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Project Management ...etc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger57651125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-23665368254638709932020-05-17T19:37:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:37:13.113-07:00Italy's daily coronavirus death toll and new cases fall2 minutes<div>
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<figure><div>
<img aria-label="People gather in Virgiliano Park, as the country begins a staged end to a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Naples, Italy, May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca" height="423" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518942800&r=LYNXMPEG4G0OG&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="People gather in Virgiliano Park, as the country begins a staged end to a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Naples, Italy, May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518942800&r=LYNXMPEG4G0OG&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption><span>People
gather in Virgiliano Park, as the country begins a staged end to a
nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in
Naples, Italy, May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
MILAN
(Reuters) - The daily death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy
fell to 145 on Sunday, the lowest since March 9, against 153 the day
before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new
cases fell to a March-4 low of 675 from 875 on Saturday. <br />
The
total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands
at 31,908 the agency said, the third highest in the world after those of
the United States and Britain. <br />
The number of confirmed cases
amounts to 225,435, the sixth highest global tally behind those of the
United States, Spain, Britain, Russia and Brazil. <br />
People registered as currently carrying the illness fell to 68,351 from 70,187 the day before. <br />
There
were 762 people in intensive care on Sunday, down from 775 on Saturday,
maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected,
125,176 were declared recovered against 122,810 a day earlier. <br />
The
agency said a total of 1.933 million people had been tested for the
virus as of Sunday, against 1.900 million on Saturday, out of a
population of around 60 million. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-55378334885840602822020-05-17T19:35:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:35:57.836-07:00COVID-19: Keyamo frowns at criticism trailing Madagascar cure1-2 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<img data-original-height="411" data-original-width="640" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmXQ5Exj7DtmT3VCWre2WdJ8HY4tjRrSd0a6qpmRkvkWmmpeo4hUI5PbhyphenhyphenjOz2qdUDzbukwF5FUJN6uYbsmnmluA5RS2jDIk12JTv2vtBlobuVe3FIp5oolEIjzOmsF4NV0HA5mle-vOs/s640/keyamo2.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<span>Festus Keyamo,
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has reacted to the criticism
trailing the COVID-19 cure produced by Madagascar.</span><br />
<span>Keyamo, on his
Twitter page, wondered if the criticism was because the cure was developed in
Africa.</span><br />
<span>“I really don’t know
why there’s so much fuss about the Madagascar recipe. Why heavily criticize
what a country has discovered to make people recover NOW from the illness,
whilst we continue to wait for the almighty vaccine from the @WHO? Or is it
because it is an African country?</span><br />
<span>“Put in another way,
why can’t we make do with what we have now, until we get what the world is
waiting for?”</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-40820587345603422302020-05-17T19:34:00.003-07:002020-05-17T19:34:48.834-07:00Pompeo warns China over interference with U.S. journalists in Hong Kong2 minutes<div>
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<figure><div>
<img aria-label="FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference at the State Department, in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2020. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo" height="426" src="https://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518939685&r=LYNXMPEG4G0RZ&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference at the State Department, in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2020. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo" src="https://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518939685&r=LYNXMPEG4G0RZ&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption><span>FILE
PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference
at the State Department, in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2020. Andrew
Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said it had
come to his attention that the Chinese government had threatened to
interfere with the work of U.S. journalists in Hong Kong, and said any
decision impinging on Hong Kong’s autonomy could affect the U.S.
assessment of Hong Kong’s status. <br />
“These journalists are members
of a free press, not propaganda cadres, and their valuable reporting
informs Chinese citizens and the world,” Pompeo said in a statement. <br />
Britain
returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, and the territory was promised a
“high degree of autonomy” for 50 years, something that has formed the
basis of the territory’s special status under U.S. law, which has helped
it thrive as a world financial center. <br />
Pompeo announced on May 6
that the State Department was delaying a report to Congress assessing
whether Hong Kong enjoyed sufficient autonomy from China to continue
receiving special treatment from the United States. <br />
He said at
the time the delay was to allow the report to account for any actions
Beijing might contemplate in the run-up to China’s May 22 National
People’s Congress. <br />
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have
spiked in recent weeks, as Pompeo and President Donald Trump have
complained about China’s early handling of the coronavirus outbreak. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-45673506841620327532020-05-17T19:33:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:33:06.071-07:00'Contradictory' government guidelines confused retailers3-4 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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The chopping and changing of government guidelines for shops
and malls at alert level 2 put businesses on the back foot, according to
Retail New Zealand.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="No caption" height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/230749/eight_col_people_at_mall.jpg?1589431596" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">Shoppers at an Auckland mall on the first day of alert level 2. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">RNZ / Jogai Bhatt</span></span>
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With New Zealand's move to alert level 2 <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/416668/covid-19-developments-in-new-zealand-on-14-may">last week</a>, retailers were able to reopen their stores to the public under a number of guidelines set out by the government.<br />
Retail chief executive Greg Harford told <i>Morning Report</i> the transition wasn't as smooth as some businesses would have liked.<br />
"The big issue with contact tracing is that there's been a lack of
clarity and some contradictory information coming out of different parts
of government at different times and I think where the government
landed last week, finally late on Wednesday night, was that contact
tracing was not required in retail but the retailers are required to
maintain two-metre distance between their customers.<br />
"Now that's a little bit challenging for some smaller stores of
course and everyone is trying to do their best to comply," he said.<br />
Glenfield Mall owner Dallas Pendergrast shared Harford's message that the contact tracing rules for retailers was confusing.<br />
"We find it very difficult keeping up with the rules and really understanding what is required.<br />
"There has been very little information for shopping mall owners as
to what we are supposed to be doing. We're all doing our best, we've had
a lot of signage put up around the mall... reminding people about
distancing," Pendergrast said.<br />
Harford said it was also going to be a long time before retail stores get back to pre-Covid sales figures.<br />
"Customers are still certainly out and about and things were busy ...
