A US pet food manufacturer is recalling several of its products following the deaths at least 70 dogs and illness in another 80.

Midwestern Pet Foods, based in Indiana, said the recall affected its Sportmix brand and other labels.

Tests showed the food had potentially unsafe levels of aflatoxins, a by-product of mould that grows on corn and other grains.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is carrying out an investigation.

“As of January 11, 2021, FDA is aware of more than 70 pets that have died and more than 80 pets that are sick after eating Sportmix pet food,” the agency said in a statement.

The company originally announced a recall of some of its Sportmix products in December following the deaths of 28 dogs, CBS News reported.

Tests by the Missouri Department of Agriculture found high levels of aflatoxins, according to the FDA.

The recall was expanded this week to include others brands after more deaths came to light.

Symptoms among animals poisoned by aflatoxins include vomiting, sluggishness and loss of appetite.

Midwestern said the product recall now included Sportmix, Pro Pac Originals, Splash, Sportstrail and Nunn Better dry dog and cat foods produced at its Oklahoma plant that had an expiration date on or before 9 July 2022.

“We continue a thorough review of our facilities and practices in full co-operation with FDA in an effort to better serve our customers and pet parents who have put their trust in us,” the company said.

In an alert on Monday the FDA said it was advising the public “about the potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins in Midwestern pet food products that may still be on store shelves, online or in pet owners’ homes”.

The family-owned company was founded in 1926 and is based in Evansville, Indiana. In its statement, it said it had never had to recall a product before.

Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has said banning US President Donald Trump was the right thing to do. However, he expressed sadness at what he described as the “extraordinary and untenable circumstances” surrounding Mr Trump’s permanent suspension.

He also said the ban was in part a failure of Twitter’s, which hadn’t done enough to foster “healthy conversation” across its platforms.Twitter has been praised and criticised for freezing Mr Trump’s account.In a long Twitter thread, Twitter’s chief said he did not celebrate or feel pride in the ban – which came after the Capitol riot last week.

Nigeria recorded 1,398 new cases of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) as active cases being managed across isolation and treatment centres in the country rose to 20,062. The NCDC disclosed this on its official website on Wednesday.

The centre also confirmed nine new deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the nation’s death toll to 1,382. It stated that 1,398 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours across the country, bringing number of confirmed cases to 103,999. It added that 1,033,858 people had so far been tested since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was recorded on Feb. 27, 2020 in the country.

The health agency said that the new infections were recorded from 22 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).It disclosed that Lagos recorded the highest toll with 542 cases, FCT 131, Oyo 120, Rivers 113 and Plateau, 111.Others were Kaduna (71), Kwara (71), Akwa Ibom (34), Sokoto (31), Benue (28), Ogun (27), Kano (26), Kebbi (17), Osun (12), Nasarawa (11), Delta (10), Gombe (10), Bayelsa and Borno (9) each, Edo (8), Ekiti (3) Jigawa and Katsina (2) each.

The NCDC advised Nigerians that “not every COVID-19 individual shows symptoms.“Everyone needs to maintain HIGHER index of suspicion for COVID-19, adhere to all preventive measures.”Always wear a face mask. Wash your hands regularly with soap under running water.

The US House of Representatives has impeached President Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection” at last week’s Capitol riot.

Ten Republicans sided with Democrats to impeach the president by 232-197.

But his trial in the Senate will not happen until after Joe Biden, a Democrat, is inaugurated as the new US president next week.

Mr Trump, a Republican, is the first president in US history to be impeached twice.

The Democratic-controlled House voted on Wednesday after two hours of impassioned debate as armed National Guard troops kept watch inside and outside the Capitol.

The FBI has warned of possible armed protests planned for Washington DC and all 50 US state capitals ahead of Mr Biden’s inauguration on 20 January.

In a video released after the vote in Congress, Mr Trump called on his followers to remain peaceful, without mentioning his impeachment. “Violence and vandalism have no place in our country… No true supporter of mine would ever endorse political violence,” he said, striking a sombre and conciliatory tone.

One week after deadly unrest at the heart of the US government, photographs are going viral of National Guard troops keeping watch over the Capitol.

The images, showing a heavy security presence inside and outside the building, are a complete contrast to the scenes of chaos broadcast around the world last week.

At least 10,000 members of the National Guard will be in Washington DC by Saturday and police officials say that number could be more than doubled for Joe Biden’s inauguration day next week.

The large deployment comes as the US House of Representatives votes on Wednesday on whether to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time for the role he played in last week’s violence.

