TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Fortuna Dusseldorf striker Bernard Tekpetey ruled out for Paderborn clash

    Fortuna Dusseldorf have been dealt an injury blow with Ghanaian striker Bernard Tekpetey set to miss Saturday’s Bundesliga clash against Paderborn.

    The club is currently battling relegation as they sit just one position above the dreaded zone with 11 matches left to play.

    Tekpetey will be on the sidelines as the top-flight makes a comeback for the first time in two months due to the coronavirus outbreak in the world.

    The 22-year-old, who is on loan from Schalke 04, he has made nine league appearances so far this season.

    “For Dawid Kownacki, Bernard Tekpetey and Zack Steffen the game comes too early after their injuries,” Dusseldorf boss Uwe Rosler told pressmen in his team news at the pre-match conference on Thursday.

    “Captain Oliver Fink left the team quarters for personal family reasons.

    “Marcel Sobottka has finally got really fit and is training very well. But also Adam Bodzek is back in team training and is doing really well right now.

    “The same applies to Alfredo Morales.”

    He added, “I still don’t have a clear idea of ??how the entire matchday will go. I can’t really imagine the feeling in the minutes before the kick-off.”

    “We are in good shape as we can be in the current situation. Everyone knows that it is a very important game. We analysed Paderborn and we know how we can attack them.”

    As part of strict protocols for the return of Bundesliga, matches are set to be played behind closed doors while each team will be allowed to make up to five substitutions per game.

    “Every player copes with a situation that has never existed differently. You have to understand that,” Rosler continued.

    “I am therefore trying to send the players on the field who can best deal with this situation.

    “Among other things, we use the time in the team hotel to keep our players up to date.

    “There will be the last conversation tonight – after that, we will focus on football.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Kenya troops ‘planning Somalia exit next year’

    There is a plan for Kenyan troops to leave Somalia by December next year, local newspaper Daily Nation has reported, citing a new book by just retired military chief Samson Mwathethe.

    The exit plan includes first ensuring the Somali army can take over security from the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), which is also made up of troops from Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Burundi.

    The strategy cites the creation of a buffer zone free of fighters from the al-Shabab militant group along the Kenya-Somalia border.

    The process will involve “surveillance, trenches, roads and chain-link fences”.

    Kenya has suffered frequent attacks on its soil by al-Shabaab since the country sent troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight the militant group.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Cleaners get more health allowance than us Nigerian lab scientists

    The Delta State chapter of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, AMLSN, Thursday said its members receive an average of N30, 000 as health allowances in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that its personnel are paid far lesser than cleaners in the health sector in the state, who are paid N70, 000.

    The scientists while threatening to withdraw their services from the Delta State COVID-19 team if the anomaly is not rectified, said they are giving the state government two weeks to look into their grievances or else, there will be no health personnel to collect samples from suspected COVID-19 patients in the state.

    Though the State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Mordi Ononye declined commenting on the matter when contacted, his counterpart in the ministry of information, Charles Aniagwu, debunked the claims by the scientists saying, “That cannot be true because our allowance is bigger than any other state in the country.” AMLSN Public Relations Officer in the state, Hilary Ugwoke while lamenting what he described as the discrepancies in the health allowances compared to other health professionals in the state, wonder the modalities used in the payments for doctors, nurses and pharmacists who he said receive far more than medical laboratory scientists in the state.

    He said: “Of all health workers in the state apart from drivers, medical laboratory scientists in Delta State are the least paid. Some are paid as much as N30, 000 for the six months based on the sample collected and we are saying that it is not a function of sample collected because hazard is hazard as we are all prone to being infected by a singular person.”

    “At the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH, Oghara for example, Doctors were paid an average of N250, 000; Nurses got N90, 000, Pharmacists got N180, 000 while cleaners where paid N70, 000 compared to medical laboratory scientists whom were paid N30, 000.

    “We will like to know the methods used in the variation of payments for all health professionals that will warrant us receiving N30, 000. If this anomaly is not rectified within the shortest possible time, we will be forced to withdraw our services from the COVID-19 programme in the state and we are giving them a timeframe between now and next month to do so.

    “Of all health professionals, we are the only personnel that interact with suspected COVID-19 patients with their mouths and nose open while coughing and breathing on us in most cases, unlike doctors and nurses who attend to them while wearing protective equipment thereby putting us more at risk.

    “It should also be on record that if our services are withdrawn, as the only professionals backed by law to collect samples from suspected COVID-19 patients for test, nobody will be available and allowed to collect samples from such patients for test.”

    Source: vanguardngr.com

  • MTN Group anounces 11.1% revenue boost in service

    MTN Group today announced a positive service revenue trajectory in the first quarter financial results for the year 2020.

    Speaking on the results, MTN Group CEO, Rob Shuter said:

    “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy have brought about unprecedented uncertainty. volalily and challenges which are impacting our markets a both the socio-economic and macro-economic levels. The impact of the pandemic on ou quarter one performance was not significant os lockdown restrictions for our consolidated subsidiaries were only implemented from the last week of March 2020.

    We continued to build commercial momentum adding 6,6 million subscribers in the quarter, with active data users increasing by 2,9 million and MoMo Subscribers by 0,4 million. We continued to scale our Ayoba platform recording 2,6 million monthly active users. We accelerated our MoMo agency network in Nigeria, under our super-agent licence, adding 70 000 agents in the first quarter, bringing the total number of registered agents to 178 00.

    On strategic progress, the digital business returned to growth, booking 15.6% in the quarter. In MTN SA the enterprise business recorded its second quarter of growth and in May we commenced phase 2 of the national roaming agreement with Cell C and look Forward to a continued partnership.

    In these difficult times we continue to focus on our key priorities: looking after our people, our customers and our networks while we focus on efficiencies. For our people, the immediate priority is their health and safety, where the work-from-home programmes across our markets empower our staff to work remotely while ensuring continuity in our operations. For our customers, we have ramped up our digital channels as a service alternative, to enable them to continue purchasing airtime and accessing our products and services seamlessly as well as launching Y’ello Hope Packages in most of our markets.

    Our various initiatives support governments across our markets with communication systems and connectivity as we do our part to help minimise the economic and social impact.

    The COVID-19 situation is an evolving one and will undoubtedly impact the year ahead.

    Given the uncertainties associated with the duration and economic impact of the pandemic, it is difficult to reliably quantify the direct and indirect Financial impacts on the business at this early stage. The group will continue to focus on business continuity and efficiency, and we have implemented strict measures to preserve resources and strengthen our resilience.”

    Financial Performance For the first quarter, MTN delivered a solid performance increasing constant currency service revenue by 11,1% and EBITDA by 15,6% with EBITDA margin improving by 2.1pp to 43,2%, in line with medium-term targets. The group recorded voice, data and fintech revenue growth of 6,3%, 26,4% and 26,0% respectively as we continued to execute on our strategic objectives and progress toward becoming a digital operator. Digital revenue has returned to growth, increasing by 15,6%.

    MTN Group CFO, Ralph Mupita concluded, “We are encouraged by the service revenue growth of 11.1% which we achieved on a constant currency basis, this translated to 16.5% on a reported basis. Good cost control across the group supported the increase in group EBITDA margins, with a particular strong performance from MTN Ghana.

    Notwithstanding The impacts of COVID-19 in the first quarter the balance sheet remained resilient and our cash and committed undrawn facilities was approximately R45 billion at the holding company level providing us with sufficient liquidity during these uncertain and unprecedented times.

    We have experienced a continued surgeon data traffic during the month of April, but voice traffic and mobile money transactions were under pressure given various lockdown measures token across markets. Where lockdown measures have been lifted or relaxed recently voice recharges and mobile money transaction volumes have improved. For Now, we are maintaining our 3 -5 years medium-term guidance but will update the capital markets in August of any changes when we release our H1 2020 results.

    Looking ahead The current environment is marked by significant uncertainties. It is still too early to assess the economic impact of the pandemic on our customers and reliably quantify the director indirect financial effects on our business. The remainder of the year will be shaped by the ramifications of the pandemic, and we will continue to update all stakeholders as the effects become clearer.

    We are not only focused on managing the risks brought about by COVID-19, but also on the opportunities it creates in the accelerated digitalization it has brought about. We believe we are well positioned as a company to benefit from this evolution, especially given our focus on growth in our data, digital and Financial services businesses. The Group remains focused on the execution of our BRIGHT strategy to deliver sustainable growth in our operations and value to our stakeholders.

    About the MTN Group

    Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code

    “MTN. We are pursuing our BRIGHT strategy with a major focus on growth in data, fintech and digital businesses.

    Source: MTN Group

  • 98-year-old woman recovers from coronavirus in Nigeria

    A 98-year-old woman has recovered from coronavirus in Lagos State, The Punch reports.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who made this known via his Twitter handle, said the woman was part of the 26 patients who were discharged in the state on Wednesday.

    According to the governor, she is the oldest COVID-19 patient to recover in the state.

    He tweeted, “Today, we discharged a 98-year-old woman, our oldest COVID-19 patient in Lagos. She joined 25 others; 13 males and 12 females, discharged from our isolation centres after testing negative for COVID-19, bringing the total of our successfully managed and discharged patients to 528.

    “The patients, six from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, 11 from Onikan and nine from LUTH Isolation Centres were discharged having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID-19 in two consecutive readings.”

    The Punch reports that Lagos has recorded 1,990 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Davidos spoils Imade with new bently convertible gift as she celebrates her birthday

    The 30 Billion Gang man, Davido, has spilled the cash on an expensive Bently convertible for his first born daughter, Imade as she celebrates her 5th birthday.