anecdotally sales dollars were down on what we might have expected," he
said.<br />
Hartford said that the retail sector has seen significant growth in
online shopping over recent years and particularly during the lockdown.<br />
However, he said online sales pose more challenges for businesses,
such as infrastructure and courier capabilities to meet demand.<br />
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged there were some businesses
confused about what contact tracing they were required to do.<br />
"[Retailers] need to make sure they have good hygiene practices in
place, that they are supporting shoppers to keep a distance from one
another, and because they're in such a short space of time they're are
not required to contact trace every single person that comes into their
store. Hospitality are required to contact trace," she told <i>Morning Report</i>.<br />
She said the 100-people limit didn't apply to malls.<br />
</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-72050589512069643702020-05-17T19:31:00.003-07:002020-05-17T19:31:47.426-07:0010 COVID-19 patients in Bauchi overdose on vitamin C2 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<img data-original-height="352" data-original-width="618" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3F3rjReBXJkhbAE8KotNcdAPR7GUD0Mbk0bfKj2_tWl9NdP_bNslCU5PhEB1ARojNw_Dte32bybFkfMuaK1ErfH0dZ1kfaEuNPwXYCKyO4Qa6jYnUV_8NsMy7qAOZXcb0e_69hH9el5wq/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /><br />
<span>Rilwanu Muhammed,
chairman of Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHCDA), says
10 COVID-19 patients in the state have taken an overdose of vitamin C at the
isolation centres in the state.</span><br />
<span>While speaking to
journalists on Sunday, Muhammad said an overdose of vitamin C may result in
undesirable health conditions such as gall bladder stone, kidney stones and
pelvic ulcer.</span><br />
<span>”You know vitamin C
is good for the body but its important people should take it moderately, at
least only one in a day,” he said.</span><br />
<span>“But unfortunately
some of our patients are taking double or triple dose in a day and one of the
side effects of this drug is that it causes pelvic ulcer, which will create
other problems for them.</span><br />
<span>“About 10 of our
patients were discovered to have taken the overdose of these drugs. The
overdose also causes gall bladder stone and kidney stones,”</span><br />
<span>Mohammed, who is
also the chairman of the contact-tracing committee of the COVID-19 state task
force, said four COVID-19 patients who practised “steaming” as treatment ended
up developing hypertension.</span><br />
<span>He advised patients
to desist from self-medication, adding that drugs should be taken based on
doctor’s prescription.</span><br />
<span>He assured patients
that their welfare is of priority and that N5 million had been requested from
the state government to procure more drugs for treatment.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-65970806596601981252020-05-17T19:30:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:30:02.395-07:00Wike’s Special Adviser on Media, Simeon Nwakaudu is dead1-2 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<img data-original-height="541" data-original-width="521" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgVS7SJ6SeYvVwqHnriDQQO8KhowkIkd0jbtHhSVIYdLDT2COpQDWwfmu1ql5W3-quEThlLEz9Zz-YpH6ul9gh5XKCSnX03OJPLuRPmYwNNM85GfXjsFW_s6sCe4YYsRDs4SoWfFfO4E8/s640/Capture.PNG" width="616" /><br />
<span>The Special Adviser
to Governor Nyesom Wike on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, is dead.</span><br />
<span>The cause of his
death is still unknown, but sources at Government House Port Harcourt said
Simeon may have died of cardiac arrest.</span><br />
<span>Governor, Nyesom
Wike in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications,
Paulinus Nsirim, expressed shock over the sudden death of his Special Assistant
on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu.</span><br />
<span>Wike described late
Nwakaudu as a loyal and dedicated professional who contributed immensely to the
implementation of The NEW Rivers Vision.</span><br />
<span>“The governor on
behalf of his family, the government and good people of the State condoled with
the bereaved family.</span><br />
<span>“He prayed God to
grant them the fortitude to bear the great loss.</span><br />
<span>“Late Nwakaudu died
today at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) after a brief
illness,” the statement read.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-56523054813484823012020-05-17T19:28:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:28:41.379-07:00Nnamdi Kanu vs Uwazuruike: Moses ran away from Egypt to save his life – IPOB fires back at MASSOB2 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<img data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXP4ADiKzm11a0vH1J_s_f86NyO4VHtb83iU01yn_nRIQ4FE9zH-VGQpmN1Mmz7Ghi_WjuGFyKerQaHj6IfUJnJFrz-X4F1gkjeTlymFbXJSHfxDFKoq3iuD-KJxLyi3smGiB_S6K5Kou4/s640/ipob2.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<span>The Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOB, has reminded its sister group, the Movement for the
Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, that three things await
freedom fighters such as its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.</span><br />
<span>In a statement by
its Publicity Secretary, Emma Power, in response to the attack on Kanu by
MASSOB, IPOB noted that imprisonment, exile or death await all freedom
fighters.</span><br />
<span>IPOB alluded to the
biblical story of the old testament when Moses escaped from Egypt but later
came back to deliver his people from slavery, describing Chief Ralph
Uwazuruike, MASSOB leader, as a jester.</span><br />
<span>IPOB said that Chief
Uwazuruike and MASSOB were inconsequential, adding that they do not know what
freedom fighting is all about.</span><br />
<span>“That our leader,
Nnamdi Kanu being outside the country does not mean he is a coward, he is there
preparing the coming of the new nation and the new nation is about to come and
Uwazuruike is there playing to the gallery. That he is registering our Biafra
in UNPO, is making jest of himself,” IPOB said.</span><br />
<span>“Uwazuruike should
be told in clear terms that Moses ran away when the Egyptians were after his
life and at the end, he led the people of Israel out of Egypt to the promised
land.</span><br />
<span>“Freedom fighting,
it’s either you are in prison or in exile or you are dead.</span><br />
<span>“Those are the three
things that happen to a freedom fighter, either he is in prison talking about
freedom, in exile still talking about freedom or they kill you.”</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-41969976534934247712020-05-17T19:27:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:27:15.815-07:00Smiths City sale for $60m offers greatest opportunity for it to endure, chairperson says3 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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The Christchurch-based furniture and appliance retailer,
Smiths City, has been sold to investment fund Polar Capital for $60
million.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="No caption" height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/57138/eight_col_Clipboard01.jpg?1526002828" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">File image. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">Google Maps</span></span>
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The sale involves all of Smiths City Finance and the majority of its 29 stores.<br />
The seven shops that are not included will be closed dependent on the lease transfers and new lease terms being agreed on.<br />
Smiths City said the purchase agreement included offers of employment for approximately 75 percent of its 465 staff.<br />
The value of assets will be transferred to Polar Capital at around
$60m, however the purchaser is assuming some debt and other liabilities
and the net amount to be received is $8m.<br />
Polar Capital is owned by Colin Neal, the founder of the refrigerated logistics company, Big Chill.<br />
Smiths City chairperson Alistair Kerr said they signalled at the end
of March and earlier this month that the Covid-19 pandemic had delivered
a material and significant shock to the business.<br />
''In addition to taking steps to preserve cash and contain costs in
the face of these new trading conditions, the board has explored
numerous options to secure an injection on new capital.''<br />
''These efforts have included discussions with our existing largest
shareholders and other potential strategic investors, to underwrite a
broader capital raising.''<br />
Kerr said that it had become clear that the sale offered the greatest opportunity for Smiths City to endure for the long-term.<br />
"It also offers the greatest opportunity to protect the jobs of many of our staff as we can in this uncertain time.''<br />
Colin Neal of Polar Capital said Smith City had been part of the New Zealand retail landscape for more than 100 years.<br />
''It is a trusted brand that has been synonymous with providing great
quality, excellent value and attentive no-nonsense service.''<br />
Neal said all Smith City's customer commitments would be honoured.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-9089910269965807672020-05-17T19:25:00.003-07:002020-05-17T19:25:55.148-07:00Mexico reports 49,219 cases of coronavirus and 5,177 deaths<img alt="Mexico reports 49,219 cases of coronavirus and 5,177 deaths - Reuters" class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" height="426" src="https://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200518&t=2&i=1518950028&r=LYNXMPEG4H00U&w=1680" style="margin: 0px;" width="640" />Mexico
