As Italy begins to ease its lockdown measures, residents in some of Naples’ poorest neighbourhoods share their stories of how the global pandemic has left scars on their city.
Takeaways and parks are reopening, small funerals can resume and some businesses are restarting.
But the shutdown has left deep wounds in a country with already serious economic problems.
Mark Lowen has been speaking to people whose lives have been changed.
Source: bbc
Rwanda has loosened restrictions after 45 days of coronavirus lockdown, even though a nationwide night-time curfew will be enforced and movement in and out of the capital, Kigali, is prohibited.
On Monday, roads in Kigali were busy again, in a city considered to be a hotspot for infections. People are adhering to mandatory mask wearing and social distancing.
Many are happy that normal life has resumed but there is discontent that fares in public transport have been hiked after buses were ordered to carry half of their capacity to ensure social distancing.
People in Uganda have contributed a total of about $6m (£4.8m) to help the government finance the provision of cars and medical supplies, to support efforts to fight coronavirus.
Many African countries have weak and underfunded health systems but Uganda is relying on preventing the spread of the pandemic by drawing on lessons learned from containing outbreaks like Ebola.
Covid-19 threatens not only people’s health, but the national lockdown has caused food insecurity and that shortage of basic supplies prompted ordinary Ugandans to start giving food donations.
The efforts to provide food were commended by President Yoweri Museveni which then encouraged donations of money, vehicles and medical equipment such as protective clothing needed by doctors and nurses.
Ordinary citizens and companies have given the government more than 50 4×4 cars and ambulances, which the authorities now intend to expand into an emergency fleet of 1,300 vehicles, spread around the country.
As the money donated increases so the extra funds will be used to purchase more vehicles.
Source: bbc
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has said that the country will begin clinical trials for an artemisia- based vaccine.
The vaccine that is developed using extracts from the artemisia plant, just like the drink named Covid-Organics, will be tried starting next week according to the president.
He urged the Malagasy people to plant artemisia.
President Rajoelina said he was in touch with scientists from the US to help with research.
He added that the country was also pursuing a validation of the Covid-Organics by the World Heath Organization (WHO).
The WHO said in a statement sent to the BBC that it did not recommend “self-medication with any medicines… as a prevention or cure for Covid-19”.
The Covid-Organics drink has been delivered to other African countries including Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea andTanzanian President John Magufuli said he will send a plane to Madagascar to collect a batch of the drink.
Source: bbc
In Nigeria, businesses have reopened on the first working day after the easing of a lockdown imposed on key urban areas in a bid to restart Africa’s largest economy.
But in the commercial hub, Lagos, traffic jams were absent, indicating that many are remaining indoors.
The lockdown began five weeks ago to contain the spread of coronavirus.
But last week, President Muhammadu Buhari said the measures had imposed “a very heavy economic cost”.
As many in the big cities live a hand-to-mouth existence, the lockdown led to fears that it could leave people hungry as it cut off their means to earn money.
The country’s economy is also predicted to suffer because of a collapse in the oil price. Standard Chartered Bank has forecast that in light of the impact of coronavirus Nigeria’s economy will only grow by 0.2% this year.
Nigeria is one of several African countries beginning to loosen restrictions. Egypt, Rwanda, South Africa and Tunisia have also relaxed their coronavirus lockdowns.
In Lagos, as well as the lack of cars on the road, there are also fewer yellow public buses plying their routes.
The bus stops, which are normally bustling with commuters, had a few stranded passengers, who then tried to cram on to any vehicles that stopped .
The lockdown, imposed on 30 March in Lagos, neighbouring Ogun state and the capital, Abuja, meant that many businesses were closed as people were required to stay indoors, except for essential journeys. Markets were allowed to stay open for limited hours.
But some have expressed concerns that the government’s decision to ease restrictions has been premature as the number of new conronavirus cases does not appear to be tailing off.
“Only the living can enjoy their money,” said Joy Ugochukwu who works with an auditing firm in Lagos’ Victoria Island business district.
She said she was delaying her return to work despite a message from her employer asking her to resume on Monday.
“The virus is going to increase now everyone is rushing out,” she said.
A ban on large gatherings is still in place and there is a curfew between 20:00 and 06:00. People are also required to wear a face mask in public.
In Lagos, offices have been told to shut by 15:00 while commercial buses must carry not more than two passengers per seat.
The government says this is the first phase of easing the lockdown and that the situation will be assessed in the next two weeks.
Nigeria has recorded 2,558 cases of coronavirus and 87 deaths.
Source: bbc.com
Ignatius, a contestant of TV3’s Date Rush program has incurred the wrath of viewers of the show.
The program which is meant to find possible dates for single people went viral yesterday, Sunday, May 3, 2020, when Ignatius stunned his possible dates by turning all of them down.
Now, screenshots of Ignatius alleged to be already dating and was almost getting married have popped up online.
One of the photos sighted by YEN.com.gh is a wedding invitation of Ignatius who was scheduled to marry his girlfriend, Tracy on April 19, 2020, but was postponed because of the coronavirus.
Whilst the men who understand the ‘bro code’ praised him for making the brotherhood proud by calling the bluff of the ladies, some ladies saw his decision as disrespectful to the contestants.
However, it is still unclear if organizers of the program will disqualify Ignatius for not being truthful about his relationship status.
Date Rush is a reality show which airs on TV3 every Sunday. It allows ten beautiful ladies to contest for a man who is presented to them.
The ladies are given options to chose based on their interests or otherwise in the men.
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Date Rush wahala: Ignatius in hot waters after recent info on him drops. #dailycelebritiesnews
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Date Rush wahala: Ignatius in hot waters after recent info on him drops. #dailycelebritiesnews
Source: YEN.com.gh
The salary of Ghana midfielder, Michael Essien in Azerbaijan has been revealed.
Essien has been a key figure for Sabail FK.