    Davido was happy to have fathered Imade, a young beautiful kid, full of life. As every father would do he celebrated his daughter in a grand style. Known for his taste in luxury and expensive things, the singer was spotted in a photo with her daughter with their new whips captioned;

    “Stuntin like my daddy”..@realimadeadeleke.. Happy birthday again my love

    Imade in the photo shared by her father, looked dapper in her Gucci outfit and her white on black Bently convertible for kids. She is truly the daughter of a rich man.

    Source: ghgossip.com

  • Retailers asked to practice ‘First Expired First Out’ principle

    Mr Sabastian Mawuli Hotor, the Upper East Regional Director of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has advised retailers in the Region to practice good storage and stocking practices.

    He said such as practice known as “First Expired First Out (FEFO)” would be to rid the market of unwholesome products.

    He explained that products near expiration dates should be arranged in front of shelves while those with later dates of expiration be arranged behind to easily notice expired products for appropriate action.

    Mr Hotor gave the advice when he addressed the media at Pumpuugu, a community at Sherigu in the Bolgatanga Municipality after his outfit destroyed some unwholesome regulated products valued at an estimated cost of Gh¢ 203, 181.64.

    He urged members of the public to check for expiry dates and registration status of products before buying and insisted that regulated products be purchased from accredited and recognized sources to ensure the safety of members of the public.

    “Public health and safety is our prime objective, and our activities are always geared towards providing assurance of safe food, drugs, cosmetics, household chemicals, medical devices, and all other regulated products in Ghana,” he emphasized.

    Mr Hotor said the FDA during its routine Post Market Surveillance activities in the Region confiscated several unwholesome products such as food products and supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, herbal medicines, and household chemicals from the market over the past one year.

    The Regional Director indicated that the purpose of the exercise was to rid the market of expired, counterfeit, contaminated, unregistered, and all other kinds of unwholesome regulated products on the market.

    He added that the exercise was to prevent the potential re-entry of those unwholesome regulated products into the supply chain, and said the disposal consignments were seized from provisions shops, Over the Counter Chemical shops, pharmacies, warehouses, herbal clinics, cosmetic shops and open markets across all 15 districts of the Region.

    Mr Hotor further called on members of the public to: “Report anybody selling expired, unregistered and unwholesome products to the FDA via the following media platforms; WhatsApp 0206973065, Facebook @ Food and Drugs Authority Ghana, Twitter @gh_fda, Instagram@ Food and Drugs Authority Ghana.”

    He said the FDA could also be contacted through the hotlines; 0299802932/0299802933 or SMS to 4015.

    The Director acknowledged the collaboration of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental and Sanitation Agency, the Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Police Service, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Pharmacy Council, the Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Health Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and other stakeholders who complement efforts of the FDA to execute its mandate.

    Mr Hotor urged the general public to continue to observe all protocols from the Ghana Health Service towards the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

    Source: GNA

  • Palestinian shot dead after ramming car into Israeli soldiers – Army

    A Palestinian rammed a car into Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead, the Israeli army said.

    “An assailant drove at a high speed towards (Israeli) soldiers adjacent to a military post near the community of Negohot, southwest of Hebron,” an army statement said.

    One soldier was wounded while another opened fire on the driver, it added. A spokeswoman for the military confirmed the driver had been killed.

    The Palestinian health ministry confirmed he was a Palestinian, and his family named him as Bahaa Al-Awawdeh.

    The wounded soldier was taken to hospital for treatment, the army statement added.

    The incident came a day after a 15-year-old Palestinian was killed in clashes with the Israeli army in the Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron.

    On Tuesday an Israeli soldier was killed when a rock was thrown at him during a raid near Jenin in the northern West Bank.

    Separately Thursday, hundreds of Israeli Arabs protested in the village of Arara against the killing of a man from the community outside a hospital in Tel Aviv.

    The man, who Israeli media reported had psychiatric issues, stabbed a guard at the hospital on Wednesday before being shot, Israeli police said.

    Tensions have been high as Israel prepares to swear in its first government in nearly 18 months on Sunday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supporting annexation of some parts of the West Bank.

    Source: france24.com

  • Trump threatens China ties, says in no mood for Xi talks

    US President Donald Trump further hardened his rhetoric towards China on Thursday, saying he no longer wishes to speak with Xi Jinping and warning darkly he might cut ties over the rival superpower’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Tensions have ratcheted up between Washington and Beijing as they trade barbs over the origin of the pandemic – which first appeared in late 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, and which Trump has dubbed the “Plague from China.”

    “I have a very good relationship (with Xi), but I just – right now I don’t want to speak to him,” Trump told Fox Business. “I’m very disappointed in China. I will tell you that right now,” he said.

    Asked how the United States might choose to retaliate, Trump gave no specifics but struck a threatening tone, saying: “There are many things we could do. We could do things. We could cut off the whole relationship.”

    “If you did, what would happen?” Trump asked. “You’d save $500 billion if you cut off the whole relationship.”

    Trump has for weeks accused China of concealing the true scale of the outbreak, allowing it to spread unchecked across the globe and claim the lives of 300,000 people to date.

    Beijing strongly denies the charge, insisting it transmitted all available data as soon as possible to the World Health Organization.

    But Trump doubled down on Fox Business, insisting: “They could have stopped it. They could have stopped it in China where it came from. But it didn’t happen that way.”

    “It’s very sad what’s happened to the world and to our country, with all of the deaths,” he said.

    Hacking accusation

    The US-Chinese standoff over the pandemic has raised questions over the fate of a partial trade deal inked in January that had marked a truce in their bruising economic war.

    Trump earlier this week ruled out renegotiating that deal, when asked about reports that China was looking to reopen talks.

    Last Friday Vice Premier Liu He, who led China’s negotiations, spoke by phone with Washington’s top negotiators and confirmed that both sides agreed to implementing the first phase of the deal.

    But the war of words has simmered on, with US authorities adding fuel to the fire Wednesday by saying Chinese hackers were trying to obtain coronavirus data on treatments and vaccines, and warning the effort involved Chinese government-affiliated groups and others.

    The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said China’s efforts posed a “significant threat” to the US response to COVID-19 — coming as dozens of companies, institutes and governments around the world are racing to develop a vaccine.

    Beijing strongly rejected the accusation, calling it a smear attempt – just as it has forcefully rejected the US accusation that the virus originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

    When asked on Fox Business what evidence there was to support that claim, Trump was less categorical than on past occasions, even appearing to dial back his assertion.

    “We have a lot of information, and it’s not good. But you know, the worst of all, whether it came from the lab or came from the bats – it all came from China and they should have stopped it,” he said.

    Nevertheless, US officials are pressing ahead in search of ways to punish China and seek compensation for the costs of the pandemic – and Republican senators on Tuesday proposed legislation that would empower Trump to slap sanctions on China if it does not give a “full accounting” for the outbreak.

    Source: france24.com

  • I am an Arsenal man – Fabregas

    Cesc Fabregas starred at both Arsenal and Chelsea over the course of his glittering career, but he admits that his spell at Highbury and the Emirates Stadium will always stand out as special.

    Fabregas moved to north London from Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2003 at just 16, and became Arsenal’s youngest-ever first-team player months later by making his debut in the League Cup against Rotherham.

    He went on to spend eight seasons under Arsene Wenger at the club, making more than 300 appearances and lifting the FA Cup in 2004-05.

    A move back to Barcelona and later Chelsea followed, with both spells yielding the league trophy he was unable to obtain with the Gunners, but when told by fellow Arsenal favourite Thierry Henry that red was his colour, Cesc was in full agreement.

    “When I think about you, you are in a red shirt,” Henry told his former team-mate in an Instagram chat. “I know people will say you won the league and became a legend at Chelsea, but you are an Arsenal man.”

    Fabregas replied: “I am and it will be part of me for the rest of my life. I would never have thought I would have mixed feelings between these two teams, but you go there and you meet people, you win titles, become important and win titles. You end up having so much love for the club.

    “You are right. You don’t forget where you come from and I came from Barcelona academy and I will never forget that, but to make it on the biggest level was at Arsenal and I don’t forget that.

    “I was so lucky to come in at that moment, to see you, Ashley (Cole), Robert (Pires), Patrick (Vieira), Sol (Campbell).

    “The management at the club gave me so much leadership and everything I needed to be a top player. I will never deny that I will always be an Arsenal man in my heart.

    “Football has so many turnarounds but I will never forget the connection with the fans and I had so much love at Arsenal and Chelsea. No can ever hear me say anything bad about Arsenal, even when I went to Chelsea and won there, and then won the league.”

    Fabregas, 33, is currently starring in Ligue 1 with Monaco, after leaving Chelsea for the principality in January 2019.

    Source: goal.com

  • Coronavirus: Lockdown won’t work Health Minister

    A general or partial lockdown does not seem to be in the books of government as part of measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu has suggested.

    According to him, the recent partial lockdown of Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi has taught government a lot of things per the severe impact it had on the nation.

    He further advised that all that people have to do now is to learn to live with the disease by following the laid down protocols.

    Answering a question as to whether Obuasi will be on lockdown due to the high number of coronnavirus cases it has recorded, at the just ended Ministry of Information press briefing, Mr Manu sad he does not believe a lockdown would work any longer.

    He said “generally, a lockdown is not something that we believe is going to work any longer. Now we have realized the lockdown taught us a lot of things and the impact is quite severe. So what we have to do now is to learn to live with the disease.”

    He however indicated that the Director General of the Ghana Health Service was in Obuasi with a group of epidemiologists and until they come back with their report “we must be very careful as to whether we are talking about a lockdown in Obuasi,” he said.

    Source: Starr FM

  • Kennedy Agyapong still pursues “sick” Obinim

    Outspoken Ghanaian politician, Kennedy Agyapong is really tormenting Ghanaian man of God, Bishop Obinim.

