increasing from $12.1 million in 2021 to $25 million in 2022. In response, national guidelines on state-funded procurement of FP commodities were introduced to encourage state-funded procurement of family planning commodities, urging states to allocate their domestic resources to family planning as there was a $32 million funding gap that remains a critical challenge.” Similarly, statistics show that state governments need to prioritise family planning services. In 2024, only two states, Kebbi and Lagos, allocated one percent of their health budgets to family planning, with Kebbi dedicating 1.18 percent and Lagos committing 1.69 percent. Although these states are leading in family planning financing, with Lagos allocating N2.73 billion in 2024, much more work needs to be done. The significant funding gap between Lagos and other states also underscores the need for other states to contribute financially to comprehensive family planning services. Borno State has allocated N1.12 billion for various healthcare interventions in 2024. This includes funding for nutrition, family planning, reproductive health programmes, financial support, and management of infectious disease outbreaks. Furthermore, a counterpart fund for the Primary Healthcare Memorandum of Understanding and BHCPF exists throughout the state. Worrisome Fertility Rate, Development Crisis Nigeria’s development is strongly linked to its population increase. Rapid population increase, fuelled by a high fertility rate and restricted access to family planning, may impede the country’s progress. On this, Orji said, Nigeria’s fertility rate is high and there is a need to reduce the rate to four per cent. Orji stated, “If we continue with the same fertility rate that we have now, our population is going to be driven to 450 million by 2050. “If we do not bring down our fertility rates, by the year 2050, we will be 450 million, based on the yearly percentage increase. Every year, we add about four million people to our population. So if you look at that, you know that it’s going to be a lot of problems for us. “Remember that the increase is geometric. It’s not that it will stop at four million because there’s a percentage driving it. It’s four million this year; next year, it might be 4.2 million; the following year, it might be 4.5 million; it may get to a point where it might be five million or 10 million every year. Nigeria’s Imminent Population Crisis, Impending Challenges While drawing historical analysis, Dr Ejike Orji said: “Nobody is in doubt that Nigeria is facing a national crisis, unless people who refuse to agree, is not in which they can decide. “In 1960, when we got independence from the British, our population was just about 42.5 million, while the British people that colonized us was about 50 million. “Our income per capita then was higher than the British people. In the last census we did in 2007, we were 140 million. Now Britain has just 60 million, while we have well above 230 million. “If you look at the two major populations in the world, which everybody is pointing at, India and China. China is the second-largest economy in the world, followed by China. They were very poor countries 50 years ago. But they turned the tide by cutting down their fertility rates and then investing in their young population. Nigeria has that opportunity. If we miss it now, if we don’t bring our fertility rate down to four per cent, by the year 2030, we’re going to be in serious trouble.” “If we do not bring down our fertility rates, by the year 2050, we will be 450 million, based on the yearly percentage increase. Every year, we add about four million people to our population. So if you look at that, you know that it’s going to be a lot of problems for us. “Remember that the increase is geometric. It’s not that it will stop at four million because there’s a percentage driving it. It’s four million this year; next year, it might be 4.2 million; the following year, it might be 4.5 million; it may get to a point where it might be five million or 10 million every year. “If you look at the two major populations in the world, which everybody is pointing at, India and China. China is the second-largest economy in the world, followed by China. They were very poor countries 50 years ago. But they turned the tide by cutting down their fertility rates and then investing in their young population. Nigeria has that opportunity. If we miss it now, if we don’t bring our fertility rate down to four per cent, by the year 2030, we’re going to be in serious trouble.” Orji who is also the Nigeria CSO Focal Point FP 2030 stated that the fertility rate has, however, reduced from 5.3 percent to 4.8 percent. Sustaining Commitments For Family Planning The expert said the forthcoming conference, themed “Sustaining commitments for family planning within the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative; advancing progress toward achieving FP2030 goals,” will reemphasise the importance of family planning. Also, Dr Martin Migombano, Managing Director of FP 2030 North, West, Central Africa Hub, warned about the risk of Nigeria’s escalating population. Migombano said, “Also, 28.5 percent of maternal mortality in the world happens in Nigeria. So there is still a lot that needs to be done by our partners, religious leaders, the government, financial partners who are donors, and others. “They are all coming to the conference to pledge again and make sure that whatever investments are being made are going to the grassroots, where women actually should access family planning. “But the key one is how can a woman get access to family planning? How about commodities? How about the education of the population? So, we need all the partners. It’s a collaborative way of working. And again, after two years, we’ll come and assess whether we have made progress again or not, or we are still stagnating,” he said. Contributing, Mr. Jakes Apelle, President of the Albino Foundation, who spoke on behalf of the Persons With Disabilities, PWDs, urged Nigerians to remove minds from the religious and cultural inhibitors to family planning and highlight the health and economic benefits therein. On her part, Mrs. Ifesinachi Eze consultant at Amref International, said disruptions in family planning and reproductive health services in humanitarian settings leave women with unmet family planning needs, as the disruptions strain the health systems and require collaborative solutions. “Governments and the private sector need to work together to create the regulatory frameworks, financial incentives, and infrastructure that allow the health sector to thrive,” she added. The NFPC, a biennial event, organised by the AAFP in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other family planning stakeholders will be held from December 5 to December 6, 2024, in Abuja.