The Chelsea legend earned about 800,000 euros in Asia and about 250,000 euros in Azerbaijan.
Speech by Umukh Mukhtar, the former head coach of Persib Bandung, said that the current player of Sabail lived a luxurious life in Indonesia.
“Michael had a fantastic salary and luxurious conditions in Indonesia. He was also saddened to leave Persib Bandung. At that time, the club’s management was planning to keep Essien for the 2018 season. But for some reason, he broke his contract with Persib Bandung. Maybe the issue was with the coach. However, he had a contract. But what can I do, maybe his departure was due to the mentality. He failed in Persib.”
Michael’s contract with Sabail expires at the end of the current season.
Source:Â footballghana.com
Asante Kotoko midfielder, Adom Frimpong has called for the cancellation of the 2019/2020 Ghana Premier League season due to the outbreak coronavirus in the country.
Football in the country has come to a halt after the president placed a ban on social gathering which affected the Ghana Premier League.
Talking to Kotoko Express App, Adom Frimpong believes the well being of the fans should be paramount and urges the authorities to cancel the season and declare the GPL season null and void.
“We should declare the season null and void, We are faced with a deadly virus and our focus must be on saving lives than football. It would be better to call off the season and wait until the pandemic is over before we start a new one than to play in an empty stadium†Adom Frimpong
“Here in Ghana, clubs find it very difficult to cope when made to play behind closed doors so holding the remaining games without the fans should not even be an option.â€
“Football is nothing without the fans at the stadia, The fans will not even go the stadia if authorities even decide to allow them because they will fear to contract the virus. We must focus on saving human lives and not put people at risk because of the game.†he added
Source:Â footballmadeinghana.com
Many industry players and netizens expressed genuine concern about the mental and psychological well being of Ghanaian comic actor and producer Benson Nana Yaw Boateng aka Funny Face during the heat of his feud with colleagues Kalybos, Biamrk The Joke, Lilwin, and Sandra Ababio.
With many people calling on health professional to offer him some help, Funny Face has this morning dropped some videos to show the world that he is very ok.
In some videos zionfelix.net has come across on his Instagram page, he was spotted doing the one thing he is best known for, which is to dance his heart out at the least chance.
Check out the video below
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Live life and be happy .. GOD IS IN CONTROL 🙠it is well .. GOD IS KING 🤴
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#fahookime @Sarkodie bro .. am hooking myself here 😀 live life and be happy 😊
Source:Â Zionfelix
Former Accra Lions centre-back Nasiru Moro has spoken about his early days as a midfielder, saying that former Ghana star Michael Essien was his idol while he was growing up.
“I know many will doubt why a defender choosing a midfielder as a role model,†Moro said.
“I started my career as a midfielder and i watched him play for Ghana and various clubs in Europe, he showed me how great soccer was played. I miss watching him play tho.
“He shows both individual skill and the importance of teamwork. The ability he has to keep control of the ball is what made me interested in soccer growing up.
“Essien who is a versatile player is one of the greatest soccer players in the history of Ghana.
Nasiru penned a three-year deal in 2018/2019 season with HNK Gorica in the Croatian Premier League.
Source: footballmadeinghana.com
Those arrested, who included a woman, were part of a mob of about 200 who allegedly besieged the residence of the queenmother of Sakumono Village, Naa Borle Wulu II, and attempted to burn the palace.
They are said to have accused Naa Wulu of using thugs to molest residents who practised open defecation in a bush near her palace since most residents of the area had no places of convenience in their homes.
There is no public toilet in the area.
The mob, armed with sticks, cudgels, stones and machetes, according to the police, was led by the Assembly Member, Mr Richmond Sorgbordjor, 41, who allegedly incited the mob against the police when the law enforcers tried to calm the situation.
Attack on police
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, said the Baatsonaa Divisional Police Command, about 10a.m. last Saturday, received information that a mob had attacked the queenmother and was attempting to burn her residence.
A police patrol team from the division, led by the Divisional Crime Officer, Superintendent of Police Mr Bernard Ananga, went to the scene.
DSP Tenge said Sorgbordjor, however, incited the mob to attack the police when the team reached the scene.
In the process, she said, the mob — which had already caused damage to part of the queenmother’s palace — pelted the police with stones and shattered the right back window glass of an unregistered Nissan saloon car driven by the Divisional Crime Officer.
She said the police arrested nine persons, including the Assembly Member and a woman whose identity was not made known to the media, while the rest escaped.
Investigations by the police, DSP Tenge said, showed that the queenmother had been protesting against open defecation practice in the area due to its health implications, but her move infuriated the residents, leading to the mob attack.
She said the police had intensified patrols in the area, while investigations continued.
Source: graphic.com.gh
President John Magufuli of Tanzania has stated that a pawpaw, a goat, and a quail tested positive for coronavirus in the country.
He said this was after he secretly had a variety of animals, fruits, and vehicle oil tested at the national laboratory.
The president said this on Sunday, May 3, while questioning Tanzania’s coronavirus cases, Daily Monitor reports.
President Magufuli has called on the authorities to investigate “sabotage” at the national laboratory.
According to President Magufuli, people who tested positive for the virus may not be sick. He cast doubt on the credibility of laboratory equipment and technicians.
He said in Swahili: “The equipment or people may be compromised and sometimes it can be sabotage…”
Reacting to the fruit and animals that tested positive for coronavirus, President Magufuli said: “That means there is a possibility for technical errors or these imported reagents have issues. Probably, the technicians are also bought to mislead.”
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According to him, this was the time that public health practitioners must be encouraged and supported to educate the populace to halt the community spread of COVID-19.
Mr Mubarak, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Kumbungu in the Northern Region, made the remarks in an interview with journalists at Dalun, after he distributed 150 gift boxes to some vulnerable groups in the constituency last Saturday, May 2, 2020.