    After causing his arrest, Kennedy Agyapong has also revealed the hospital Bishop Obinim is currently.

    Bishop Obinim feigned illness when the police arrested him to the amazement of most Ghanaians because of how he use to brag about being untouchable.

    Well, according to Kennedy Agyapong, Obinim is currently on admission at Yeboah Hospital located at East Legon.

    Source: www.ghgossip.com

  • Atik Mohammed urges EC to commence registration exercise

    PNC General Secretary, Atik Mohammed has supported calls on the Electoral Commission to begin registration exercise for the compilation of a new voters’ register.

    The Electoral Commission (EC) was expected to hold the exercise on Saturday, April 18, 2020 but postponed it to a later date due to the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the country.

    In conformity with the restrictions on public gatherings and partial lockdown in the country, the EC has still not been able to undertake the voters’ registration exercise, but since the lockdown has been lifted, there are suggestions for the Commission to go ahead with the exercise.

    Addressing the issue on Thursday’s ‘Kokrokoo’ on Peace FM, Atik Mohammed rooted for those calling on the EC to commence the exercise but must ensure the safety of the Ghanaian electorates who attend the registration centres.

    He said the Commission should first make available adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for their officials and the electorates, enforce the social distancing order and the wearing of nose masks as well as ensuring the electorates strictly adhere to all the preventive protocols before they are allowed to exercise their right to register.

    To him, the EC is good to do the registration exercise if only they can protect the electorates and prevent transmissions of the disease.

    ”We can have an exercise that will smooth, that at the same time will assure of the safety of the Ghanaian electorates’,’ he stated.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Kidi sacked from studio of Accra FM for disrespect by showing up late (Video)

    Enjoyment hit maker, Kidi, was on Thursday, May 14, 2020, sacked from the studios of Accra FM where he had been invited for an interview.

    According to the host Nana Romeo, Kidi showed great disrespect to him, the show, and the radio station for coming late.

    He lamented that this is not the first time Kidi has done this.

    Nana Romeo said since Kidi became a music star, his attitude and disrespect is sickening.

    He chastised him saying that before Kidi became a music star, he Romeo was already in radio.

    For this reason, the show, which had been aired in advance was cancelled, thereby, disappointing the teaming listeners of the show on Accra FM.

    The many people who commented on the development criticised Kidi.

    James, for instance, said Kidi is taking things for granted after having small fame and power:

    Lewis also defended the Accra FM host’s action:

    Quophi was also full of praises for Romeo:

    Adongo and Joseph could not agree more with the host:

  • Malaria treatment services must continue amid coronavirus

    The Youth Leaders for Health, Ghana, a health advocacy group, on Thursday, urged African governments to ensure that access to malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment services are not disrupted as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

    It has, therefore, called on the continent’s leaders to invest more in strengthening the health systems that are key to the fight against malaria and COVID-19.

    A statement issued by the group and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation analysis indicated that seven Commonwealth countries were already on the verge of achieving the target to halving malaria by 2023.

    The countries are: The Gambia, Belize, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Mozambique, and Nigeria.

    However, the COVID-19 pandemic would negatively impact these Commonwealth countries in achieving this target.

    The statement said in 2017, 19 Commonwealth countries recorded an increase in malaria incidence, with the number of deaths from the disease increasing in 15 countries.

    During this time, Commonwealth countries accounted for over half of the estimated 435,000 deaths from malaria, a situation it explained reinforced the important contribution the Commonwealth could make towards achieving global malaria targets.

    The statement further explained that sub-Saharan Africa accounted for more than 90 per cent of global malaria cases and deaths.

    It said in 2018, nearly 900,000 children in 38 African countries were born with a low birth weight due to malaria in pregnancy, while children under five still accounted for two-thirds of all malaria deaths worldwide.

    “In the time of COVID-19, it is critical that existing services and interventions are not disrupted,” it stated.

    The group pledged its support as a partner and stakeholder to end malaria epidemic, achieve universal health coverage (UHC) and create lasting impact.

    Source: GNA

  • Agona East District records first COVID-19 case

    The Agona East District of the Central Region has recorded its first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus with 19 people placed under selfquarantine after contract tracing to combat the spread of the virus.

    Mr Dennis Armah-Frempong, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Agona East who disclosed to the Media at Nsaba said the patient is a 50-year old woman who had just returned from Niger through an illegal route to Ghana and was showing symptoms of the disease.

    The DCE stated that a report was made to his office and the district Rapid Response Team made up of medical personnel was dispatched to her house where her sample was taken and sent to Negochi Memory and Research Institute in Accra, which turned out to be positive.

    According to Mr Armah-Frempong, the sample of her three-year-old child was also awaiting results.

    He said the other 18 people have been placed under mandatory quarantine after contract tracing while other persons who interacted with the woman were being traced for testing.

    The DCE said 10 of the 18 persons whose samples were sent for testing after the contract tracing tested negative while the rest were pending.

    He said the confirmation of the COVID-19 case in the District has given additional impetus for the COVID-19 Team to intensify its educational campaign to all communities about the dangers of the pandemic.

    The DCE praised the frontline workers in the Agona East District for their tireless, commitment, hard work and sense of fellow feeling towards the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic

    The DCE stated that the team has been beefed up and more vehicles added to reach out to every citizen to sensitize then on the need to wear face masks, wash hands with soap under running water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers and observe all other health and social protocols to overcome the virus.

    He called on Ghanaians not to politicize the virus saying, the disease was real and had ravaged the economy of Countries the World over.

    Mr Armah-Frempong expressed grave concern about the attitude of some people who have defied COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to organize funerals, church, and other activities secretly to stop the acts before the law caught up with them.

    He recalled an incident last weekend at Agona Mensakrom where the funeral of three deceased persons was held with more than 100 mourners attending and it took the Response Team to disperse the crowd.

    The DCE said the action of the people defied the Executive Instrument(EI)64, which mandated President of Ghana to place a ban on social activities to prevent the spread of the Pandemic.

    The DCE appealed to Chiefs, Assembly members, Unit committee members, opinion leaders, and other stakeholders in the Agona East to support the campaign on the health Protocols outlined by President Akufo-Addo and GHS.

    The DCE appealed to the Youth who always played football in various communities to stop and adopt different strategies to exercise their bodies to avoid contracting the virus.

    The DCE said the Assembly has distributed over 6,000 face masks, 4, 000, veronica buckets, tissue papers, 10,000 alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and others to health centers, palaces, communities, and individuals to support the fight against COVID-19 Pandemic.

    Mr Kofi Quaining Mends, Agona East Direct Director of Health Service urged the people in the District not to fear because the Rapid Response Team was working feverishly to undertake more contract tracing to check the deadly virus.

    Source: GNA

  • Bishop Obinim arrested by the police (Video)

    Information reaching us indicates that Bishop Daniel Obinim has been arrested by the police.

    According to a report monitored on Accra-based Peace FM, the popular man of God was arrested in his church in Accra.

    In the report, Obinim was in his church doing counseling.

    However, the police told Obinim that they have a warrant so they wanted him to answer some questions.

    According to the report, Obinim went into his room, and upon returning told the police he is very sick.

    Per the report, Obinim has been hospitalized and he is still under police arrest.

    YEN.comgh previously reported a story of how maverick Ghanaian politician, Kennedy Agyapong, exposed Obinim after releasing a hot video of the latter.

    The Member of Parliament for Assin Central dropped a video of how Obinim has been sleeping with ladies.

    In the said video, the self-acclaimed prophet video is seen with a lady in a bedroom.

    Obinin is captured sitting on his bed while the lady is also seen with messy hair.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    Awww Obinim. This is both sad and funny😂

    A post shared by Gossip_Man (@akonkonsafuor) on

    source: yen.com.gh

  • Government is too romantic with public education on coronavirus – Atik Mohammed

    General Secretary of the Peoples’ National Convention and convener of the Mass Action Committee (MAC), Atik Mohammed is calling for an enhanced public education on the impact of COVID-19 in the country.

    Atik Mohammed expressed deep worry over the attitude of some Ghanaians who blazingly disregard health protocols to curb the spread of the disease.

    Speaking on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme on Thursday, the PNC General Secretary believed, to achieve the purpose of the public education, the government must show the nation the enormity of the pandemic disease to deter people from flouting protocols.

    ‘If people get to understand the full impact of this disease, I’m sure they will have a rethink,” he stressed.

    To Atik Mohammed, the State authorities responsible for the public education are being ”very romantic with our education. That’s how I see it. We present it as though it’s not a scary case. The reason why we succeeded in our fight against HIV/AIDS is that we made it very scary. The advertisement about AIDS even made virgins feel threatened”.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Sekondi-Takoradi Landing Beach Committee donates nose masks to Fishers in

    The Sekondi-Takoradi Landing Beach Committee has presented 13, 500 nose masks to the Mayor of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to be distributed to fisherfolks and individuals who patronize the Albert Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbour.

    The beneficiaries should also include those who patronize other shores in the Metropolis.

    Mr Anthony K.K. Sam, the MCE for the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis who received the nose masks on behalf of the beneficiaries, indicated that nose masks have become a critical protective tool in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore, mandatory apparel in most communities in the country.

    He urged the fisher folks to embrace the wearing of the nose mask to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Mr Sam stated that STMA and Effia-Kwesiminstim Municipal Assembly COVID-19 Security Committees were collaborating to find measures to effectively enforce the wearing of the nose masks and social distancing.

    Mr Samuel Addotey, Chairman of the Committee explained that they decided to help the fisher folks and individuals who used the Albert Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbour with the resources since the harbour saw hundreds of clients daily.

    The distribution of the nose masks would benefit the various Landing Beaches in Ngyiresia, Ekrufo Mpano ‘A & B’, Kokobo, Sekondi Central, Sekondi Lower, Sekondi Upper and Sekondi Main.