registered 49,219 cases of coronavirus on Sunday, with the country’s
death toll rising to 5,177, health authorities said. Mexico has
seen a slightly higher death rate from coronavirus than the global
average so far due to the widespread presence of pre-existing medical
conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, experts say. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-86301152273862318702020-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:24:13.374-07:00Obama renews attack on Trump's virus response3-4 minutes<div class="meta-data">
</div>
<div>
Former US president Barack Obama has criticised his successor Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="US President Barack Obama (R) welcomes President-elect Donald Trump(L)to the White House in Washington, DC January 20, 2017. " height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/231013/eight_col_t_and_o.jpg?1589689871" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">President-elect Donald Trump is welcomed to the White House by President Barack Obama in January 2017. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">AFP</span></span>
<br />
</div>
In an online address to graduating college students, he said the
pandemic had shown that many officials "aren't even pretending to be in
charge".<br />
It is the second time in recent days that Obama has hit out at the Trump administration's coronavirus response.<br />
He said it had been "an absolute chaotic disaster" during a leaked conference call last week.<br />
During his commencement address today, which was delivered to
graduates from several dozen historically black colleges and
universities, Obama said the Covid-19 outbreak had exposed <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/416724/health-boss-makes-grim-prediction-of-us-fate-in-pandemic">failings in the country's leadership</a>.<br />
"More than anything this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the
curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what
they're doing," he said.<br />
"A lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge," he added.<br />
More than 1200 people have died with coronavirus in the United States
over the past 24 hours, according to the latest figures from Johns
Hopkins University.<br />
The total death toll now stands at almost 89,000, which is the highest anywhere in the world.<br />
Obama also spoke at length about the impact the pandemic is having on black communities in the US.<br />
"A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and
extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with
in this country," he said.<br />
The former president also referenced the killing of Ahmaud Arbery -
an unarmed black jogger who was shot and killed by two white men in
February - during his address.<br />
He said racial inequalities in the US were made apparent "when a
black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and
question and shoot him, if he doesn't submit to their question".<br />
"If the world's going to get better, it's going to be up to you," he told the graduates.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="A large group of protesters, marched on New York's Police Headquarters decrying police brutality against African-Americans following the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, 11 May 2020, in New York." height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/102133/eight_col_075_vansise-notitle200511_npoqB.jpg?1589690021" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">Protesters march on New York's
police headquarters criticising police brutality against
African-Americans following the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">AFP</span></span>
<br />
</div>
Obama has kept a relatively low profile since leaving office in
January 2017 and has rarely spoken out about the actions of his
successor.<br />
But the pair have been engaged in several back-and-forths in recent
days, leading Trump to accuse Obama and his aides of engaging in a
criminal effort to undermine his presidency.<br />
"The biggest political crime in American history, by far!" the president wrote on Twitter last week.<br />
<b><i>-BBC </i></b><br />
</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-91570726440969708312020-05-17T19:22:00.004-07:002020-05-17T19:22:31.850-07:00Beaches, parks busy as Europe heat wave and U.S. spring test new coronavirus rulesLisa Shumaker
<div class="meta-data">
<div class="reader-estimated-time">
5-6 minutes</div>
</div>
Summer weather is enticing much of the world to emerge
from coronavirus lockdowns as centers of the outbreak from New York to
Italy and Spain gradually lift restrictions that have kept millions
indoors for months. <br />
People are streaming back to beaches, parks
and streets just as a heat wave hits southern Europe and spring-like
temperatures allow Americans to shed winter coats. As they venture out
again, most are keeping their distance and some are wearing masks.
However, protests are also heating up from Germany to England to the
United States, arguing the government restrictions demolish personal
liberties and are wrecking economies. <br />
Greeks flocked to the
seaside on Saturday when more than 500 beaches reopened, coinciding with
temperatures of 34 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit). <br />
Umbrella poles
had to be 4 meters (13 ft) apart, with canopies no closer than 1 meter
as the country sought to walk the fine line between protecting people
from COVID-19 while reviving the tourism sector that many depend on for
their livelihoods. <br />
“This is the best thing for us elderly ... to
come and relax a bit after being locked in,” Yannis Tentomas, who is in
his 70s, said as he settled down on the sand. <br />
White circles
were painted on the lawn in Brooklyn’s Domino Park in New York City to
help sunbathers and picnickers keep a safe distance. About half the
people in the park appeared to be wearing some form of face covering as
they congregated in small groups on a warm Saturday afternoon with
police officers in masks keeping watch. <br />
In Paris’ Bois de
Boulogne, health training worker Anne Chardon was carrying disinfectant
gel and a mask but said she felt a sense of freedom again for the first
time after weeks of confinement. <br />
“It’s as if we were in Sleeping
Beauty’s castle, all asleep, all frozen, and suddenly there’s light and
space, suddenly we can experience again the little joys of everyday, in
the spaces that belong to us, and that we’re rediscovering.” <br />
<div tabindex="-1">
<figcaption></figcaption></div>
On
the French Riviera, many who took a dip in the sea wore protective
masks. Fishing and surfing were also allowed, but sunbathing was banned.
<br />
“We’re semi-free,” said one local bather sporting a straw hat as he strolled the rather empty pebbly beach in Nice. <br />
<h3>
‘MAKE CORONA GO AWAY’ </h3>
Bathers
seeking relief from the heat in Tel Aviv in the waters of the
Mediterranean Sea and Jordan Valley mostly tried to stay apart. <br />
“We
hope that the hot water, weather, make corona go away,” said Lilach
Vardi, a woman who came to swim in the Dead Sea in Israel, as a
lifeguard tried to fry an egg in a pan in the scorching sand nearby. <br />
In
Tunisia, which reported no new COVID-19 cases over four consecutive
days last week, people flooded into the streets and to recently reopened
shops with little social-distancing. <br />
Muslims are nearing the Eid al-Fitr holiday ending the holy month of Ramadan, when many celebrate with new purchases. <br />
“I
stayed at home for two months and almost went crazy,” said one woman at
Tunis’ Manar City Mall. “I’m surprised by the crowd but I need to buy
clothes for my children for Eid.” <br />
But throughout the world, small
pockets of protesters bristled at any restrictions. In the U.S. states
of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, protests demanding states
reopen faster have drawn demonstrators armed with rifles and handguns,
which can be carried in public in many parts of the country. <br />
Thousands
of Germans took to the streets across the country on Saturday to
demonstrate against restrictions imposed by the government, and Polish
police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Warsaw. <br />
<div>
<div>
<figure><div>
<img height="426" src="https://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518938126&r=LYNXMPEG4G0NW" width="640" /></div>
</figure><figcaption> <span></span></figcaption></div>
</div>
In
London’s Hyde Park, police arrested 19 people on Saturday for
deliberately breaking social distancing guidelines in protest at the
rules, on the first weekend since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced
a slight loosening of England’s lockdown. <br />
The scene elsewhere in
the city was much calmer on Sunday as children climbed trees, kicked
footballs and threw Frisbees in Greenwich Park. Couples and larger
groups sunned themselves on the open lawns, mostly observing social
distancing as they chatted and drank beer. <br />
“We’re really happy
to be out,” said Niko Privado, who brought his three brightly colored
Macaws to the park, each tethered to a portable perch. “It’s only the
second time we’ve been able to take them out (since the lockdown),” he
said, watched by his wife and daughter. <br />
Nearby, however, a woman working at an ice cream van said business was far from brisk despite the crowds and warm weather. <br />
“It’s
very bad — only three to four people every hour,” said Zara Safat.