Donations
The gift boxes contained assorted food items such as bags of rice, sugar, cooking oil, canned fish, sachets of tomato paste, milk, tea bags and packs of fruit juice to the aged, widows and people living with disabilities (PWDs) in Zangbalun, Dalun, Satani and the Kumbungu township.
The food items that were donated with the support of the government and the people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was aimed at easing the burden of the vulnerable groups during the month of Ramadan.
Earlier in the day, he had also donated four bags of rice and a check for GH¢2,000 to members of the Tamale branch of the Ghana National Association for the Deaf before setting off to Kumbungu.
The occasion was also used to educate the beneficiaries and some members of the public at the separate venues for the donation on the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Dispel rumours
Mr Mubarak used the occasion to dispel the notion being held by a section of his constituents that the coronavirus could not infect people , especially Dagombas, who claimed to have some form of immunisation through the drinking of herbs against such viruses .
“One thing that I heard on my return to the constituency was that this virus cannot infect a Dagomba man because he has a form of immunisation through the drinking of herbs against such viruses but this is not true when it comes to all viruses, including coronavirus which has no cure,” he stated.
Medical expert
A Medical Laboratory Scientist, Dr Seidu Fiter, who was part of Mr Mubarak’s team, urged Muslims to strictly follow the safety protocols by washing their hands thoroughly under running water with soap and sanitise their hands before performing ablution.
Source: graphic.com.gh
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, has stressed the need for strict adherence to preventive measures against COVID-19 in order to mitigate its spread.
This follows a 200 per cent jump in figures of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in the region, from 10 to 30 in a week, as of May 1, 2020.
The minister in a statement copied to the Daily Graphic indicated that all the 30 cases were in isolation and responding to treatment.
Case details
In a comprehensive detail of the 20 new cases, the statement said 19 of the cases were from the enhanced contact tracing exercise as May 1, 2020 and one also recorded from routine surveillance.
Fifteen of the cases were contacts of the six quarantined travellers at Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality who were confirmed positive on April 12, 2020, while the 16th contact to test positive is a 71-year-old woman who is closely associated with a case confirmed earlier in Ho.
The statement added that the “remaining three contacts that tested positive are contacts of cases confirmed positive in Hohoe on April 12, 2020.”
“The one additional case detected from routine surveillance is a 45-year-old man who returned to Kpando from Accra on April 20 to seek medical treatment after he started experiencing worsening respiratory symptoms whilst in Accra,” the statement added.
Enhanced testing
The Public Health Emergency Management Committee, based on technical advice has, therefore, sanctioned the mass testing of groups with relatively higher risks in order for the region to get a firmer grasp of the transmission of the virus in emerging hot spots.
The University of Health and Allied Sciences was recently certified and has commenced testing for COVID-19 to boost the region’s response activities.
Dr Letsa stated that further steps have been taken in collaboration with other stakeholders to rapidly expand the capacity of the laboratory.
Source: graphic.com.gh
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has said it is hard to see fans returning to matches “any time soon”.
If the Premier League and Football League resume then those matches will be played behind closed doors.
The Premier League are also preparing for the possibility of playing the 2020-21 season without fans.
“The reality is that we just don’t know how things are going to pan out,” Clarke wrote in a letter to the FA governing council.
“But with social distancing in place for some time to come we do face substantial changes to the whole football ecosystem.
“For example it’s hard to foresee crowds of fans – who are the lifeblood of the game – returning to matches any time soon.”
Clarke said the FA’s executive team has been “building out different scenarios that we might potentially face as a result of the pandemic.”
He also warned a budget cut of £75m will be “sensible” this year.
“In a worst-case scenario, this would be necessary for the next four years to offset a £300m deficit,” he added.
“Clearly that will impact many of our plans as every area of the game will be touched and projects that we all value will be affected.”
‘Clubs rebelling against neutral stadiums’ Top-flight clubs have been told that using up to 10 neutral stadiums will be the only way to complete the season.
Brighton say they are “not in favour” of using neutral venues because it may affect the “integrity” of the league.
Clubs near the bottom of the table feel it is unfair to play in such different conditions when at risk of relegation.
A growing number of Premier League clubs are open to playing the remaining fixtures at neutral venues but with the threat of relegation removed.
The BBC has learned that the Premier League fear between six or seven clubs are opposed to neutral stadiums.
But there is also a sense that within that group there are disagreements over how they want the season to end.
What next?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reveal his “roadmap” out of lockdown on Sunday and that means that the Premier League’s next meeting will be delayed until next week.
The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of the coronavirus pandemic but all clubs are committed to playing the 92 remaining fixtures of the 2019-20 season if and when safe to do so.
Source:Â bbc.com
The National Service Secretariat has announced, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is currently reviewing its annual processes for national service registration and recruitment. The main purpose is to limit or reduce human contact as much as possible.
Over the years, national service online registration process ends with a validation process which results in huge numbers of applicants trooping to regional and district NSS centres. This resulted in long queues and congestion at these centres.
This annual situation therefore raised concerns about public safety in the wake of the pandemic.
Speaking to The Independent via phone interview, the Deputy Executive Director of NSS, Dr. Gifty Oware Aboagye said her outfit is working with its IT team to create an appropriate alternative or means to ensure a smooth process during the period.
She explained, electronic money transaction and other policies already rolled out are all targeted at ensuring safety of applicants in the wake of the pandemic.
“Applicants are doing more mobile money as part of the registration process. They are resorting to this even more than they go to the bank (ADB) to pay GHC 40.This has drastically reduced their trips to the bank, further limiting their exposure to the virus.â€
Dr. Gifty Oware Aboagye however noted that in due time, more measures from her outfit would be rolled out and the media will be reliably informed.
The National Service Scheme (NSS) on April 24, 2020, released a total of 111,613 PIN Codes, to enable all eligible Ghanaian final year students from accredited tertiary institutions in the country, enrol in mandatory national service scheme for the 2020/2021 service year.