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I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! fans think the contestants are starting to turn on Dean McCullough. The 33-year-old radio host may be rubbing some of his fellow campmates the wrong way - for a variety of reasons. While the radio host has admitted he is an early riser and knows to be chipper first thing - as his early morning radio show job demands it of him - he may be antagonising fellow campmates. In recent episodes of the ITV reality show, N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos has made it clear she does not appreciate him singing loudly first thing in the morning when she is still trying to sleep. Despite her politely sharing this news, he continued to loudly sing at her in scenes that aired on Monday. While others are getting frustrated by the fact he keeps getting nominated by the public to take on all of the challenges. Loose Women star Jane Moore particularly objected to Dean being nominated for a sixth trial when she is desperate to undertake one herself. She turned to Dean - who is also sick of being nominated - and suggest he stay silent in order to avoid being nominated, the Mirror reports. Her remark suggests she's noticed his behaviour could be considered attention seeking and leading to him getting the most airtime. Viewers watching along have suggested the campmates are beginning to get wise to Dean's behaviour and how it might be portrayed in the show. One fan wrote on X: "Everyone clocking Dean and him always being chosen for the trials #ImACeleb." Another wrote: "Love how they are all seeing through Dean’s act #ImACeleb." And another wrote: "Not once has dean asked 'but why do they keep picking me, what am I doing wrong' for these trials like most usually do at this point. Because he knows why. He knows what he's doing and he wants the air time. Stop voting for this loser! #ImACeleb." Another typed: "Sounds like all the camp mates are onto Dean and have had enough #ImACeleb." And other berated the radio host for the way he sang at Tulisa after she asked him not to. One wrote: "Can’t Dean just respect anyone’s wishes please like just don’t sing while Tulisa is asleep? #ImACeleb." And another typed: "Dean is really annoying. As the president of the Tulisa fan club I would like him to apologise to her #ImACeleb." On Monday, Dean undertook a trial called Jack and the Scream Stalk. He had to scale a huge construction while safely attached to a safety line and dip his hand into various boxes - filled with critters such as spiders and scorpions - to retrieve stars. It was his most successful trial to date - as he retrieved 10 stars out of a possible 12 before falling from the structure. Dean’s valiant efforts won him a round of applause from hosts Ant and Dec – and an ostrich egg dinner for the camp. ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities. We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all! To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice . Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community Join our Court & Crime community Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community Join our Northumberland community Join our County Durham community Join our Sunderland community Join our NUFC community Join our SAFC community Join our Great North Run communityBy CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night. The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.Share this Story : How the Rainbow Bistro survived the pandemic and made it to its 40th anniversary Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Entertainment Local Arts News Local News How the Rainbow Bistro survived the pandemic and made it to its 40th anniversary “We survived through the generosity of Ottawa, basically,” owner Danny Sivyer says. Get the latest from Lynn Saxberg straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Lynn Saxberg Published Nov 30, 2024 • Last updated 16 minutes ago • 3 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. Stacy Sivyer and her father, Danny Sivyer, celebrating their 40th anniversary of the Rainbow Bistro this weekend. Photo by Jean Levac / POSTMEDIA Article content The Rainbow Bistro is celebrating its 40th anniversary this weekend, three years after owner Danny Sivyer ran out of money during the closures and capacity restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Article content Article content He made the difficult decision to close the doors at the end of September 2021, a move that was covered by the Ottawa Citizen . It looked to be the end of an era for the ByWard Market live-music venue at the corner of Murray and Parent streets. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content The response was remarkable. A group of local tech entrepreneurs came forward to help, setting into motion a stretch of fundraising efforts that not only saved the club from imminent demise, but also helped make it more viable than ever. “I’m very happy,” Sivyer said of how things worked out. “For the first time in years, I can sleep at night. I don’t stress about bills. We were always just above or just below the line for 37 years, and I’d have to throw money in and get it back the next year. Now we’re running with a balance in the bank and making a bit of profit.” Kevin Ford, CEO of Calian Group Ltd., was the first tech exec to reach out to Sivyer after the Citizen’s 2021 article. A musician who’s also the father of musicians, Ford had fond memories of taking his sons to the Rainbow’s Sunday jam session and didn’t want it to close. Ford recruited some music-loving Ottawa business colleagues, including MDS Aero CEO John Jastremski, Kingsford Consulting President Andrew Penny and Kinaxis CEO John Sicard, forming an advisory group they called the Rainbow Bistro Business Amplifers . They met regularly over Zoom. Evening Update The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Evening Update will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content For starters, each executive contributed $5,000 in the name of corporate sponsorship and saw their company names emblazoned on a banner over the stage. That raised $55,000 and got the club through the winter of 2021-22, Sivyer said. Then they encouraged him to apply for a FACTOR grant, available at the time to help live-music businesses. That added $60,000 to the business account. A provincial grant bumped it up by $30,000, while a crowd-funding campaign raised another $41,000 that went to support the booking of bands. During one pandemic closure, the advisors recommended investing in long-delayed renovations, an expense that cost about $80,000, and struck a deal with music equipment supplier Long and McQuade to provide top-notch sound and light gear on a no-charge, multi-year lease. “We survived through the generosity of Ottawa, basically,” Sivyer said. “We were able to do the renovations, get the sound equipment, pay the bands and reopen in March of 2022 with money in the bank.” Today, the Rainbow Amplifiers’ meetings have dwindled to quarterly sessions, but Sivyer says the club is doing well partly because they’re no longer trying to book shows every night of the week. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “The business is viable now,” he said. “We’re making a small profit every year, mainly because we don’t do 12 shows a week anymore. After COVID, we were smarter and said we can’t do that again. Now we’re booking a lot less, about two to five shows a week, so that cuts down all of our costs.” He’s also proud of his daughter Stacy’s work in programming. The Rainbow had long been known as Ottawa’s home of the blues, but Danny wanted to reach a younger clientele and asked Stacy to take over the bookings a decade ago. She also manages (and often tends) the bar. “Stacy is doing a really good job with the young local music scene,” he said. “The young bands all support each other. If she books three of them, then three of the others come out and support. They follow each other around the city. It’s always a pretty good crowd and quite often a sold-out crowd.” For proof they’re on the right track, Sivyer pointed to the two Ottawa Music Industry Coalition awards at the bar. The Rainbow was named best music venue in 2023, while Stacy earned the live-music curator-of-the-year award this year. “That means, even though we’re 40 years old, the granddaddy of bars, we’re still relevant with the young kids,” he said. lsaxberg@postmedia.com Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Recommended from Editorial Man charged in Bobs Lake boat crash released on bail How the Canada Post strike impacts Canadians Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : How the Rainbow Bistro survived the pandemic and made it to its 40th anniversary Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending How the Canada Post strike impacts Canadians News Three charged after youth abducted, held for ransom in Orléans News Police watchdog investigating after Ottawa teen falls to death from apartment News Steve's Music Store is leaving Rideau Street after 42 years News Richmond Road businesses, residents fed up with LRT and road construction Local News Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings

Rico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title with the Atlanta Braves, has died