    Mr Addotey emphasized that authorities at the Albert Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbour would enforce the ‘No Nose Mask No Entry’ policy at the various checkpoints at the Fishing arena.

    Source: GNA

  • Auditor-General submits two reports to Parliament

    The Auditor-General of Ghana, Daniel Domelovo, has submitted two reports to Parliament in accordance with Sections 13(e) and 16 of the Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act 584).

    The two reports are: Report of the Auditor-General on the Nationwide Payroll and Personnel Verification Audit as at June 2018; and Performance Audit Report of the Auditor-General on Sustainability of Sports Stadia in Ghana.

    A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mrs Ama Awotwe Bosumafi, Assistant Director, Public Relations, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday, said the Auditor-General used methodologies that were in line with internationally accepted standards to conduct the audits.

    It said in line with Section 23 of Act 584; “We wish to notify the public that copies of these reports are available at our website www.ghaudit.org for free download”.

    Source: GNA

  • NPP will win December polls based on performance Mac-Manu

    The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it is colluding with the Electoral Commission (EC) to rig the December 7 Elections.

    The Party said the President Akufo-Addo-led Government had shown better leadership than the NDC Presidential Candidate, Mr John Dramani Mahama, and based on that the electorate would renew the mandate of the Government in the December polls.

    Addressing a news conference to respond to the NDC allegations in Accra on Thursday, Mr Peter Mac-Manu, the NPP Campaign Manager for the December 2020 Elections, said the Party did not need the EC to rig the polls in its favour, but would campaign to win based on its sound track record.

    He recounted some achievements of the ruling government including the Free Senior High School that had enrolled 1.3 million children, employment of 100,000 graduates and the support offered to the ordinary Ghanaian during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    These include supply of free water and subsidy on electricity as well as the restoration of industry and the economy.

    “So we do not need the EC to rig the elections in our favour. NPP will win the election based on our sound track record,” he said.

    Mr Mac-Manu noted that all the excuses the NDC was making against the compilation of a new voter’s register was premised on the fact that it could not wrest power from the ruling NPP Government based on performance.

    He said even though the NPP would support the EC to compile a new voter’s register and election management system if the election management body wished to do so, the Party would still contest and win the December polls with or without a new voter’s register.

    “This is because the Ghanaian electorate have confidence in the ruling NPP government since President Akufo-Addo had shown leadership and sought the welfare of the ordinary Ghanaian over the period of his tenure,” Mr Mac-Manu stated.

    He recalled that since 1996 the EC had compiled a new voter’s register every eight years (that is 1996, 2004 and 2012) with the idea of improving the features of the electoral register to ensure the sanctity of the elections.

    He, therefore, posed these questions to the NDC: “Why is it that the NDC is against the compilation of a new voter’s register that promises enhanced features? What is it about the 2012 Register that the NDC holds it so sacred? What is it that the NDC holds so sacred that if the register is replaced, it will affect the party’s electoral fortunes?”

    Mr Mac-Manu said the NPP was not afraid to face the Ghanaian electorate in the December polls because the Akufo-Addo-led government had distinguished itself over the period and it was evident for everyone to see and make comparison with that of the NDC.

    Source: GNA

  • Over 200 ‘Covid-19 stranded’ Ghanaians registered in Washington DC

    Stranded Ghanaians in the United States of America (USA) who are ready to bear the cost of their flight home are to be given consular assistance by the Ghana Embassy in the USA to do so.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has started an exercise to collate information on Ghanaians and Legal Permanent Residents who are stranded abroad as a result of the closure of international borders as part of efforts in the containment of the spread of the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

    The move is aimed at coming up with a programme to help assist the stranded to be transported back to Ghana.

    To this end, eligible nationals who are prepared to pay for their cost of travel to Ghana have been asked to submit their information to various Ghana Embassies abroad.

    In the United States of America (USA) for instance, stranded Ghanaians have been asked to submit their information to the Embassy of Ghana.

    The registration is being done in Washington DC, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. An online link has also been provided for the registration.

    In a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Asempa FM, on Thursday afternoon, [May 14, 2020], Mr Kofi Tonto, who is in charge of Information and Public Affairs at the Ghana Embassy in the USA, said about 200 stranded Ghanaians had registered in Washington DC alone as of the close of day Wednesday, May 13, 2020.

    The 200 figure, he said was what had been obtained within 24 hours after the announcement on Tuesday.

    He said many others, numbering about 100 had earlier reached out to the Embassy through email on how they could be assisted to get back home to Ghana or either extend their stay in the USA.

    He said, his information was that in New York almost a similar number of 200 had also been registered.

    The Embassy intends to communicate the Ministry’s final decision and associated procedures to all applicants.

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

  • Stonebwoy’s album needs our collective support to make Ghana proud – Bisa Kdei

    Highlife sensation, Bisa Kdei has revealed the reason for eulogizing the hard work of Stonebwoy after releasing his album claiming that without unity, Ghana music won’t thrive.

    Bisa Kdei bemoaned the culture of individualism and favoritism in the Ghana music industry in an interview with Amansan Krakye on Radio Central.

    He revealed “Our elders have a proverb which says a single broom can easily be broken but a bunch of brooms can’t be broken”.

    “Meaning that there is strength in unity. That’s how we ought to do the work”.

    “If we start doing favoritism by throwing all our support behind only one artiste whilst other artistes also need support, then we all can’t move forward progressively”.

    “I hope you understand, so it is good for all of us in the music industry to unite to push Ghana music to the world that’s why I eulogized Stonebwoy for being hardworking in his quest to make Ghana proud”.

    Livingstone Etse Satekla aka Stonebwoy recently premiered his fourth studio compilation dubbed ‘Anloga Junction’ which featured a lot of artistes including Jahmiel and Keri Hilson.

    The album since its release has garnered impressive reactions from music lovers across the globe, climbing several music charts alongside getting a lot of streams on digital platforms.

    Source: Amansan Krakye, Contributor

  • COVID-19: Inject GHS18b into economy to mitigate losses TUC to government

    The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is asking the government to inject about GHS 18 billion into the various sectors of the economy to help mitigate the losses associated with the COVID19 pandemic.

    According to the TUC, research by its Labour Research and Policy Institute showed the devastating effects of the COVID-19 health crisis on jobs and livelihoods in both the formal and informal segments of the economy.

    Speaking to Citi News, Director of Labour Research and Policy Institute of the TUC, Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, said the government needs to do more to revive the economy and also manage the potential job losses.

    “One of the things we did was to estimate the loss of GDP that we are likely to experience because of COVID-19 and our estimation is based on the data provided by the Minister for Finance when he told Parliament that the 2020 GDP growth which was initially estimated at 6.6% will now be 1.5%.”

    “When we look at the numbers we are looking at an output loss of about GHs 18 billion and our proposal is for government to find the resources that will fully restore us in terms of the output loss so we are asking government to invest about GHs 18 billion into the economy between now and December.”

    Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo added that the TUC recognises that the government finds itself in a difficult situation due to the impact of the COVID-19 on the economy.

    However, he said, the government can either print more money or borrow from the Ghana Heritage Fund (GHF) to support the economy at this moment.

    He added: “We went to borrow from the IMF with all the conditionality. If we were able to borrow from the IMF, it should be safer to ask government to borrow from the future. So that we replenish that fund when the COVID-19 storm is over.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Photos of Tema Motorway Interchange two days before inauguration

    The newly constructed Tema Motorway Interchange is expected to be opened on Saturday, May 16, 2020.

    This is according to the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Highway Authority.

    The project, which had a June 2020 deadline, saw part of the motorway being closed to traffic for construction works to be carried on.

    Financed by the Japanese government, the project is estimated to cost $57 million.

    Find pictures by photo journalist Samuel Moore who visited the location.

     

    Source: myjoyonline 

  • Coronavirus: ‘Lets all be health ambassadors’ – Health Minister

    The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, has asked Ghanaians to be become health ambassadors by ensuring that those around them adhere to the laid down safety precautions.

    The minister made the comments during a briefing on Covid-19 at the Information Ministry on Thursday morning.

    According to him, although there is no medicine, there are certain precautions all and sundry can observe to minimize the further spread of the virus.

    “We need to begin to accept the fact that the disease will be with us for some time and so we need to adhere to all precautions in order to live a normal life”, he added.

    The Health Minister noted that it would be in the interest of all Ghanaians to work towards curbing the spread of covid-19 else the impact could be catastrophic.

    He urged the general public to keep quiet in public especially when they do not have their masks on.

     

    Source: Atinka Online

  • German doctor warns footballers of ‘irreversible’ damage from coronavirus

    Despite rigid hygiene guidelines for the restart of the Bundesliga this weekend, a leading German sports doctor has warned footballers are still at risk of suffering “irreversible” and potentially career-ending lung damage from the coronavirus.

    With Europe’s other top leagues at least a month away from resuming, the German Football League (DFL) has drawn up strict rules for when games restart this Saturday.

    Matches will be played behind closed doors, with only a limited number of media and officials allowed to attend.

    The key games see second-placed Borussia Dortmund at home to Schalke in Saturday’s derby and leaders Bayern Munich, who are four points clear, visiting Union Berlin on Sunday.

    Players have been told to limit contact, even on the pitch, and must avoid pre-match handshakes and hugs to celebrate goals.

    The DFL says while no plan could ever be “100 percent safe”, the guidelines aim to create a playing environment with a low, “medically-justifiable risk”.

    However, professor Wilhelm Bloch, from the German Sports University in Cologne, warns that contracting the coronavirus has the potential to end a player’s career.

    “There is a risk that top athletes may lose their level of performance and never regain it,” Bloch told AFP in a phone interview.