Source: backend.theindependentghana.com | Anita Odei-Osafo
Nigerian music superstar, Burna Boy is of the view that currently his countryman, Wizkid a better artiste than Jamaican superstar, Vybz Kartel.
This comes after some music lovers chose Wizkid over Vybz Kartel in the Wizkid versus Vybz Kartel battle of hits that was held today.
In his view, Burna Boy believes that Wizkid is the new deal stating that power has changed hands meaning the leaders of yesterday are no longer the leaders of today.
See his post below;
Source:Â www,ghgossip.com
US President Donald Trump on Sunday struck out at former President George W. Bush, who in a video called for compassion and solidarity over the coronavirus pandemic.
Bush, like Trump, a member of the Republican Party, drew a parallel between the COVID-19 crisis and the September 11, 2001 attack in a clip posted Saturday by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
The Al-Qaeda led terror attacks took place just months after Bush arrived in the White House.
“Following 9/11 I saw a great nation rise as one to honor the brave, to grieve with the grieving, and to embrace unavoidable new duties,†Bush said, with archive images playing in the background.
Bush, 73, said he was convinced that the “spirit of sacrifice†has not disappeared, and called for compassion as the United States struggles to quell the novel coronavirus.
“Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat,†said Bush. “In the final analysis we are not partisan combatants, we are human beings.â€
Bush added that Americans should “remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential, powerful tools of national recovery.â€
As someone who is regularly criticized for his lack of empathy, Trump may have felt targeted.
Early Sunday, Trump responded, by apparently quoting a co-anchor from the “Fox and Friends†show on Fox News.
“Oh, by the way, I appreciate the message from former President Bush, but where was he during impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside,†Trump wrote, quoting the co-anchor.
Trump then added in his own voice: “He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!â€
Source:Â punchng.com
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 3.5 million on Monday, with three-quarters of them in Europe and the United States, an AFP tally based on official sources showed.
At least 3,500,517 infections and 246,893 deaths have been recorded globally. Europe is the continent most affected by more than 1.5 million cases and over 143,000 fatalities.
The United States has registered more than 1.1 million cases and 67,000 deaths.
The numbers around the world reflect only a fraction of the real figures as many countries test only serious cases.
Source:Â punchng.com
Millions of schoolchildren in Vietnam returned to class on Monday after the country reported its 17th straight day of no domestically transmitted coronavirus infections.
The decision to reopen schools came after the Southeast Asian nation eased social distancing measures at the end of April, with experts pointing to a decisive response involving mass quarantines and expansive contact tracing for its apparent success in containing the disease.
At a school in western Hanoi, secondary level students calmly lined up to have their temperatures checked before filing into classrooms for the first time in more than three months.
“I am very happy and excited because it’s boring being at home,” said 11-year-old Pham Anh Kiet.
“I feel safe when I wear a mask and have my temperature checked, I am not afraid of being infected with the virus,” he added, before grabbing a classmate for a quick catch up.
Tran Dang Ngoc Anh, 12, said she’d missed her friends and teachers and was happy to be back, despite being a little apprehensive about wearing “stuffy masks in classrooms”.
There are around 22 million school-age children and university students across Vietnam. After being sent home in late January, some kids returned last week but others, including primary school and kindergarten pupils will have to wait it out a further week.
Universities have begun opening one by one.
Vietnam has recorded just 271 virus cases and zero deaths, according to official tallies on Sunday. It has been more than two weeks since the country reported a domestically transmitted infection.
But far from letting their guard down, authorities are enforcing strict social distancing measures in schools, with pupils ordered to stay 1.5 metres apart at all times. Everyone must wear masks.
Nguyen Xuan Khang, a headteacher in Hanoi, admitted it would be difficult to keep the little ones in line.
“When it’s break time, the young ones… they are very active, it will be hard to help them maintain a distance,” he said.
“But no problem, we have to accept that. All the parents give the kids masks, and we also bought 10,000 masks to give to the children. We have put a lot of hand sanitizer in the toilets.”
Source:Â france24.com
The Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Meshal Hamdan Al-Rogi, has urged Muslims to adapt to the changes the outbreak of the coronavirus has brought to Islamic worship, particularly during this period of Ramadan.
According to him, he empathizes with the Muslim community who are unable to go to the mosque to observe Taraweeh prayers and not break the fast with friends and neighbours.
Meshal Hamdan Al-Rogi is also calling on Muslims “to stand together in solidarity and help one another to observe this Ramadan fast amidst our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.â€
In his Ramadan address to Ghanaians, the Ambassador mentioned that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, had, as it does before the beginning of the annual Ramadan Fast, donated 50 tons of date fruits to the country.
He also announced a donation of US$ 500 million from the Saudi government to the World Health Organization to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected over three million people, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Source: www.abcnewsgh.com
President Donald Trump relaunched his election campaign Sunday with a live television event inside the iconic Lincoln Memorial, promising an early coronavirus vaccine and urging Americans to put the pandemic behind them to embrace an “incredible” future.
With the two-hour long Fox News “town hall,” Trump sought to wrap himself in the mantle of America’s arguably greatest president — and to persuade a nation battered by death and mass unemployment to look ahead.
“We can’t stay closed as a country, we’re not going to have a country left,” he said on the show, where two moderators, as well as ordinary citizens via video, put questions to him in front of the monument.
“We’re going to have an incredible following year,” he said.
To a woman who called in expressing fear of financial ruin and eviction, Trump said her job would come back.
“You get a job where you make more money,” he said.
Saying Americans should start going back to beaches this summer and recommending that shuttered schools need to reopen in September, Trump forecast good news on the hunt for a vaccine.
“We are very confident that we’re going to have a vaccine… by the end of the year,” he said, admitting he was getting ahead of his own advisors with the prediction. “I’ll say what I think,” he said.
Saving his reelection
The businessman Republican is doing poorly in most polls ahead of the November presidential contest against Democratic challenger Joe Biden, who remains shuttered in his Delaware home.