“It’s social distancing and they don’t want to wait in long queues.” <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-57268940645247599632020-05-17T19:20:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:20:57.197-07:00'He wouldn't say a word' - Rwanda genocide fugitive lived incognito in Paris5-6 minutesRwandan
genocide fugitive Felicien Kabuga, whose arrest on Saturday ended 26
years on the run, was a frail, elderly man who said little to
neighbours and who would take a stroll most days outside of his
apartment in a well-off suburb of Paris. <br />
<div>
<div tabindex="-1">
<figure><div>
<img aria-label="FILE PHOTO: A view shows the apartment building where Rwanda genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga was arrested in Asnieres-sur-Seine near Paris, France May 16, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo" height="422" src="https://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518936399&r=LYNXMPEG4G0R9&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="FILE PHOTO: A view shows the apartment building where Rwanda genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga was arrested in Asnieres-sur-Seine near Paris, France May 16, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo" src="https://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518936399&r=LYNXMPEG4G0R9&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption><span>FILE
PHOTO: A view shows the apartment building where Rwanda genocide
suspect Felicien Kabuga was arrested in Asnieres-sur-Seine near Paris,
France May 16, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
Kabuga,
84, Rwanda’s most wanted man with a $5 million bounty on his head, had
been living under a false name in a five-storey apartment block in
Asnieres-sur-Seine with the help of his children, according to France’s
justice ministry. <br />
Police detained him early on Saturday. <br />
“I
would see this man going out, maybe once a day, alone or with someone,”
said Jean-Yves Breneol, 72, a resident in the same block where Kabuga
lived. “He wouldn’t say a word, nothing.” <br />
Breneol said he thought Kabuga might have lived in the building for four or five years. <br />
“We didn’t know his name, nothing,” he continued. <br />
It is not known how or when Kabuga entered France. <br />
But
neighbours said they were stunned to learn that a man wanted by a
United Nations tribunal on seven criminal charges including genocide and
incitement to commit genocide, all in relation to the 1994 Rwandan
genocide, had been living among them. <br />
“What’s happened is
shocking,” said a second resident in the building who identified himself
only as Jean-Guillaume, who added that Kabuga appeared weak. <br />
“He was an old man, very old. He was sick.” <br />
Reuters
could not find any public comment made by Kabuga over the years about
the charges. It was not immediately known if he has a lawyer in France. <br />
Kabuga is now being held in La Sante prison in central Paris. <br />
At
the foot of an imposing outer wall made of stone and bristling with
security cameras, a coat of arms in the tricolor of the French national
flag hangs beside a reception kiosk. <br />
<h3>
CASH, MACHETES </h3>
Kabuga’s arrest marked the end of a more than two-decade long hunt that spanned Africa and Europe. <br />
A
Hutu businessman, he is accused of creating and making contributions to
a fund that raised finances to pay the youth militias that would
slaughter some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, as well as importing
huge numbers of machetes, according to the UN tribunal’s indictment. <br />
<div>
<div>
<figure><div>
<img src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518936402&r=LYNXMPEG4G0RC" /></div>
</figure><figcaption>Slideshow<span> (3 Images)</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
Kabuga
had been an associate of president Juvenal Habyarimana, whose death in a
plane shot down over the Rwandan capital Kigali in 1994 ignited the
deep-rooted ethnic tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis. Two of his
daughters married into Habyarimana’s family, according to an amended
indictment dated 2004. <br />
One of Rwanda’s richest men before the
genocide, Kabuga controlled many of the central African nation’s coffee
and tea plantations and factories. He also co-owned Radio Television
Milles Collines, whose radio station broadcast anti-Tutsi messages that
fanned the ethnic hatred. <br />
The scars of the genocide remain deeply etched in the Rwandan psyche. <br />
“This
is really good news that someone who planned and financed the genocide
and has been hiding for a long time and now arrested. It is good news
for everyone especially survivors,” said Valerie Mukabayire, leader of
AVEGA, a group of women survivors of the genocide. <br />
Mukabayire, 64, said she lost family members including her husband. Her survivors’ group has slightly over 19,000 members. <br />
“We
were worried that his (Kabuga’s) elderly age would impede justice but
now we are happy that he is arrested,” she told Reuters by phone. <br />
Kabuga’s
arrest paves the way for him to come before the Paris Appeal Court and
later be transferred to the custody of the international court, which is
based in the Hague, Netherlands and Arusha, Tanzania. <br />
The
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established by the
U.N. Security Council and closed in 2015. The International Residual
Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is now mandated to perform some
functions carried out by the ICTR and the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. <br />
The ICTR was at the centre of
efforts to set new standards in international justice, though Rwandan
President Paul Kagame said it was too slow and too inefficient. Some
critics said it was too focused on prosecuting Hutus. <br />
“For
international justice, Kabuga’s arrest demonstrates that we can succeed
when we have the international community’s support,” Mechanism Chief
Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in a statement. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-16692528910037749492020-05-17T19:19:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:19:30.083-07:00One crew member dead as Canadian forces' Snowbirds jet crashes in British Columbia2 minutes<div>
<div tabindex="-1">
<figure><div>
<img aria-label="An RCMP office walks in front of the tail wreckage from a Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds jet after a member of the exhibition team crashed shortly after takeoff in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Dennis Owen" height="427" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518943624&r=LYNXMPEG4G0TF&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="An RCMP office walks in front of the tail wreckage from a Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds jet after a member of the exhibition team crashed shortly after takeoff in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Dennis Owen" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518943624&r=LYNXMPEG4G0TF&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption><span>An
RCMP office walks in front of the tail wreckage from a Royal Canadian
Air Force Snowbirds jet after a member of the exhibition team crashed
shortly after takeoff in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada May 17,
2020. REUTERS/Dennis Owen</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
(Reuters)
- A jet from the Canadian air force’s Snowbirds aerobatics team that
was on a tour to lift spirits during the coronavirus outbreak crashed in
Kamloops, British Columbia, on Sunday, killing one crew member and
seriously injuring the other, defense officials said. <br />
Video shot
by a witness showed two of the team’s Canadair Tutor single-engine
aircraft taking off. One of the planes reared up almost immediately
before plunging to the ground, exploding just after the pilot ejected. <br />
“One
member of the Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds team has died and one has
sustained serious injuries,” the armed forces said on Twitter. <br />
Witnesses and officials said earlier that at least one person was injured. <br />
Officials
in Kamloops - about 320 km (200 miles) northeast of Vancouver in the
West Coast Canadian province - said the jet had hit a residential home,
sparking a fire. <br />