Mr Trump is accused by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in the House, of “incitement of insurrection” and some members of his own Republican party have indicated they will vote to charge him.

Many of the lawmakers voting today were caught up in the events of last week, when thousands of radical pro-Trump supporters broke into the Capitol complex as Congress voted to certify the presidential election results.

After the building was secured and rioters cleared, a large fence was erected and thousands of National Guardsmen were brought in to help protect Congress.

As of Tuesday, the Pentagon approved those protecting the Capitol to carry lethal weapons as well as protective equipment.

The highly visible show of force comes amid widespread criticism of the chaotic security situation last week and amid fears of further violence in the run-up to Mr Biden’s inauguration on 20 January.

The FBI, still hunting those responsible for last week’s violence, has issued warnings of possible armed protests and further unrest across the country in the coming days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday tasked officials with launching mass coronavirus vaccinations from next week.

After being the first country to register a vaccine for use, Russia is looking to leap ahead of other countries in the race to inoculate its population of 146 million.

Russia in August registered Sputnik V — named after the Soviet-era satellite — months ahead of Western competitors but before the start of large-scale clinical trials, which left some experts wary.

“I ask you to begin the mass vaccination of the entire population next week,” Putin told officials at a televised government meeting.

“The Russian vaccine is the best in the world,” he said.

Putin said Russia should “get relevant infrastructure ready” to boost production of the vaccine, which Moscow is promoting to other countries as cheaper and easier to transport than others jabs.

New York City will terminate business contracts with President Donald Trump after last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday.

The Trump Organization is under city contract to operate the two ice rinks and a carousel in Central Park as well as a golf course in the Bronx.The Trump Organization profits about $17 million a year from those sites, de Blasio said.

Indonesia has rolled out a mass free Covid-19 vaccination programme in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus and get its economy going again.

But the country is taking a markedly different approach to others. Instead of vaccinating elderly people in the first phase, after frontline workers, it will target younger working people aged 18 to 59.

President Joko Widodo, 59, was the first person in the country to receive the vaccine shot on Wednesday. Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin, 77, will not get the jab early as he is too old.

Professor Amin Soebandrio, who is on a board that has advised the government on its “youth first” strategy, argues that it makes sense to prioritise immunising working people – those “who go out of the house and all over the place and then at night come back home to their families”.

“We are targeting those that are likely to spread the virus,” he told BBC Indonesia.

He argues this approach will give the country the best chance of achieving herd immunity, something that occurs when a large portion of a community becomes immune through vaccinations or the mass spread of a disease.

It was thought that 60-70% of the global population must be immune to stop the coronavirus spreading easily. However, those figures will rise considerably if the new, more transmissible, variants spread widely.

“That’s the long-term objective – or we at least reduce significantly the spread of the virus so that the pandemic is under control and we can get the economy going again,” said Prof Soebandrio.

Indonesia, with its population of 270 million, has the highest cumulative number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia. According to government data, about 80% of cases are among the working population.

While schools and government offices have been closed for almost a year, the government has resisted putting in place strict lockdowns, fearing the impact on the country’s economy. More than half of the population works in the informal sector, so for many working from home isn’t an option.

The country’s new health minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, defended the strategy and insists it is not just about the economy but about “protecting people and targeting first those who are likely to get it and spread it”.

“We are focusing on people who have to meet lots of people as part of their work; motorbike taxi, police, military. So, I don’t want people to think this is about just the economy. This is about protecting people,” he said.

The government also argues it will offer some protection to the elderly.

“Immunising the working members of a household will mean they are not bringing the virus into the home, where their older relatives are,” said Dr Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the Ministry of Health’s spokesperson for the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Most elderly people in Indonesia live in intergenerational households, and isolating them from the rest of the family is often impossible.

“So, it’s one additional benefit from this approach, that by vaccinating people 18-59 years old we are also offering some protection to the elderly they live with,” she said.

But this relies on the vaccine preventing people from carrying the virus and passing it on.

“We simply don’t have that information yet,” said Professor Robert Read, a member of the vaccination and immunisation committee (JCVI) that advises the UK health departments on immunisation.

“The reason the UK hasn’t gone for the younger population, of course, is that A, they don’t get such a severe disease and B, we haven’t been able to demonstrate yet that the vaccines have any impact at all on transmission,” he said.

The Indonesia approach, he said, would need a very high vaccine uptake – “at least 50% in all likelihood, to stop death and hospitalisation in their older population”.

“It’s possible that if they get very high coverage rates then there will be some impact on transmission, although we haven’t seen it obviously yet.”