Trump faces criticism for his bruising, divisive style during a time of national calamity. He is also accused by some of botching the early response to the COVID-19 virus.
Worse, the previously booming US economy, which was seen as a golden ticket to his second term, is now in dire straits due to the nationwide lockdown.
With officials saying the viral spread has begun to taper, Trump is itching to return to the campaign trail.
However he faces new criticism that he is trying to declare premature victory, even as the illness continues to kill thousands of Americans every week.
Having repeatedly minimized the death toll, claiming it will end at around 60,000, Trump conceded that now “I’m saying 80 or 90 and it goes up.”
His emphasis, however, was not on the dead, but on resurrecting his image as a can-do leader who can end the skyrocketing unemployment caused by the lockdown.
That audacious shift began Sunday at possibly the most hallowed monument in the country — the statue of Abraham Lincoln, who led the country through civil war, urged reconciliation, and was assassinated in his moment of triumph.
Trump, who calls himself a “wartime president” denied that the election will turn into a referendum on his handling of the crisis.
But he added: “I hope it does because we’ve done a great job.”
In the next few days, Trump will follow up by breaking months of self-quarantine with long-distance trips to the key electoral states of Arizona and Ohio.
It’s a play that will emphasise Trump’s massive visibility advantage over Biden and, the White House hopes, rewrite the public relations script after gaffes including the president’s suggestion that coronavirus patients ingest disinfectant.
Greater than Lincoln?
Lincoln gambled in 1861 that only war could preserve the United States by ending slavery and restoring the nation’s ideals of freedom. He won, becoming a national hero.
But Lincoln is remembered as much for reaching out to former foes — something Trump did not seek to emulate as he spoke at the foot of the iconic statue.
Previous presidents, he said, were “stupid” to allow reliance on foreign manufacturers for US medicines.
The Democrats, he said, are “radical,” claiming they would prefer to see people get sick than see him succeed.
Trump pronounced that he had “done more than any president in the history our country in the first three years.”
His self-declared greatness is questioned by many Americans.
FiveThirtyEight’s latest tracking poll showing only 43.4 percent approving Trump’s performance and 50.7 percent disapproving.
Trump even got in an online tussle with former president George W. Bush earlier Sunday, after the fellow Republican posted a video filled with the kind of empathy and solidarity that many accuse the current White House occupant of failing to show.
Trump responded by complaining that Bush was “nowhere to be found” when he was battling off an impeachment attempt in Congress last year.
Source:Â france24.com
Stir-crazy Italians will be free to stroll and visit relatives for the first time in nine weeks on Monday as Europe’s hardest-hit country eases back the world’s longest nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
Four million people — an estimated 72 percent of them men — will return to their construction sites and factories as the economically and emotionally shattered country tries to get back to work.
Restaurants that have managed to survive Italy’s most disastrous crisis in generations will reopen for takeaway service.
But bars and even ice cream parlours will remain shut. The use of public transport will be discouraged and everyone will have to wear masks in indoor public spaces.
“We are feeling a mix of joy and fear,” 40-year-old Stefano Milano said in Rome.
“There will be great happiness in being able to go running again carefree, in my son being allowed to have his little cousin over to blow out his birthday candles, to see our parents,” the father-of-three said.
“But we are also apprehensive because they are old and my father-in-law has cancer so is high risk”.
‘Moment of responsibility’
Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus emerged in December, led the world with an unprecedented lockdown on January 23 that lasted 76 days.
Weeks later Italy followed suit, becoming the first Western democracy to shut down virtually everything in the face of an illness that has now officially killed 28,884 — the most in Europe — and some fear thousands more.
The lives of Italians began closing in around them as it became increasingly apparent that the first batch of infections in provinces around Milan were spiralling out of control.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte began by putting a quarter of the population in the northern industrial heartland on lockdown on March 8.
The sudden measure frightened many — fearful of being locked in together with the gathering threat — into fleeing to less affected regions further south.
The danger of the virus spreading with them and incapacitating the south’s less developed health care system forced Conte to announce a nationwide lockdown on March 9.
“Today is our moment of responsibility,” Conte told the nation. “We cannot let our guard down.”
The official death toll was then 724.
More waves of restrictions followed as hundreds began dying each day.
Almost everything except for pharmacies and grocery stores was shuttered across the Mediterranean country of 60 million on March 12.
Conte’s final roll of the dice involved closing all non-essential factories on March 22.
Italy’s highest single toll — 969 — was reported five days later.
–
‘Worried about reopening’
The economic toll of all those shutdowns has been historic.
Italy’s economy — the eurozone’s third-largest last year — is expected to shrink more than in any year since the global depression of the 1930s.
Half of the workforce is receiving state support and the same number told a top pollster that they were afraid of becoming unemployed.
And some of those who are out of a job already say they do not entirely trust in Conte’s ability to safely navigate the nation out of peril.
Conte’s popularity has jumped along with that of most of other world leaders grappling with the pandemic thanks to a rally around the flag effect.
But a Demos poll conducted at the end of April found some of Conte’s lustre fading.
Confidence in his government has slipped by eight percentage points to a still-strong 63 percent since March.
Psychological toll
Italy’s staggered reopening is complicated by a highly decentralised system that allows the country’s 20 regions to layer on their own rules.
Venice’s Veneto and the southern Calabria regions have thus been serving food and drink at bars and restaurants with outdoor seating since last week.
The area around Genoa is thinking of allowing small groups of people to go sailing and reopening its beaches.
Neighbouring Emilia-Romagna is keeping them closed — even to those who live by the sea.
All this uncertainty appears to be weighing on the nation’s psyche.
A poll by the Piepoli Institute showed 62 percent of Italians think they will need psychological support with coming to grips with the post-lockdown world.
“The night of the virus continues,” sociologist Ilvo Diamanti wrote in La Repubblica daily.
“And you can hardly see the light on the horizon. If anything, we’re getting used to moving in the dark.”