    “Generally, the physical makeup, immune system and cardiovascular system of elite athletes means that the risk to them is low.

    “However, we do not know at this time whether even minor infections, or even mild symptoms, do not cause damage, such as minor scarring of the lungs after an inflammation.

    “This damage may be irreversible, or may last a very long time before the body repairs it.

    “We’ve already had players infected in Europe and we’ll soon know if they recover their full potential.”

    – Increased injury risk –

    Bloch said it is near impossible to estimate what the risk is to footballers in Germany, which currently has 172,239 recorded cases of the virus and over 7,700 deaths.

    “Players are not in total quarantine, they are with their families, even if they have been instructed to limit contact,” he said.

    “And there are also risks during matches.

    “They will all be tested, but not all the coronavirus tests work perfectly. There is a relatively large margin of error.”

    The sports doctor says another concern is injuries to players, given their lack of match fitness since the league stopped in mid-March.

    “Obviously, the players are not optimally prepared,” Bloch said, with clubs only resuming full team training last week.

    “Depending on the degree of preparation, the risk of injury increases.

    “We can expect that the players will be more prone to injuries.

    “We will see muscle injuries, but also injuries to the musculoskeletal system and tendons.

    “You can’t compare it with the start of the season.

    “At the beginning of the season they normally have a very intensive training period, then a short break so that the body can regenerate, and then they attack the season.

    “Now, that hasn’t been possible for all the teams.”

    Bloch also wonders how players can be expected to throw themselves into tackles after weeks of being told to observe social distancing.

    “I’m not a psychologist, it’s difficult to assess, but I think it’s going to be a difficult transition and it won’t necessarily be good for their performance,” said Bloch.

    “It’s also going to be one of those factors that you have to consider and one of the risk factors for injury.”

    Source: france24.com

  • Meet Kumawood actress Matilda Asares adorable son [photo]

    Popular Kumawood actress, Matilda Asare, has got social media talking after photos of her son and herself went viral.

    She was seen holding her son closely as they posed for the camera.

    In the photo, she was seen in an orange dress with an orange fascinator to match.

    Her son, Aaron was seen wearing a light blue shirt and shorts with black shoes.

    The photo has attracted comments with a lot of people saying her son is cute.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    Matilda and son❤️… #accra #nsemwokrom #hypersgh #hyperstv

    A post shared by Nsɛm Wɔ Krom (@nsemwokrom) on

    Source: Adomonline.com

  • 1MDB: Malaysia drops charges against Wolf of Wall Street producer

    Prosecutors in Malaysia have dropped charges against Wolf of Wall Street producer Riza Aziz over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

    Mr Riza, stepson of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, was accused of money-laundering over allegations he received $250m (£221m) from 1MDB – a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

    He has agreed to pay a sum back, but officials are not saying how much.

    His stepfather still faces charges, which he denies.

    What was the scandal?

    1MDB was established to raise funds for Malaysia’s development and help some of the country’s poorest people.

    Co-founded in 2009 by then PM Najib, more than $4bn (£3.3bn) is alleged to have been misappropriated.

    US and Malaysian prosecutors allege the money went to a few powerful individuals to buy luxuries, including prime real estate, a yacht, a private jet and valuable artworks.

    Mr Najib is contesting dozens of charges and has always denied wrongdoing.

    Top US investment bank Goldman Sachs, which raised money for the state fund through bond sales, has also been investigated by US and Malaysian authorities over its role but vowed to vigorously fight charges.

    What was Riza Aziz’s alleged involvement?

    A joint-founder of Red Granite Productions, he is alleged to have received $248m (£219m) from the fund and faced five charges of money-laundering.

    A judge quoted prosecutors as saying he had agreed to return “a substantial sum running into several million ringgit” – one million ringgit is $230,000 – to the government.

    The lead prosecutor said Mr Riza would be fully acquitted once the deal was finalised.

    The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was one of three films financed using suspected stolen funds from 1MDB, according to US justice officials.

    Red Granite also produced Dumb and Dumber 2 and Daddy’s Home.

    What about the ex-PM?

    Mr Najib, who is currently on trial, lost power in 2018 to veteran Malaysian leader, Mahathir Mohamad, and investigations into 1MDB were stepped up.

    But Mr Mahathir lost power earlier this year to an alliance which includes Mr Najib’s party.

    Mr Najib told Reuters at the time that he now expected an atmosphere more conducive to a fair hearing.

    Source: bbc.com

  • COVID-19: What do you mean by use fear? – Kweku Baako quizzes ‘fear, panic’ activists

    Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako says he doesn’t support calls on government to adopt “fear and panic” tactics to suppress Ghanaians into obeying the health protocols regarding the COVID-19 situation.

    Ghanaians have been advised to mandatorily wear nose masks, wash their hands with soap under running water, sanitize their hands and adhere to other hygienic instructions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

    Although Ghana’s case count of the virus has risen to 5,530 with 674 recoveries and 24 deaths, some Ghanaians have blatantly refused to go by the health directions.

    However, Kweku Baako disagrees with the ‘fear and panic’ activists because he believes it’s not a good approach in fighting the pandemic.

    Speaking on ‘Kokrokoo’ on Peace FM, he sought to find out how exactly the activists want to achieve their aim.

    “…spread fear? How do we do it and what kind of fear?” he questioned.

    “They should define their kind of fear . . . enforce the protocols . . . but fear on its own by itself and it’s so ill-defined . . . Let them give us further and better particulars what they mean by the fear, perhaps we can interrogate it,” he told Kwami Sefa Kayi.

    Kwesi Pratt wants govt to show images of COVID-19 patients to deter stubborn Ghanaians

    Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has called on State authorities to televise patients of COVID-19 to serve as deterrent to headstrong Ghanaians.

    According to Kwesi Pratt, many Ghanaians do not see the seriousness of the impact of the disease because there is nothing to inject some dose of fear and panic into them.

    Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, Kwesi Pratt insisted that showing horrible images of those who have been infected by the disease and are in critical condition will help in the public education on COVID-19.

     

    Source: Peace FM

  • Popular DJ & former confidant of Flowking Stone tags him foolish after he dropped a diss song titled “Bra” for Sarkodie

    Following the decision of rapper Flowking Stone to diss Sarkodie and other top rappers in the country in his latest song “Bra”, his former confidant and personal DJ, DJ Slim has taken a big swipe at him.

    A post sighted on the Facebook page of the Pure FM programs manager/presenter has him describing the move as a very silly and foolish one.

    According to DJ Slim, there was no need for that shade from Flowking Stone because Sarkodie is doing arguably the best among all the rappers from the country.

    There is the need to put on record that DJ Slim and Flowking Stone have fallen out for some time now.

    Their fallout out came about after Flowking Stone and the multiple award-winning DJ clashed on Twitter fiercely somewhere in 2019.

    Source: zionfelix.net

  • China relocates villagers living in 800m-high cliffs in anti-poverty drive

    They used to call an 800m-high cliff home, but dozens of villagers in China’s Sichuan province have now been relocated to an urban housing estate.

    Atulie’er village became famous after photos emerged showing adults and children precariously scaling the cliff using just rattan ladders.

    Around 84 households have now been moved into newly built flats as part of a local poverty alleviation campaign.

    It’s part of a bigger national campaign to end poverty by the end of 2020.

    ‘So happy I got a house’

    Atulie’er village made headlines in 2016 when it was revealed that its villagers had to scale precarious ladders to get home, carrying babies and anything the village needed.

    Soon afterwards the government stepped in and replaced these with steel ladders.

    The households have now been moved to the county town of Zhaojue, around 70km away.

    They will be rehoused in furnished apartment blocks, which come in models of 50, 75 and 100 sq m – depending on the number of people in each household.

    It’ll be a big change for many of these villagers, who are from the Yi minority and have lived in Atulie’er for generations.

    Photos on Chinese state media showed villagers beaming, one of them telling state media outlet CGTN that he was “so happy that I got a good house today”.

    ‘Big financial burden

    According to Mark Wang, a human geography professor at the University of Melbourne, such housing schemes are often heavily subsidised by the government, typically up to 70%. However, in some instances families have been unable to afford the apartments despite the subsidies.

    “For some really poor villages, the 30% may still be difficult for them to pay, so they end up having to borrow money – [ironically] causing them even more debt,” he told BBC News.

    “For the poorest, it’s a big financial burden and so in some instances, they might have to stay.”

    According to Chinese state media outlet China Daily, each person will have to pay 2,500 yuan ($352; £288) for this particular move – so for a family of four, the cost would come up to 10,000 yuan.

    This is quite a low price, says Mr Wang, as he had heard of people having to pay up to 40,000 yuan for other relocation projects.

    Mr Wang says in most poverty resettlement campaigns, villagers are given a choice whether or not to move, and are not usually moved into cities from the countryside.

    “In most instances it’s a move to a county town or a suburb. So it’s not like they’re moving to a big city. Not everyone wants an urban life and most of those who do would have already left these villages and moved to the big cities,” he says.

    “Usually the government [puts a limit] on the resettlement distance. This is in most people’s favour because it means they can keep their farm land, so that’s very attractive.”

    The Atulie’er villagers will share this new apartment complex with impoverished residents across Sichuan province.

    Around 30 households will remain in the Atulie’er village – which is set to turn into a tourism spot.

    According to Chinese state media outlet China Daily, these households will effectively be in charge of local tourism, running inns and showing tourists around.

    The county government has ambitious plans – planning to install a cable car to transport tourists to the village and to develop some surrounding areas. An earlier report said there were plans to turn the village into a vacation resort, with state media saying the state would pump 630 million yuan into investment.