A photo posted by local television station CFJC
showed at least one house on fire in the Brocklehurst area of Kamloops, a
city with a population of more than 90,000. <br />
Federal Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a tweet that he was deeply saddened by news of the crash. <br />
It
was the second recent accident involving the Snowbirds. One of the
team’s jets crashed into an unpopulated area last October before a show
in Atlanta, after the pilot ejected. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-80467120430999220602020-05-17T19:18:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:18:15.102-07:00Australia plans pop-up carparks to prevent rush hour virus crush3 minutesAustralian
officials planned to open pop-up parking lots and extra bicycle lanes
in Sydney and other cities as the country’s most populous state began
its first full week on Monday of loosened lockdown measures. <img alt="Australia plans pop-up carparks to prevent rush hour virus crush ..." class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" height="480" src="https://media.malaymail.com/uploads/articles/2020/2020-05/chusyd1805.jpg" style="margin: 0px;" width="640" /><br />
New
South Wales (NSW) state Premier Gladys Berejiklian is urging people to
avoid peak-hour trains and buses as they return to work to ensure that
social distancing between commuters is maintained. <br />
Australia’s
states and territories are beginning to allow more public activity under
a three-step government plan after two months of shutdowns that
officials have credited with keeping the country’s exposure to the
pandemic relatively low. <br />
NSW, which accounts for around half of
Australia’s 7,045 COVID-19 cases, reported just one new infection in the
previous 24 hours. The state also reported one additional death, the
first nationally in almost a week, taking the nationwide toll to 99. <br />
“We normally
encourage people to catch public transport but given the constraints in
the peak and the fact we are exercising social distancing, we want
people to consider different ways to get to work,” Berejiklian told
reporters in Sydney. <br />
“Places in and around the CBD, but also in
employment hubs, will be investigated and more pop-up parking stations
will be made available,” she added. <br />
For people still catching
trains and buses, the government is ordering “intense and ongoing
cleaning” across the public transport network, she said. <br />
Neighbouring
Victoria state, which along with NSW accounts for more than half
Australia’s 25 million population, reported six new cases of coronavirus
in the 24 hours to Monday. <br />
Twelve McDonald’s Australia
restaurants in Victoria were closed after a delivery driver tested
positive to the illness, local media reported. McDonald’s Australia is a
separate corporate entity to McDonald’s Corp. <br />
“It is a difficult
decision, but it is the right one to make,” McDonald’s Australia CEO
Andrew Gregory was quoted telling Nine Entertainment. <br />
The driver
was not symptomatic and no McDonald’s diners were at risk of
contracting the illness from the driver, Gregory added, according to the
network. <br />
The northern state of Queensland reported two new cases over the past 24 hours. <br />
Meanwhile,
Australia is joining dozens of countries pushing for an investigation
into the origins of the new coronavirus when the World Health Assembly,
the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, meets in
Switzerland on Monday for its first annual meeting since the COVID-19
pandemic began. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-15978578736665926932020-05-17T19:16:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:16:20.295-07:00Iran Supreme Leader says Americans will be expelled from Iraq and Syria2 minutes<div>
<div tabindex="-1">
<figure><div>
<img aria-label="FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a televised speech on the occasion of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, in Tehran, Iran March 20, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo" height="426" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518932915&r=LYNXMPEG4G0PH&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a televised speech on the occasion of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, in Tehran, Iran March 20, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518932915&r=LYNXMPEG4G0PH&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption><span>FILE
PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a
televised speech on the occasion of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, in
Tehran, Iran March 20, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via
REUTERS/File Photo</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
(Reuters) -
Americans will be expelled from Iraq and Syria, Iran’s Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday, renewing Iran’s demand for U.S.
troops to be withdrawn from the Middle East. <br />
Iran almost got into
a full-blown conflict with the United States when a U.S. drone strike
killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on
Jan. 3, prompting Tehran to retaliate with a missile barrage against a
U.S. base in Iraq days later. <br />
Khamenei said Americans’ actions in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria had led to them being hated, according to a
transcript of a speech to students published on his website. <br />
“The Americans won’t stay in Iraq and Syria and will be expelled,” Khamenei said. <br />
Last
month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had instructed the U.S. Navy
to fire on any Iranian ships that harass it at sea, but said later he
was not changing the military’s rules of engagement. <br />
After
Trump’s statement, the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, Major
General Hossein Salami, said that the Islamic Republic would destroy
U.S. warships if its security is threatened in the Gulf. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-58319727593633631252020-05-17T19:14:00.004-07:002020-05-17T19:14:56.756-07:00Shouldn't it be Nigeria wide? Buhari orders full military operation in katsina to wipeout bandits2 minutes<br />
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<div>
President Muhammadu
Buhari has authorized the commencement of a major military operation to sweep
bandits and kidnappers out of Katsina State, said Garba Shehu, Senior Special
Assistant to the President.<br />
The Senior Special
Assistant made the disclosure on Sunday, May 17, in Abuja.<br />
Continuing, he said,
“A major proactive operation by Special Forces, which details are being kept
secret, is now in progress to replace the reactive strikes against insurgent
camps.<br />
“To give a full
effect to the exercise, a planning team is already in the State selecting
targets and making preparations for the execution of the “unprecedented”
operation.<br />
“The Chief of
Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, who has been measured in issuing
official statements on the oncoming exercise, briefed the President on the plan
he intends to flag off shortly.<br />
“President Buhari
who expressed sadness over the recent attacks in the State extended his
condolences to the families of those killed and prayed for the recovery of the
injured.”</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-30772983967567213312020-05-17T19:12:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:12:35.516-07:00COVID-19: Buhari meets with Presidential Task Force to determine next phase of lockdown2 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmp4pb8ZfG2v1YUMrkYmCdLH-uVzL1cPQ3Cz0rg9hXPdd4Xxdf1_PbN_b7i0d2JCGPnASxwGwMANliizekn2ZWcm1MEwgKuIavhiIB-U1zykCXFpo80O9dQ47fj-YwbXgl4oYST7KK2On/s1600/5.jpg"><img data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmp4pb8ZfG2v1YUMrkYmCdLH-uVzL1cPQ3Cz0rg9hXPdd4Xxdf1_PbN_b7i0d2JCGPnASxwGwMANliizekn2ZWcm1MEwgKuIavhiIB-U1zykCXFpo80O9dQ47fj-YwbXgl4oYST7KK2On/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span>President Muhammadu
Buhari, on Sunday, hosted the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 at the
State House.</span><br />
<span>This was confirmed
by one of the president’s media aides, Bashir Ahmaad, on Twitter.</span><br />
<span>Ahmaad shared images
from the meeting and wrote: “President @MBuhari receives briefing from the