Source:Â france24.com
Embattled highlife artiste, Bisa KDei has confirmed being in a romantic relationship with Black Avenue Music signee, S3fa GH.
The artiste who was recently roasted in the Ghanaian media space by top media giants for his comment suggesting they have been paid to sabotage him, engaged his fans in a Q&A session where a fan asked about his relationship with S3fa GH.
Bisa KDei felt reluctant to reply initialy but later let the cat out of the bag.
He replied affirmative to the question thrown at him. Well, it does not come as a surprise since S3fa GH had already disclosed her love and affection for Bisa KDei in her post on social media and her previous interviews.
See image below:
Source: ghgossip.com
US President Trump has said he believes a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year. But how likely is this?
It’s been over a month since the first human trial of a vaccine took place in the US city of Seattle.
But there’s still lots to do – even if the initial safety tests go well, the vaccine will still need to go through clinical trials, medicine regulators must approve it and a way of producing it on a huge scale must be developed.
Vaccines normally take years, if not decades, to develop. Most experts think a vaccine is likely to become available by mid-2021, about 12-18 months after the new virus, known officially as Sars-CoV-2, first emerged.
That would be a huge scientific feat and there are no guarantees it will work.
Four coronaviruses already circulate in human beings. They cause common cold symptoms and we still don’t have vaccines for any of them.
Source:Â bbc.com
Good morning to those joining us from India, where a third phase of the lockdown has begun but with some relaxing of restrictions.
Starting Monday, private offices can open with 33% of staff in offices and standalone shops – those not in markets or malls – selling both essential and non-essential goods can also restart business.
Self-employed professionals like cleaners, cooks, electricians and plumbers can also resume work.
But none of these relaxations will apply to containment zones and public transport will remain shut, which means many will not be able to go out.
While the new guidelines come from the federal government, states can reject certain relaxations depending on their situation.
Source:Â bbc.com
With most actual sports off limits at the moment, some athletes have taken their skills to the virtual realm. A few of the world’s top tennis pros have played each other on the Nintendo Mario Aces game.
The Stay At Home Slam took place on Sunday and paired up tennis stars with other celebrities for doubles matches, with British emeritus John McEnroe as one of the commentators.
The line-up included the Williams sisters, Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori and the recently retired Maria Sharapova from Russia.
The tournament was won by US player Taylor Fritz and his doubles partner, Tik Tok personality Addison Rae, beating Japan’s Nishikori who’d been teamed up with DJ Steve Aoki.
The tournament was organised by talent management company IMG and Facebook Gaming with all the prize money going as donations to the struggle against the virus pandemic.
Source:Â bbc.com
The president of Tanzania says he will send a plane to Madagascar to import a herbal tonic which has been touted as a cure for coronavirus by the country’s president.
Congo-Brazzaville’s president has also promised to import the drink.
It is produced from the artemisia plant – the source of an ingredient used in a malaria treatment.
The World Health Organization has said there is no proof of any cure and has advised people against self-medicating.
The drink was launched as Covid-Organics was being marketed after being tested on fewer than 20 people over a period of three weeks, the president’s chief of staff Lova Hasinirina Ranoromaro told the BBC.
In response to the launch of Covid-Organics, the WHO said, in a statement sent to the BBC, that the global organisation did not recommend “self-medication with any medicines… as a prevention or cure for Covid-19”.
It reiterated earlier comments by WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that there were “no short-cuts” to finding effective mediation to fight coronarvirus.
International trials were under way to find an effective treatment, the WHO added.
In March, the US-based National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health warned against purported coronavirus remedies, including herbal therapies and teas – saying the best way to prevent infection was to avoid exposure to the virus.
Speaking on TV, Tanzania’s President John Magufuli said he was already in contact with the government of Madagascar and would despatch an aircraft to the island nation to collect the medicine.
“I am communicating with Madagascar, and they have already written a letter saying they have discovered some medicine. We will despatch a flight to bring the medicine so that Tanzanians can also benefit. So as the government we are working day and night,” he said.
Mr Magufuli has already been widely criticised for his reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.
He has encouraged the public to continue gathering in places of worship, while much of the world has faced lockdown.
Tanzania’s delay in enforcing stricter measures to prevent further spread of coronavirus in the country, could have led to the spike in positive cases, according to the WHO.
The country has 480 confirmed cases of coronavirus while Congo-Brazzaville has 229 and Madagascar has 135.
Source: bbc.com
As the deadly coronavirus ranges, President Nana Akufo-Addo has instructed all Ghanaians to wear nose masks as a preventive measure. To this end, law enforcers can arrest any person found outside without the nose masks.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air and quickly fall on floors or surfaces.
Our favourite celebrities have also embraced the new directive as most of them have been spotted wearing their masks. It looks as though they are rather making a fashion statement with the nose mask instead of necessarily using it to fight Covid-19.
We captured some of these celebs slaying in their nose masks and frankly speaking, they look very HOT.
See below:
North and South Korea have exchanged gunfire in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) which divides the two countries.
Seoul’s military said shots from the North hit a guard post in the central border town of Cheorwon. It said it returned fire and delivered a warning announcement.
Such incidents across the world’s most heavily fortified border are rare.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told US media the shots from the North were believed to be “accidental”.
Meanwhile South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted a government official as saying the shots were not likely to have been intentional.
No injuries were reported in the incident. Military officials in the South say there was no sign of unusual troop movements.
There’s a “low possibility” that the shots fired by North Korea were intentional, according to the South Korean military. But at this stage it is unclear how they’ve made that assessment.
Even if it was an accident or a miscalculation, it shows just how important it is for troops to keep level heads in the heavily fortified DMZ to ensure the situation isn’t made much worse.
If it was a more tactical decision by North Korea then that’s a very different matter.
The timing is interesting. It’s just 24 hours since the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un re-appeared after a 21-day absence. There have also been a large number of military drills in the North in recent months to improve readiness to fight an “actual war”, according to state media.