    Though these developments are likely to bring more jobs to the area, it’s not clear what safeguards are in place to make sure that the site’s ecological areas are protected and not at risk of being overdeveloped.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping has declared that China will eradicate poverty in China by 2020.

    There’s no one standard definition of poverty across all of China, as it differs from province to province.

    One widely quoted national standard is 2,300 yuan ($331; £253) net income a year. Under that standard, there were around 30 million people living in poverty across the whole of China in 2017.

    But the 2020 deadline is approaching fast – and Mr Wang says the plan could be derailed by the virus outbreak.

    “Even without Covid-19 it would be hard to meet this deadline and now realistically, it has made it even more difficult.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Feature: GFA must stop playing victim and show leadership

    Covid-19 dealt Ghana Football another devastating blow just as the game was gaining momentum post the fallout of the Anas #12 expose.

    The pandemic may has come with a lot of negative effects but one positive, stakeholders of the game who believe in transparency and accountability would be excited about was the release of the debt status of the GFA a document titled “legacy debt” a description that is alient to accounting.

    As the GFA sought to justify their decision to hold on to the huge financial windfall coming their way from FIFA, they ended up opening a can of worms that has left stake holders with more questions than answers.

    Rather than show leadership and deal with the issues raised to clear any shred of doubt, the Kurt Okraku led FA has resorted to the using its apparatchiks to appeal to emotions of the stakeholders and Ghanaians at large by describing legitimate concerns raised as “harsh and factually incorrect” and also paint the picture of the GFA being unfairly criticized thus playing victim in the process.

    No one asked the Kurt Okraku led FA and its cohorts to give an itemized list of money received from GLO was expended. But thankfully, a list of same was published by the quasi accountant of the FA, Ameenu Shadow interestingly legal fees for Sory @law and Beyou Beyou and company were conspicuously missing giving credence my questions.

    An outstanding amount of $75,000 was published in the so called “legacy debt” document representing money owed for legal services when the GLO sponsorship deal fell through .Sory @Law Mr Thaddeus Sory and Arbitatrator Beyou Beyou and company are owed $40,000 and $70,000(35,000 settled) respectively.

    Why would the GFA receive $1,000,000 from the GLO expend as much as they can on other what they deemed necessary but fail to pay lawyers who worked for the FA to receive those funds?

    Did the GFA act in good faith following their failure to pay for a service they had received payment for?

    Did the GFA act in good faith when they added the legitimate $75,000 to budget line items on the so called “legacy debt” document as outstanding debt.

    How did that outstanding amount end up as debt when money was actually received?

    I ask, was another lawyer hired without disengaging the services of both law firms mentioned above receive money because of a 10% agreement signed with normalization committee for the collection of the money owed by GLO?

    Was there a meeting to approve the appointment of the said lawyer if there was, are there minutes of the meeting to that effect?

    Would the partner of Kizito Beyou, Naa Odofoley Nortey of Beyou Beyou and Company who were the arbitrators have agreed to such an arrangement?

    If the Kurt Okraku led FA paid any other lawyer other than the two mentioned above did they do due diligence prior to advancing payment?

    These are harmlessly question the GFA seek to answer without feeling they are being unfairly criticized.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • COVID-19: Dont allow fear and anxiety defeat you – Ghanaians told

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei has noted the outbreak of the coronavirus triggers fear and anxiety hence the need for attention to be given to mental health.

    The mental health expert admonished Ghanaians not to fear and panic but rather adhere to the safety measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus.

    He told Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that, mental health disorder including anxiety, depression can worsen the situation, however, there are mechanisms in place to deal with such situations, he said.

    He expressed optimism with experts currently researching into the outbreak, we will soon defeat it.

    He appealed to Ghanaians to avoid reading everything that had to do with COVID-19 which might lead to fear and panic.

    He advised the public not to only focus on only the negatives of COVID-19.

    He believes when we take advantage of the positive side of the pandemic to build on skills and individual strengths.

    The 2019 COVID-19 has gained global attention with several countries affected both economically and socially.

    The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March this year.

    At a news briefing, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that over the past 2 weeks, the number of cases outside China increased 13-fold and the number of countries with cases increased threefold. Further increases are expected.

    He said that the WHO is “deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction,” and he called on countries to take action now to contain the virus. “We should double down,” he said. “We should be more aggressive.”

    Countries have been criticised for their unpreparedness towards the outbreak, a situation which some experts have argued has affected the attention given to the mental health aspect amongst the public.

     

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • Publicity on coronavirus in Ghana low – Former Suhum MCE

    Margaret Ansei, a former Municipal Chief Executive for Suhum, has called for more publicity on the coronavirus outbreak in Ghana.

    She said there should be community engagements in every part of the country because in her view, not everybody in Ghana is aware of the COVID-19.

    “Publicity on this pandemic is low in the country,” she said on the Ghana Yensom show on Accra 100.5FM.

    “We sit in Accra and in the other cities and think everybody knows about it but you go to our villages and people seem not to be aware of this. The government must increase the publicity by not discriminating against some radio stations,” she said.

    The number of COVID-19 cases in Ghana has gone up again, reaching 5,530, the Ghana Health Service has said.

    Also, the number of recoveries has risen to 674. Meanwhile, the death toll remains at 24.

    The Greater Accra Region remains the hotspot of the country.

    Ms Ansei believed that the government was late in introducing measures to deal with the pandemic hence the increasing numbers.

    “We should secured all our entry points when WHO declared COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

     

    Source: Class FM

  • NPP Trobu executives fight NEC for disqualifying Parliamentary Candidate

    Polling Station Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Tro-bu Constituency in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region, are up in arms against the party leadership at the National level over what they say is a planned agenda to approve the incumbent Member of Parliament, Moses Anim, to go unopposed in the upcoming Parliamentary primaries of the NPP.

    It is the contention of the polling station executives that the party is intentionally discriminating against their prefered candidate, Lincoln Edward Addo, from opening challenging the incumbent MP as is the situation in other Constituencies in the Greater Accra Region.

    The polling station executives made their concerns known when they addressed a press conference today the 14th of May 2020 at the lincoln hotel in Achimota.

    Albert Asumadu, one of the polling station executives who addressed the gathering indicated that attempts by the Party, the leadership of the majority caucus in Parliament and other party functionaries, to prevent others from contesting the sitting MP is unfortunate.

    “There is only one reason that accounts for the seeming imposition of the MP on the good people of Trobu, and that is, the MP has lost
    touch with the rank and file of the party in the constituency that is why he is running every type of race within the corridors of both leadership of the majority caucus in Parliament and the Presidency to mislead them for him to go unopposed” Albert Asumadu stated.

    “As we speak, several Polling Station Executives who are disappointed by the recommendations made by the Greater Accra Regional vetting committee of the New Patriotic Party for the 2020 parliamentary primaries regarding the ineligibility of Mr. Lincoln Edward Addo, to contest the parliamentary primaries have registered their displeasure
    through a petition submitted to the NEC of the NPP” he added.

    He further appealed to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to ensure that a parliamentary contest is held in their Constituency and that whoever even wins same will be given massive support by the Constituency in order to win the parliamentary election in December 2020.

     

    Source: Starr FM

  • Two notorious drug dealers arrested at Assin Nduaso

    Police in Assin Fosu have arrested two notorious drug dealers at Assin Nduaso in the Assin North District of the Central Region.

    Information gathered by Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan indicates that the Assin Fosu Divisional Police Patrol Team acted upon a tip-off and arrested the two suspects.

    They are 47-year-old Edward Asante, locally known as Agya Amadu and Razak Ibrahim, 32 years.

    Two separate quantities of plant substances suspected to be narcotic drugs, three smoking lighters, Paper wrappers, and a pair of scissors concealed in a polythene bag were found on them upon a search was conducted.

    According to the Police, the arrest follows continuous surveillance on Razak Ibrahim, a native of Sabongida near Tamale in the Northern Region, who supplies the drug to Edward Asante, a native of Assin Nduaso. The retrieved exhibits have been retained as evidence.

    Police say the suspects have been on their wanted before the arrest and have vowed to arrest others in the illicit drug trade.

    The two suspects who are currently in police custody will be processed for court after investigations.

     

    Source: Kasapa FM

  • When will Black Stars start World Cup qualifiers?

    Ghana were billed to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in October but with the current Covid-19 disruptions, much seems to be up in the air.

    Having failed to qualify for the 2018 gathering in Russia, the West Africans are eagerly anticipating the next round of qualifiers.

    A bye in the first round means the Black Stars are having to wait until the commencement of the second round to stick out a leg in action.

    Ghana have qualified for the World Cup on three occasions.

    On their maiden appearance at Germany 2006, the Black Stars surpassed expectations, beating the Czech Republic and the United States to finish second behind Italy at the group stage and qualify for the Round of 16 where they bowed to reigning champions Brazil.

    At South Africa 2010, the West Africans went one step further as they reached the quarter-finals. Brazil 2014 would, however, end on a disappointing note for the four-time African champions as they suffered a first-round elimination for the first time.

    Status quo before coronavirus

    Caf’s second round of World Cup qualifiers was originally set to begin in March but was later moved to October to make way for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers after the final tournament for the latter was brought forward from June/July 2021 to January/February 2021.

    A January draw pitted Ghana against familiar foes South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia in Group G to battle it out for the sole qualification ticket for the third and final round in the race to Qatar.

    Matchday 1’s set of games are scheduled to come off between October 5-13 while Matchday 2 action is billed to take place between November 9-17.

    There will be no further matches until March next year when a double-header takes centre stage with matchdays three and four.

    The penultimate matchday of second-round matches have been set for August 30 – September 7, 2021, with the last round coming off between October 4 -12, 2021.

    Will Covid-19 cause a change to the qualifying calendar?