Presidential Task Force on COVID–19, led by SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, today at
the State House, Abuja.”</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZobfkYG8b1lVnul0Fc0I44cNtL5m3bKfE6BEgx6hZF0IOhETuhy3mO5BRWBgBJc9fmtioBouDJcG7zmuPAys7m2yzvxbwGA3_Nzpwni7pZPTB6KodsIMyjdmqGpLjZG_H8nZV43bu5SX/s1600/4.jpg"><img data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZobfkYG8b1lVnul0Fc0I44cNtL5m3bKfE6BEgx6hZF0IOhETuhy3mO5BRWBgBJc9fmtioBouDJcG7zmuPAys7m2yzvxbwGA3_Nzpwni7pZPTB6KodsIMyjdmqGpLjZG_H8nZV43bu5SX/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span>The Task Force
headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss
Mustapha, visited Buhari to update him on their progress in containing the
pandemic.</span><br />
<span>The president on May
4, relaxed a five-week total lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State.</span><br />
<span>Tomorrow, Monday,
May 18, will make it two weeks since Buhari made the decision.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9vxTkfrp7x-I_Hn_GS_6Wdhj1H7t3cB3MUKOgm0nQBUxd3y0z4PogPDu1lp9p1bPlkCa8jO4X7dtyomHFxkatBs55qUzXmRyWFwga9lSjB-GKoxD1th3DlkoBMv56mg6orBdby-xn1p9/s1600/7.jpg"><img data-original-height="345" data-original-width="750" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9vxTkfrp7x-I_Hn_GS_6Wdhj1H7t3cB3MUKOgm0nQBUxd3y0z4PogPDu1lp9p1bPlkCa8jO4X7dtyomHFxkatBs55qUzXmRyWFwga9lSjB-GKoxD1th3DlkoBMv56mg6orBdby-xn1p9/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span>The PTF at different
times, have expressed their displeasure at how Nigerians have failed to adhere
to the guidelines for partial lockdown.</span><br />
<span>It is believed that
the meeting today, was to review the compliance level and decide on strategies
moving forward.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-77595519396318294492020-05-17T19:10:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:10:37.721-07:00Nigerian doctor infects 10 family members with Coronavirus2 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<span>A Nigerian doctor
has infected 10 of his family members with the deadly Coronavirus in Bauchi
State, including his nine-year-old son.</span><br />
<span>Dr. Rilwanu
Muhammed, Chairman, State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA), on
Sunday said though nine of the family were recently discharged, but the
9-year-old son remained in isolation as he is yet to recover.</span><br />
<span>Mohammed told The
Nation that the doctor might have contracted the virus while treating COVID-19
patients but he refused to allow himself to be treated thereby exposing his
family members to the deadly virus.</span><br />
<span>”The doctor and nine
of his family members were recently discharged but the last child, the
9-year-old son is still in isolation. When the doctor got infected, instead of
allowing other doctors to take care of him , he went home with it. He ought to
have placed himself on a sick role and allow others to treat him, you’re a
doctor doesn’t mean you can treat yourself of covid-19, ” he warned.</span><br />
<span>Mohammed , however,
advised infected health workers to submit themselves for treatment, adding that
no fewer than 24 health workers had tested positive so far for the novel virus,
with 17 from Azare community in Katagum Local Government Area while 7 were
infected in Bauchi Local Government.</span><br />
<span>He identified denials
by infected patients as one of the challenges health workers were facing in the
state, adding that health workers most times might have had contact with an
infected patient before knowing his or her COVID-19 status.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-36818727550205446972020-05-17T19:08:00.003-07:002020-05-17T19:08:51.974-07:00In Mexico, one of world's biggest food markets stirs unease about infections5-6 minutes<div class="meta-data">
</div>
Every day, thousands of Mexicans crowd a massive food
market that is a linchpin of the capital’s food supply, though it sits
at the heart of a major hotspot for the virus. <br />
Mexico City’s
sprawling Central de Abasto market, stretching across an area equivalent
to about 327 football pitches, poses a major headache for officials
trying to keep food supplies flowing without magnifying the spread of
the coronavirus. <br />
It is a daunting task in a market known to
attract about a half a million people a day in normal times, according
to figures from officials in Iztapalapa, a neighborhood with the highest
numbers of coronavirus infections in Mexico. <br />
In addition to
shoppers and wholesale buyers who throng the market at night to supply
retail outlets in the metropolis, another 100,000 workers typically cram
the corridors lined with sacks of potatoes, rice and boxes of bananas. <br />
Local
officials have not detailed how many visitors the market is receiving
during the quarantine, but the market’s organizers say vehicle traffic
has fallen by about 30%. <br />
In early May, the capital’s government
included the shopping complex in a list of 89 areas deemed to have
“high-risk of contagion” as part of efforts to prevent an outbreak. <br />
Still,
completely shutting the market that serves a sizeable swath of Mexico’s
25 million people is not an option, said Mexico City Mayor Claudia
Sheinbaum, because it would devastate the regional food supply. <br />
“Central
de Abasto cannot be closed,”Sheinbaum said late last month. “We are
taking very strict measures so that as few people as possible go.” <br /><br />
<div tabindex="-1">
<figcaption><div>
<span>People
are pictured at the Central de Abastos, one of the world's largest
wholesale market complexes, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
outbreak, in Mexico City, Mexico May 11, 2020. Picture taken May 11,
2020. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf</span></div>
</figcaption></div>
Unlike
those living in the leafy upscale areas of Mexico’s cosmopolitan
capital, the drivers, cleaners and vendors in the working class
Iztapalapa area say they have no choice but to risk the virus. <br />
“The
government says to stay in quarantine. So how are we going to eat?”,
asked Fernando Torres, one of the thousands of people who works in the
market. <br />
“I know that I am in the hands of God,” added Torres,
sporting a cloth mask over his face. “If God says, ‘The coronavirus will
take you,’ it will take me. But I try to take care of myself.” <br />
With
about 2,500 confirmed cases and more than 200 deaths, Iztapalapa
accounts for about a fifth of the total number of infections and deaths
related to the virus in Mexico City, the epicenter of the pandemic in
the country. <br />
Experts attribute the rapid spread of the disease in
part to the location of the neighborhood, the most populous in the
capital, connecting the center of the sprawling city with the dense
suburbs of the state of Mexico. <br />
Residents are further handicapped
by poor public services, such as scarcity of drinking water. More than a
third of the population lives in poverty in the city borough, according
to government data. <br />
Two of the four public hospitals serving
COVID-19 patients in Iztapalapa were saturated on Saturday, according to
government data. Area funeral homes and crematoriums have also said
they were getting slammed. <br />
Reuters made repeated requests for an
interview with Clara Brugada, mayor of the Iztapalapa area, but she was
not made available in time for publication. <br />
<h3>
“CUTTING THE TRANSMISSION CHAIN” </h3>
Due
to the coronavirus, the market is operating at 85% of capacity. It
typically receives more than 15,000 products every day from all over the
country in more than 60,000 cargo vehicles, officials say. <br />
<div>
<div>
<figure><div>
<img height="426" src="https://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518917945&r=LYNXMPEG4G0F2" width="640" /></div>
</figure><figcaption> <span></span></figcaption></div>
</div>
The
decision to tighten surveillance came just after market authorities
acknowledged about 25 people had been infected and reported two deaths
related to the virus at the facility, where about $9 billion changes
hands each year. <br />
As part of the precautionary measures, children
and pregnant women are prohibited from entering, while health personnel
have begun to carry out COVID-19 tests. Hundreds of police officers and
other public employees are stationed to measure visitors’ temperatures.