Pyongyang has sometimes used the tactic of escalate to de-escalate, using its military posturing as leverage in later negotiations.
But any sign of direct fire will be a disappointment to many in South Korea. There has been a lot of work in the last two years to ease tensions between the two countries after President Moon Jae-in met Kim Jong-un. The two sides signed a military agreement – any deliberate shots fired would breach that pact.
The last time the North opened fire on the South happened in 2017 when a North Korean soldier made a dash across the military demarcation line to defect.
The demilitarised zone (DMZ) was set up after the Korean War in 1953 in order to create a buffer zone between the two countries.
For the past two years, the government in Seoul has tried to turn the heavily fortified border into a peace zone.
Easing military tensions at the border was one of the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries at a summit in Pyongyang in September 2018.
Kim Jong-un’s reappearance in public, reported by North Korean state media on Friday, followed an almost-three-week unexplained absence that sparked intense global speculation about his health.
Source:Â bbc.com
Sun loungers separated by plexiglass. Blood tests and sanitiser spray-downs before flights.
These might sound extreme, but they are real measures some in the travel industry are looking at to keep holidaymakers feeling safe and comfortable in a post-lockdown world.
It’s too early to say when international travel might restart again – Argentina, for example, has extended flight bans until September and a UK minister has said he won’t be booking a summer holiday anytime soon.
But what will overseas trips look like when they’re able to be taken again?
Here’s what you might expect.
The airport
Many airports, including in London, have already introduced measures to cater for essential travellers based on government guidelines – so they might sound familiar.
These include between one and two-metre distancing at all times (excluding people who live together), hand sanitisers distributed throughout the airport and efforts to spread passengers more evenly across terminals.
In the US, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) says travellers should wash their hands for 20 seconds – in accordance with official guidelines – before and after the security screening process.
But, at Hong Kong International Airport, testing is under way on a full-body disinfectant device. This, the airport says, can sanitise users within 40 seconds, using sprays that kill bacteria and viruses on skin and clothing.
The airport is also trialling autonomous cleaning robots that move around killing microbes by zapping them with ultraviolet light. Similar robots have been tested in makeshift hospital rooms.
Airports that have electronic check-in kiosks are encouraging passengers to use them where possible to avoid unnecessary interaction.
Most will display posters that explain guidance measures and instructions throughout their buildings.
James Thornton, chief executive of Intrepid travel group, says the process of passing through airports is likely to take longer because of stricter checks.
“Just as taking out liquids and devices before going through machines has become the norm, so too will new social distancing guidelines,” he says, adding: “It’s possible we’ll see the introduction of an immunity passport.”
Earlier this year, several airports announced they were introducing “thermal detection screening” in efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus overseas.
However, the procedure divided experts on its effectiveness, as some people are said to be asymptomatic, and many airports will not be introducing it.
Some have gone further, though, with Emirates offering passengers rapid Covid-19 blood tests prior to boarding at Dubai airport terminals. Emirates says the tests produce results within 10 minutes.
On the plane
As you take your seat, you’ll have to picture the usual smiles from the flight attendants, who will most likely be wearing masks.
You might choose to smile back, but you’ll probably be wearing one, too – as more and more countries recommend their use.
Your mind, meanwhile, should be at ease in the knowledge that most major airlines will have stepped up their cleaning and sanitation procedures, leaving your tray table, seat rest and safety belt suitably disinfected.
If you’ve booked your flight with Korean Air, don’t be alarmed if people appear in the aisle wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE), as the airline says it plans to issue cabin crew with gowns, gloves and eye masks.
This might be as good a time as any to appreciate that you won’t be sharing either of your armrests, as most airlines have said that flights will not be fully booked and middle seats will be kept empty (at least to begin with).
An airline pilot for Tui, who asked to be named only as Christian, said that while spreading passengers on a plane made sense in respect of distancing guidelines, it could prove “hugely prohibitive” and costly.
“Losing a third of seats means either that airlines fly at a loss, or we go back to the good old days when a Paris to Nice return ticket used to cost £1,000 (€1,145; $1,245) in today’s money.”
Christian says countries that rely heavily on tourism are already contacting operators. “I believe that we will see a small restart of flights to selected destinations towards the end of the season.”
At your destination
How does an Italian beach holiday sound? Well, you could find yourself weaving between tall sheets of plexiglass used to separate sun loungers as you look for a shady spot in the sand.
“I’ve seen drawings,” says Ulf Sonntag of the Institute for Tourism Research in Northern Europe, “they are seriously considering this as an idea in Italy.”
Source:Â bbc.com
Ghanaians are still mourning the late Kumawood star, Bishop Bernard Nyarko who passed on Saturday- May 2, 2020 after a short illness, presumably colon cancer.
We gathered that he was survived by three children, a male and two females. His firstborn is reportedly a graduate of Sunyani Polytechnic with the second also a graduate from a Nursing School.
Her last born just completed her senior high education although we are yet to get their names. It is obvious Bishop Bernard Nyarko was very fond of his kids and this photo below proves it profoundly.
See photo below:
Source: ghbase.com
Gospel musician, Brother Sammy has composed a tribute song in memory of the late Bishop Bernard Nyarko.
The emotional song was recorded in memory of Bishop Bernard Nyarko who recently passed away.
His sudden death came as a big blow to Ghanaians as they pour in their words of condolences to the bereaved family.
Several actors and actresses have expressed sorrow over his death and also shared memorable moments they had with him.
Listen to the song below;
Source: GHPAGE
JK Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter adventures, is donating £1m to charities supporting vulnerable people during the lockdown.
Half of the money will go to Crisis which helps homeless people, and half to Refuge to support victims of domestic abuse.
Rowling’s donations come amid #HarryPotterDay on Twitter.
Saturday also marks the anniversary of one the author’s major events in her stories.