    Caf has already been forced to make a major change to its international calendar as Afcon 2021 qualifying matches billed for March were all postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.

    June’s round of games has also been similarly affected as many nations are yet to open their closed borders to permit their international travels.

    Caf has stated it will announce a new programme in due time.

    With all the disruptions, it is currently unclear if Caf will be altering the current World Cup qualifying schedule which is still five clear months away from kicking in.

    On the face of things, particularly with football beginning to return in many jurisdictions, it may be possible to play international games by October.

    However, with the Afcon final set for January/February next year, the continental football’s governing body may be forced to move the World Cup qualifying matches further away to enable the completion of the Afcon qualifiers in time should it hesitate to reschedule the final Afcon tournament one more time.

    The Ahmad Ahmad-led administration is soon expected to announce the way forward for its competitions.

    Source: goal.com

  • Bechem United coach involved in car accident

    Bechem United coach Evans Owusu has been involved in an accident, Happy Sports can report.

    The Ghana Premier League coach was on his way to Accra when that unfortunate incident happened on Wednesday at 11:30pm.

    Evans Owusu who was traveling in a VIP Bus with registration number GT 5008-18 which collided head-on with an articulator truck.

    Happy Sports understands that an overtaking by the VIP Bus driver led to the collision.

    Four people have been reported to be dead.

    The coach is currently on admission at the Konongo Government Hospital responding to treatment.

    Source: happyghana.com

  • Reduce salaries of appointees, sell presidential jets – Atiku tells Nigerian govt

    Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has advised the Nigerian Government to reduce the salaries of political appointees and sell some presidential jets as a way out of the economic quagmire the country finds itself.

    In an article titled “Nigeria Cannot Afford Luxuries During an Austerity”, Atiku stated that “the best way out of this economic quagmire is to reduce our expenditure”.

    He also pointed out that the current budget the country is running on was formed according to a projection on crude oil which is no longer the case.

    The statement reads: “It is to my consternation that despite the crash in the price of oil, and the inability of Nigeria to expand our revenue base through the non-oil sector, the FG of Nigeria has only seen fit to slash our budget by a mere 0.6%. This represents a reduction of only ?71 billion.

    “Putting politics aside, this is grossly insufficient and betrays the fact we have lost touch with the current realities in the global political economy.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, when this budget was presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, it was predicated on a projection that our nation would generate crude oil production of 2.18 million barrels a day, at an expected oil price of $57 per barrel.

    “Today that is no longer the case. Both our production, and the price of oil have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, to the extent that we have unsold vessels, and our income has tanked by more than 50%.

    “Given that this is the case, how can anyone justify a reduction in expenditure of just 0.6%? We cannot be the only nation bucking the trend?

    “Saudi Arabia, a nation with a much stronger production capacity than ours and with a larger global market share, as well as a foreign reserve that is 12 times ours, has slashed her budget by almost 30%. Ditto for other oil economies.

    “Nigeria cannot make up for the loss of expected revenue by taking out more loans and issuing out more bonds. Debt will be the death of our economy, and bonds will put our people in bondage.

    “The best way out of this economic quagmire is to reduce our expenditure. And a 0.6% reduction is no reduction. It is only window dressing.

    “My counsel to Nigerian Government is this: put Nigerians first and cut your coat, not according to your size, but according to your cloth.

    “Realistically slash the budget. Every pork barrel has to go. The billions budgeted for the travels and feeding of the President and Vice President has to be reduced. The ?27 billion budget for the renovation of the National Assembly has to go.

    “The massive budgets to run both the Presidency and the Legislature has to be downsized. The budget for purchasing luxury cars for the President, his vice, and other political office holders must be abandoned.

    “Leave the salaries of civil servants alone, but reduce the salaries of political appointees. Sell 8 or 9 of the jets in the Presidential Air Fleet.

    “Any budget slash that is less than 25% will not be in the interest of Nigeria.

    “And beyond a budget slash, Nigeria needs a budget realignment, to redirect expenditure away from running a massive bureaucracy, into social development sectors like education, infrastructure, and above all, healthcare.

    “We must invest in the goose that lays the golden egg – the Nigerian people.

    “These are the types of sacrifices that we need in a time of crisis. We do not need empty gestures that will lead to empty treasuries.

    “In times of austerity, no nation, not the least a mono-product economy, such as ours, should be living in luxury at a leadership level”.

    Source: mynigeria.com

  • Ive my own juju man- Tonto Dikeh warns fetish priests disturbing her in her DM

    Tonto Dikeh has warned juju men (Babalawo) to stay off her back as she revealed how they harass her in her DM all the time.

    She stated that her fetish priest who looks out for her so she cannot mix two different deities together. “Abeg make una no vex. I get my own personal BABALAWO. it is not good to mix medicine nah” she posted.

    Tonto Dikeh has urged all these fetish priests disturbing her to help find a vaccine for the pandemic Coronavirus instead if they have power as they claim.

    “Pls the only problem I have now is hoe to clear my BENTLEY before june 9th. If your vision is not reaching how to get this money….ABEG una just pray for me in silence” She wrote on her Instagram page.

    Source: ghbase.com

  • Drinking bars, night clubs remain closed Ministry of Tourism

    The Tourism Ministry has issued a statement to nullify a circular earlier released by the Ghana Tourism Authority directing restaurants and other eateries to begin operating dine-in services.

    According to the Ministry, restaurants and other eateries cannot operate dine-in services.

    It stated that they can continue to operate takeout and delivery services only.

    The directive also applies to hotel restaurants.

    In a press statement earlier sighted by Myjoyonline.com, the Ghana Tourism Authority had given restaurants and eateries the go-ahead to operate dine-in services while observing “appropriate social distancing and hygiene protocols.”

    The restaurants were also to ensure “that not more than 25 patrons are admitted to dine at any particular time.”

    “All hotels can operate as normal and host their guests, subject to the specified elevated hygiene protocols and social distancing,” the Tourism Authority stated.

    However, the Ministry has cautioned the general public that all of such directives are null and void as their “circular supersedes the one issued by the regulator.”

    They also stressed that all drinking bars and all night clubs should remain closed till further notice.

     

    Source: myjoyonline 

  • 7 times Bernard Nyarko melted the hearts of the congregation with his powerful voice – Video

    The death of Kumawood actor turn Pastor Bishop Bernard Nyarko was a shock to many movie lovers who wished they could turn the news around for good.

    The people fell in love with Bishop Bernard Nyarko with his acting skills bring real life into acting and his command on the English language.

    The actor then made a quick turn to be a man of God and with his powerful voice he did that great.

    In a video MyNewsGh.com chanced on has another story to tell about the actor, he has a powerful voice to sing, a voice that melts souls to worship God.

    In the video below will show you seven times Bishop Bernard Nyarko melts the heart of the congregation with his powerful voice.

    Watch the video below

    Source: MyNewsGh.com

  • Government must be commended for coronavirus fight – Juliet Ibrahim

    Actress and producer Juliet Ibrahim says government must be commended for their fight against Covid-19 in Ghana.

    The actress believes government has been proactive in its fight since the first case of Covid-19 was recorded in the country thus reducing the possible spread of the coronavirus rapidly.

    Juliet is currently stuck in Lagos, Nigeria as a result of the closure of the Ghana border due to Covid-19, she was speaking with Miriam of 3FM 92.7/Tv3 “On record with Miriam”, a live chat session on Instagram.

    Answering questions on the impact of Covid-19 on the movie industry, the actress says closure and intimacy with crew will be greatly affected on movie sets.

    She however advised movie and content producers to harness the opportunities that digital platforms present during these times.

    Juliet Ibrahim also hinted she was working on documenting her Covid-19 experience into a movie that will be release soon.

    Source: Miriam Osei Agyemang, Contributor

  • Effia-Nkwanta Hospital closes down three units after staff member tests positive for COVID-19

    The Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi has closed down its Antenatal Care Unit and other two units after a staff tested positive for COVID-19.

    The three units in the hospital, are undergoing disinfection among other measures to contain the infection.

    The Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Joseph Kojo Tambil, who confirmed this to Citi News said the infected staff has been isolated and all other contacts asked to self-quarantine as their samples have been taken for testing.

    Dr. Joseph Kojo Tambil-Effia-Nkwanta Reg. Hospital
    Dr. Joseph Kojo Tambil, Medical Director of the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital

    “One of our staff who had mild symptoms got tested and her results came out positive. So we quickly started taking samples of people that she works with and since she was working at the Antenatal Clinic, we had to take samples of all the staff. She also spent some time at the ENT Department so we also closed down that department and took samples of the staff.”

    “Hopefully we would get the results later today and we would determine the way forward. Currently, we are disinfecting those two units and every surface, floor, ceiling to make sure that we minimise the risk of anybody coming into contact of any droplets. Once we get the results then we can determine which staff can work and who cannot.“

    Meanwhile, the Industrial Relations Officer for the Western Regional Health Services Workers Union, Jerry Mensah Detse, has told Citi News that the Region has recorded three infections among health personnel but blamed the infections on inadequate PPE for staff.

    Industrial Relations Officer for the Western Regional Health Services Workers Union, Jerry Mensah Detse

    “We in the Health Services Workers Union in the Western Region have concerns with the things going on in the various hospitals in the region. As I speak to you, three of our members in the region have tested positive for the COVID-19. Two in Effia-Nkwanta and the Takoradi hospital and it is quite scary in the sense that most of our members do not have PPEs to work with.”

    “The dangerous part of it is that people from the house can contract the virus from the hospital just like staff. So we are asking the government to try to prioritize the supply of the PPEs. We appreciate that some have been given but they are not adequate for our members. When you go to Apinto Hospital in Tarkwa, Effia-Nkwanta and Kwesimintim Hospitals, we have written several letters for support and so we are appealing to both government and the public to come to our aid.“

    Dr. Tambil expressed uncertainty with how soon they could address the situation.