<br />
“What we are trying (to do) is cut the transmission chain,” said Javier Serna, health officer at the Iztapalapa mayor’s office. <br />
However,
Serna said 34 additional cases of coronavirus were detected last week
after conducting 450 tests among market personnel. <br />
In the
neighborhood around the market, dozens of shops remain open and
residents can be seen walking without face masks — in contrast to the
desolate streets in more affluent areas of the capital. <br />
Angeles
Medina, 33, lost her job in a plastic factory after the coronavirus
outbreak, and now sells tacos and coffee outside a metro station 10
minutes from the market. <br />
“I am afraid of getting infected or bringing an infection to my house, but we have to work,” Medina said. <br />
<div class="credits reader-credits">
Noe Torres</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-29288547681413863872020-05-17T19:06:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:06:54.177-07:00National wants government to hold off on 4c petrol tax increase2-3 minutes<div class="meta-data">
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<div>
The National Party wants the government to put off a four cent
petrol tax increase and the road user charges scheduled to begin in
July.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="No caption" height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/217158/eight_col_191205_PETROL-PUMPS-4.jpg?1575507780" width="720" /><br />
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">RNZ / Dan Cook</span></span>
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</div>
The opposition argued the charges should be deferred while the light rail project is delayed.<br />
National leader Simon Bridges said given the unprecedented economic
situation resulting from Covid-19, the government should give motorists a
break rather than hitting them in the back pocket.<br />
"The government introduced three years of annual tax increases to pay
for its beleaguered Auckland light rail pet project that has gone
absolutely nowhere since Jacinda Ardern promised it on the 2017 campaign
trail," he said.<br />
He said if the government does not defer the petrol tax increase,
then it will be a clear signal that "Labour's plan to repay the massive
debt it's taking on is more tax".<br />
However, the government said it will not be putting off this year's
petrol tax increase, despite calls to do so from the National Party.<br />
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the light rail project was about to go to Cabinet when Covid hit.<br />
"While the government has been totally focused on fighting the virus
and didn't have the bandwidth earlier to consider the light rail
proposal, it is going to Cabinet shortly," he said.<br />
He said cutting this year's petrol tax increase would mean massive
cuts to roading and public transport projects throughout the country.<br />
"New Zealanders understand their petrol taxes pay for roads and
public transport, they want the government to get on with fixing their
neglected roads, easing congestion and building a modern and sustainable
transport network."<br />
He noted the National government raised petrol excise six times and
that the current government has already announced it will not be raising
fuel tax next term.<br />
</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-25277121642344560482020-05-17T19:05:00.000-07:002020-05-17T19:05:15.330-07:00Bolsonaro snaps photos with children at Brazil protest, defying health adviceJamie McGeever
<div class="meta-data">
<div class="reader-estimated-time">
4 minutes</div>
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Wearing a face mask, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
posed for photographs with children plucked out of a crowd of supporters
on Sunday, disregarding public health advice aimed at containing one of
the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. <br />
<div>
<div tabindex="-1">
<figure><div>
<img aria-label="Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters during a protest against the President of the Chamber of Deputies Rodrigo Maia, Brazilian Supreme Court, quarantine and social distancing measures, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brasilia, Brazil May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado" height="426" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518938004&r=LYNXMPEG4G0QF&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters during a protest against the President of the Chamber of Deputies Rodrigo Maia, Brazilian Supreme Court, quarantine and social distancing measures, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brasilia, Brazil May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200517&t=2&i=1518938004&r=LYNXMPEG4G0QF&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption><span>Brazil's
President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters during a protest against the
President of the Chamber of Deputies Rodrigo Maia, Brazilian Supreme
Court, quarantine and social distancing measures, amid the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brasilia, Brazil May 17, 2020.
REUTERS/Adriano Machado</span></figcaption></div>
</div>
Bolsonaro’s
latest flouting of social-distancing guidelines came after he lost two
health ministers in a month, both of whom resisted his fight against
quarantines. Brazil’s confirmed cases of the virus passed those of Spain
and Italy on Saturday, making it the site of the world’s fourth-largest
outbreak. <br />
Health Ministry figures released on Sunday evening
showed that 7,938 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing
the total above 241,000, while the death toll increased by 485 to
16,118. <br />
In an online video, Bolsonaro said he welcomed the
demonstration at the presidential palace in what has become a nearly
biweekly affair, with the president and supporters defying quarantines
that have the support of most Brazilians. <br />
“Above all (the people)
want freedom, they want democracy, they want respect,” he said, adding
that Brazilians want to get the economy back up and running as quickly
as possible. <br />
An opinion poll released last Tuesday showed
two-thirds of Brazilians agreed with the need for social distancing to
contain the outbreak, which governors and health experts recommend,
while Bolsonaro tries to open gyms, hair salons and other businesses. <br />
On
Friday, Nelson Teich resigned as health minister as he and the
president showed themselves increasingly out of step, with Bolsonaro
calling for a rollback of state quarantines and for the widespread use
of unproven drugs, such as chloroquine, to fight the virus. <br />
“Chlo-ro-quine!
Chlo-ro-quine!” chanted Bolsonaro’s supporters outside the presidential
palace in Sunday, as well as “We want to work!” <br />
Banging drums, blowing horns and letting off fireworks, the crowd created a carnival atmosphere. <br />
Wearing
a white face mask and flanked by ministers, security and friends,
including a child at his side dressed head to toe in army fatigues,
Bolsonaro approached his supporters, waving, smiling and giving the
thumbs up. <br />
He mingled with the crowd less than during other
recent demonstrations, but he did pose for photographs with at least
three young children. <br />
Vice President Hamilton Mourao, who went
into isolation on Saturday after the diagnosis of a public servant near
him last week, tested negative for the coronavirus, his office said on
Sunday. <br />
Nationwide testing in Brazil still lags far behind
European nations. Brazil had processed nearly 338,000 novel coronavirus
tests in official labs by the beginning of last week, according to the
Health Ministry. An additional 145,000 tests were under analysis or
waiting in line. <br />
By contrast, Italy and Spain have each run some 1.9 million official diagnostic tests for the virus. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-35967515734069927962020-05-17T19:03:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:03:36.716-07:00Playcentre movement directs funding 'outrage' at PM4 minutes<div class="meta-data">
</div>
<div>
Playcentre families, <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/416691/budget-2020-applause-and-dismay-echo-in-reactions">upset by last week's Budget</a>, have been taking their fight to the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="Blocks at an early childhood centre" height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/53567/eight_col_ECE_cubes_edited.jpg?1521085949" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">Playcentre Aotearoa says centres and jobs are under threat because the latest Budget hasn't funded them properly. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">RNZ Insight/John Gerritsen</span></span>
<br />
</div>
Over the weekend, many Playcentre mothers have expressed their anger on Ardern's Facebook page.<br />
They say <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/416375/budget-2020-151-million-funding-boost-for-early-learning-services">funding they received</a> in the Budget is insulting, and it puts about 100 centres at risk of closure.<br />
Playcentre educates more than 7 percent of New Zealand's
pre-schoolers, yet receives less than one percent of the government's
funding for the early childhood education sector.<br />
There are more than 420 playcentres in the country, with about a third serving rural areas.<br />
Its national body, Playcentre Aotearoa, said it is those centres that are the most vulnerable.<br />
General manager Sean McKinley said the Budget has given Playcentre a total increase of $3.1 million over four years.<br />
"The $3.1 million we have received amounts to approximately $675,000 a year for our organisation, or $1685 per centre per year.<br />
"We appreciate the new funding, but it comes after a long period of
underfunding in which we received only a 3.1 percent total increase in
funding over seven years."<br />
"We need significantly more than that. We've got over 400 centres, many of them in rural locations," he told <i>Morning Report</i>.<br />