    He, however, prayed they get things done within a week and then assess the impact to determine the appropriateness with the reopening of these units.

    The Effia Nkwanta Hospital in the Western Region is the main referral hospital.

    So far, the region has recorded a total of 61 positive cases of COVID-19 out of over a thousand suspected cases.

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Kofi Kinaata reveals why he always sings positive songs

    Highlife musician, Kofi Kinaata has explained that he always wants to inspire people through his music and that is why he sings positive songs all the time.

    In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Kofi Kinaata said,

    “I want someone to be touched one way or the other through my songs and the kind of messages I get when I release a song shows that I am doing a great work. To have Kojo Antwi, Nana Ampadu and other great personalities praise me for what I do go to affirm that I am on the right path,” 

    On why his songs always come out good, Kofi Kinaata disclosed that he has people in the music industry he gives his final work to do a serious critique before it finally comes out.

    “My songs are always on point because they go through a lot of scrutiny before they are released. Samini is one of the people who listen to my work,” he said.

    Source: www.ghgossip

  • Covid antibody test a ‘positive development’

    A test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in England.

    Public Health England said the antibody test, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, was a “very positive development”.

    The blood test looks for antibodies to see if a person has already had the virus and might now have some immunity.

    Until now, officials have said such tests are not reliable enough.

    The government previously spent a reported £16m buying antibody tests which later proved to be ineffective.

    Sources told the BBC the Roche test was the first one to offer serious potential.

    Antibodies are made by our immune system as it learns to fight an infection.

    Finding antibodies that attack the coronavirus show that person has been infected in the past, but they do not prove they are protected against it in the future.

    Experts at the government’s Porton Down facility evaluated the Roche test last week, Public Health England said.

    They found that if someone had been infected, it gave the correct result 100% of the time.

    Roche said if someone had not caught coronavirus then it gave the correct result more than 99.8% of the time.

    It means fewer than two in 1,000 healthy people would be incorrectly told they had previously caught the coronavirus.

    Health minister Edward Argar said the tests would mainly be used on those in the NHS and social care settings to begin with.

    He could not give an exact date for when the testing could start.

    Prof John Newton, national coordinator of the UK coronavirus testing programme, said: “This is a very positive development because such a highly specific antibody test is a very reliable marker of past infection.

    “This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection, although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear.”

    Roche is understood to be in talks with the Department of Health and Social Care about possible use by the NHS in England, though other testing products are also being assessed.

    Health officials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make their own decisions, but are likely to follow suit if England does adopt it.

    The test already has approval from medical regulators in the EU and the United States.

     

    Source: bbc.com

  • France resists idea of US getting vaccine first

    It would be “unacceptable” for French drug giant Sanofi to give priority to the US market if it develops a Covid-19 vaccine, a French minister has warned.

    Deputy Finance Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher was responding to comments by Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson, who said “the US government has the right to the largest pre-order because it’s invested in taking the risk”.

    Many labs worldwide are involved in research to find a Covid-19 vaccine.

    Vaccines usually take years to develop.

    “For us, it would be unacceptable for there to be privileged access to such and such a country for financial reasons,” Ms Pannier-Runacher told France’s Sud Radio.

    Earlier this month the EU chaired a global online summit to boost coronavirus research, and secured pledges of $8bn (£6.5bn) from some 40 countries and donors. The funding is aimed at developing a coronavirus vaccine and treatments for Covid-19.

    The UK co-hosted the summit but the US and Russia did not take part.

    The EU insisted on Thursday that all countries should get equal access to a vaccine.

    “The vaccine against Covid-19 should be a global public good and its access needs to be equitable and universal,” said European Commission spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecker, quoted by AFP news agency.

    International collaboration

    Sanofi’s Coronavirus vaccine research is partly funded by the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (Barda).

    But in recent years Sanofi has received tens of millions of euros in tax credits from the French government to help its research.

    On Thursday Sanofi’s chief in France, Olivier Bogillot, said “the goal is to have this vaccine available to the US as well as France and Europe at the same time”.

    Speaking on French news channel BFMTV, he said that would only be possible “if Europeans work as quickly as the Americans”, and added that the US government had pledged to spend “several hundreds of millions of euros”.

    Last month Sanofi also teamed up with Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to work on a vaccine, though trials have not yet started.

    Sanofi’s head of vaccine research, John Shiver, says “we are using an existing technology that was designed for influenza, and we’re applying it to the new virus that causes Covid-19 disease”.

    Sanofi says GSK “will contribute its adjuvant technology, an ingredient added to enhance the immune response, reduce the amount of vaccine protein required per dose and improve the chances of delivering an effective vaccine that can be manufactured at scale”.

    The candidate vaccine is expected to enter clinical trials in the second half of 2020 and to be available by the second half of 2021.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Contact tracing, temperature checks and masks: airline industry outlines new norms

    Airlines and airports are recommending a layered approach to temporary safety measures as air travel restarts, warning that no single measure can mitigate all of the risks during the pandemic, according to a briefing document seen by Reuters.

    The plan laid out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airports Council International to reassure governments it is safe for the public to fly includes contact tracing, temperature screening, social distancing, extra cleaning and wearing masks.

    “Successfully restarting air passenger travel while restoring confidence in the safety of air travel are vital pre-requisites to enabling the global economy to recover from COVID-19,” the groups said in the document, which has not been made public. “In normal times, aviation delivers $2.7 trillion in global GDP contribution.”

    IATA and ACI declined to comment specifically on the document but both said they were working with industry partners on a consistent global approach.

    Many airlines and airports around the world are implementing measures such as requiring masks and leaving middle seats empty, in some cases due to government requirements.

    The industry supports reliable COVID-19 testing, but at the moment virus and antibody tests are not a viable solution at airports and there is no confirmed evidence yet that antibodies confer immunity, according to the IATA and ACI document.

    Should health-screening measures be necessary, it should be done long before passengers arrive at the airport, the document said.

    Temperature checks on airport entry and exit are not likely to prove 100% effective because they may miss mild cases and those in the incubation period, but the measures could play a useful role in reassuring passengers and deter travel in the case of suspected infections, according to IATA and ACI.

    Social and physical distancing should be limited to the initial restart phase because the measures will cap airport and aircraft capacity once travel demand grows, the document said.

    Security and health screenings should be mutually recognised when possible so that transfer passengers do not need to line up and be re-screened, leading to additional human contact, IATA and ACI said.

    “There is currently no single measure that could mitigate all the risks of restarting air travel,” the document concluded.

    “However, we believe that an effective implementation on an outcome basis and layered approach, of the above-mentioned range of measures that are already possible, represents the most effective way of balancing risk mitigation with the need to unlock economies and to enable travel in the immediate term.”

    Source: reuters.com

  • Reduce salaries of appointees, sell presidential jets – Atiku tells Nigerian government

    Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has advised the Nigerian Government to reduce the salaries of political appointees and sell some presidential jets as a way out of the economic quagmire the country finds itself.

    In an article titled “Nigeria Cannot Afford Luxuries During an Austerity”, Atiku stated that “the best way out of this economic quagmire is to reduce our expenditure”.

    He also pointed out that the current budget the country is running on was formed according to a projection on crude oil which is no longer the case.

    The statement reads: “It is to my consternation that despite the crash in the price of oil, and the inability of Nigeria to expand our revenue base through the non-oil sector, the FG of Nigeria has only seen fit to slash our budget by a mere 0.6%. This represents a reduction of only ?71 billion.

    “Putting politics aside, this is grossly insufficient and betrays the fact we have lost touch with the current realities in the global political economy.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, when this budget was presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, it was predicated on a projection that our nation would generate crude oil production of 2.18 million barrels a day, at an expected oil price of $57 per barrel.

    “Today that is no longer the case. Both our production, and the price of oil have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, to the extent that we have unsold vessels, and our income has tanked by more than 50%.

    “Given that this is the case, how can anyone justify a reduction in expenditure of just 0.6%? We cannot be the only nation bucking the trend?

    “Saudi Arabia, a nation with a much stronger production capacity than ours and with a larger global market share, as well as a foreign reserve that is 12 times ours, has slashed her budget by almost 30%. Ditto for other oil economies.

    “Nigeria cannot make up for the loss of expected revenue by taking out more loans and issuing out more bonds. Debt will be the death of our economy, and bonds will put our people in bondage.

    “The best way out of this economic quagmire is to reduce our expenditure. And a 0.6% reduction is no reduction. It is only window dressing.

    “My counsel to Nigerian Government is this: put Nigerians first and cut your coat, not according to your size, but according to your cloth.

    “Realistically slash the budget. Every pork barrel has to go. The billions budgeted for the travels and feeding of the President and Vice President has to be reduced. The ?27 billion budget for the renovation of the National Assembly has to go.

    “The massive budgets to run both the Presidency and the Legislature has to be downsized. The budget for purchasing luxury cars for the President, his vice, and other political office holders must be abandoned.

    “Leave the salaries of civil servants alone, but reduce the salaries of political appointees. Sell 8 or 9 of the jets in the Presidential Air Fleet.

    “Any budget slash that is less than 25% will not be in the interest of Nigeria.

    “And beyond a budget slash, Nigeria needs a budget realignment, to redirect expenditure away from running a massive bureaucracy, into social development sectors like education, infrastructure, and above all, healthcare.

    “We must invest in the goose that lays the golden egg – the Nigerian people.

    “These are the types of sacrifices that we need in a time of crisis. We do not need empty gestures that will lead to empty treasuries.

    “In times of austerity, no nation, not the least a mono-product economy, such as ours, should be living in luxury at a leadership level”.

     

    Source:  mynigeria.com