McKinley said if Playcentre is to remain viable under its current funding, services will have to be cut.<br />
"This will involve making staff redundant, decreasing support for our
volunteer workforce and, most likely, closing centres that we can no
longer afford to subsidise in high need areas of the country.<br />
"Families are feeling outraged by what they see as a lack of good faith on the part of the government."<br />
He said the movement plays an enormous role in the lives of tamariki,
whānau and communities, and parents are prepared to fight for its
survival.<br />
"Last financial year we saw an increase of 16 percent in our
membership numbers. we have very successful centres out there with
waitlists that unfortunately, we cant run the sessions for those people
because we are not able to pay the staff."<br />
It was about being able to provide the Playcentre option for parents, McKinley said.<br />
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said Playcentre hadn't had a funding
increase since 2006, "so we do know they are experiencing some
financial difficulties".<br />
But Playcentres are dealing with a complex situation - households with both parents going off to work.<br />
Playcentres struggle because it's a model based on parents going in
with their kids and that's been a struggle in this economy before the
Covid lockdown and it's put Playcentres under the squeeze.<br />
"They have changed their qualification requirements for parents who
are engaging with Playcentre, made the thresholds a bit higher for those
parents, so they are dealing with a whole lot of things.<br />
"There's goodwill there, we want to see Playcentre survive and thrive
into the future, so we'll keep talking to them about how we can do a
better job of supporting them."<br />
</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-2468755183258326542020-05-17T19:02:00.001-07:002020-05-17T19:02:25.389-07:00China reports seven new coronavirus cases, up from five a day earlier<img alt="China reports seven new coronavirus cases, up from five a day ..." class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" height="426" src="https://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200518&t=2&i=1518950706&r=LYNXMPEG4H011&w=1280" style="margin: 0px;" width="640" />China
reported seven new coronavirus cases for May 17, up from five a day
earlier, the country’s health authority said on Monday. Of the new cases, four were imported from the Inner Mongolia province. <br />
The country also reported 18 new asymptomatic cases on May 17, versus 12 the day before. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-76357076571658552122020-05-17T19:00:00.002-07:002020-05-17T19:00:57.415-07:00Fear of contact: Surge in commuters on the roads and a stress test for public transport3-4 minutes<div class="meta-data">
</div>
It was smooth sailing for Auckland and Wellington commuters this morning despite a surge in numbers on the roads.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="Traffic is starting to build on Auckland's Southern Motorway as students return to school and workers return to offices." height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/102144/eight_col_traffic.JPG?1589743146" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">Traffic on Auckland's Southern Motorway as pupils returned to school and workers returned to offices this morning. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">NZTA</span></span>
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</div>
About 800,000 children headed back to school this morning for the
first time in eight weeks and many more workers travelling into the
office under lockdown level 2.<br />
Today was seen as a stress test for Auckland and Wellington's public
transport systems which are operating at less than 50 percent capacity
due to physical distancing rules.<br />
Auckland Transport said buses, trains and ferries were about a third
full and and Metlink in Wellington said demand was lighter than
expected.<br />
A New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) manager said traffic into both
cities was light compared to pre-lockdown levels and flowed smoothly
without the usual congestion on State Highway 1 on Kapiti Coast and at
Petone on State Highway 2.<br />
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">
<img alt="A central hub in Ellerslie overlooking the Southern motorway back into the city." height="450" src="https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/100545/eight_col_Drone_-_AKL_Motorways-08.jpg?1587441507" width="720" /><br />
<span class="caption" itemprop="caption">Auckland's Southern Motorway during alert level 4. </span>
<span>Photo: <span itemprop="copyrightHolder">RNZ</span></span>
<br />
</div>
Fears students would be left stranded because of the public transport numbers cap have not been borne out.<br />
Macleans College principal president of Auckland Secondary Principals' Association said last week the cap meant <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/416574/no-physical-distancing-on-school-buses-at-level-2">a disaster looming</a>.<br />
He arranged for minivans to head out this morning to pick up any students left in the lurch.<br />
"We only had two [students] that we needed to pick up in the school van.<br />
"[But] what we noticed was a huge number of parents driving their
children to school and dropping them off in the streets around the
school.<br />
NZTA said it was seeing more traffic around schools this morning.<br />
School buses are not subject to the physical distancing rules but must instead keep thorough contact tracing records.<br />
Some <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/416574/no-physical-distancing-on-school-buses-at-level-2">parents have expressed fears</a> about children being crammed together on school buses saying they would instead drop them off at school.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420768746822905620.post-79853967416080624092020-05-17T18:55:00.000-07:002020-05-17T18:55:34.620-07:00Demolition of Albanian national theatre sparks angry protestsBenet Koleka
<br />
<div class="meta-data">
<div class="reader-estimated-time">
3-4 minutes</div>
</div>
Albanian authorities began demolishing the national
theatre building early on Sunday after dragging away two dozen actors
and activists protecting the site, drawing a large crowd chanting
“shame” and “dictatorship”. <br />
<div>
<div tabindex="-1">
<br />
<figure><div>
<img aria-label="Albanian activists and supporters clash with police as they protest against the demolition of the National Theatre in Tirana, Albania May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Florion Goga" height="426" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200518&t=2&i=1518950249&r=LYNXMPEG4G0EH&w=2560" width="640" /><img aria-label="Albanian activists and supporters clash with police as they protest against the demolition of the National Theatre in Tirana, Albania May 17, 2020. REUTERS/Florion Goga" src="https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20200518&t=2&i=1518950249&r=LYNXMPEG4G0EH&w=20" /></div>
</figure><figcaption>Albanian
activists and supporters clash with police as they protest against the
demolition of the National Theatre in Tirana, Albania May 17, 2020.
REUTERS/Florion Goga</figcaption></div>
</div>
For more than
two years actors, activists and the opposition have contested plans by
Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to build a new theatre, saying the
existing building was part of the country’s heritage, and accused him of
corrupt practices. <br />
A large police force showed up before dawn
and removed members of the Alliance to Protect the Theatre, using pepper
spray. Mechanized diggers then began demolishing its front column,
bearing the words “National Theatre”. <br />
The fate of the building,
constructed in 1939 and made into a national theatre in 1945, has
divided society, with many angry that Rama had chosen to act during the
coronavirus lockdown. <br />
“This is no longer about the theatre’s
demolition but the downfall of democracy and freedom. We are in a
dictatorship,” an unidentified member of the alliance said on a Facebook
video. <br />
Rama, whose government says the theatre was decrepit and
in need of modernisation, stuck to his idea he was pushing for progress,
after building a new soccer stadium and market. <br />
“These are the
same people who rise against every project in Tirana. They do not want
development, but they cannot stop Tirana,” Rama said in a Facebook post.
<br />
Protesters shoved police blocking access to the site and chanted
“down with the dictatorship”, leading to 37 arrests. One policeman was
hospitalized after being hit by protesters, while a Reuters witness also
saw one protester with head injuries. <br />
One of those arrested,
media analyst Alfred Lela, said after his release that police had used
unjustified violence and verbal abuse. Policemen kicked protesters, who
threw water bottles, according to a Reuters witness. <br />
The police said accusations of violence were untrue. <br />
Critics
of the original plan for a new theatre said the work had been awarded
to one of the government’s preferred partners without being subject to
tender, with the construction of several new high-rise properties
included in the deal. <br />
The Socialist government withdrew that plan in February. <br />
Protesters
have claimed that a six-month period is required by law for a new
project to be approved, and that the government has not secured the
proper permits to carry out the demolition. <br />
Mariya Gabriel, the
European Union’s Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
Commissioner, last week urged further discussions before any decision
was made on the theatre. <br />
Opposition Democratic Party leader
Lulzim Basha said the demolition was illegal, and had also “demolished
the foundations of society”. <br />
President Ilir Meta, who holds a
largely ceremonial role in government, has complained to the
constitutional court about the demolition, which he has called an
“legal, moral and constitutional crime”. The court is yet to rule. <br />
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