On Twitter, Rowling said: “Today’s the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but I am going to be honest and say that it feels inappropriate to talk about fictional deaths.
“Too many people are losing loved ones in the real world.”
Rowling, who wrote many of her Harry Potter stories while living in Edinburgh, said many vulnerable people who were homeless or in an abusive relationship were suffering at this time.
Source:Â bbc.com
Britain will trial a new coronavirus tracing programme next week on the Isle of Wight, just off the south coast of England, cabinet minister Michael Gove said on Sunday as the government looks at how to minimise the risk of a second wave of infection.
Suffering one of the worst death tolls in Europe from COVID-19, Britain is confident that the peak of the virus has passed and is now looking at how to restart its shuttered economy and ease social restrictions on citizens.
“This week we will be piloting new test, track and trace procedures on the Isle of Wight with a view to having that in place more widely later this month,†Gove told a news conference.
A mass testing system along with the ability to trace people who have been in contact with those who test positive are seen as crucial to preventing a second spike and facilitating the relaxation of a lockdown which has lasted almost six weeks.
Gove said the system being trialled next week would include asking citizens on the island to download a smartphone app as well as traditional ways of tracing those who have come into contact with a patient who has tested positive.
“We will be able to make sure that people who are suffering from the virus … they and their contacts can be encouraged to stay at home, so that we can limit the potential of any outbreak,†Gove said.
The Isle of Wight has around 80,000 households.
Source:Â reuters.com
Russia has recorded 10,633 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the highest daily rise since the outbreak began in the country.
The increase brings Russia’s total number of coronavirus cases to 134,686, the seventh highest tally in the world.
But Russia’s mortality rate remains low relative to other countries, such as the US, Italy and Spain.
On Sunday, a further 58 coronavirus-related deaths were announced, bringing the total to 1,280 in Russia.
Moscow has been hit particularly hard by the virus, leaving its healthcare system struggling to cope.
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Saturday cautioned against complacency, saying the capital was not past the peak of its coronavirus epidemic.
The mayor said around 2% of residents in the city – around 250,000 people – had tested positive for coronavirus. On Sunday, Moscow’s total number of cases jumped by 5,948 to a total of 68,606.
A strict lockdown has been imposed in Moscow, where its 12 million residents have been ordered to stay at home with few exceptions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said situation remains “very serious”, warning Russians to brace for a “gruelling phase of the pandemic” in the weeks ahead.
Earlier in the week Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, confirmed he had been diagnosed with Covid-19, the first senior minister in the country to do so.
Mr Mishustin, who was appointed as PM in January, was still being treated in hospital on Sunday. His spokesman said he was feeling fine, enabling him to work from hospital.
On Friday, Russia’s housing minister, Vladimir Yakushev, became the second senior minister to be confirmed to have Covid-19.
Russia puts big rise down to testing The number of confirmed coronavirus cases here is rising steadily each day. The Russian authorities put that down to a big increase in testing – over 40,000 people a day, in Moscow alone.
They also say up to half of the new cases are people without symptoms – including those detected through screening, like healthcare workers.
Still, the virus is spreading more quickly now in Russia’s regions – where hospital facilities are far worse than in the capital and where medics have been complaining they don’t have the masks and protective clothing to keep them safe.
And even here, in Moscow, some 1,700 people are being admitted to hospital each day, increasing the strain on the system.
Coronavirus crisis tests Putin’s grip on power
Putin admits PPE shortage as lockdown extended President Putin has extended a nationwide non-working period until 11 May, saying “the peak is not behind us”.
Beyond that, the president said his government will consider gradually lifting coronavirus restrictions from 12 May, depending on the region.
Last week, Mr Putin admitted there was a shortage of protective kit for medics on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis.
Source:Â bbc.com
Spain-based midfielder has claimed that he was misquoted over quotes he said new national team coach CK Akonnor told him he was not a Black Stars material.
“I need to clarify things. People got me wrong. I never said coach C.K Akonnor did not see me as Black Stars material,” the on loan Celta Vigo B player told Daily Graphic.
”What I meant was that in that particular call-up for the Sudan game, he did not see me to be ready for it.
”Coach Akonnor has never told me I am not Black Stars material.”
“The senior national team is the dream of everyone but everything lies on the coach; he chooses players who are ready for every game.”
Yeboah, the former Ghana U23 captain, explains he has a good relationship with Akonnor during his days at Right To Dream Academy.
In June 2019, the talented midfielder played his first Black Stars match in friendly against Namibia.
“CK Akonnor is a great coach and he is like a father to me. He coached me during my formative years at Right to Dream Academy and he knows me so well. When the time is due, he will call me,” he added.
Source: Ghana Soccernet
Dozens of New Yorkers were fined for violating coronavirus social distancing guidelines as they flocked to the city’s beaches and parks to enjoy balmy weekend weather, police said Sunday.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told reporters that officers had issued 51 summonses on Saturday, mostly for social distance violations, as temperatures in America’s COVID-19 epicenter registered upwards of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).
Residents of the Big Apple, which has been shut down since mid-March, are allowed outside to exercise providing they maintain six-feet (two meters) of distance and wear a mask when around others.
New Yorkers can be fined up to $1000 for violating the orders, which many did as they descended on popular spots like Manhattan’s Central Park and Rockaway Beach in Queens following a largely rainy week.
Shea said tickets were issued to 43 people in parks and eight others elsewhere as New York leaders warned residents not to spark a second wave of infections.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said he appreciated residents were bored but that they should not take “false comfort” from falling COVID-19 cases or from seeing other states reopen.
He insisted that the outbreak — which has killed almost 20,000 people statewide — was far from over.
“How people cannot wear masks is disrespectful. It’s disrespectful to the nurses, the doctors, the people who have been frontline workers, the transit workers.
“You wear the mask not for yourself — you wear the mask for me,” he added.
Cuomo reported 280 new deaths from COVID-19 in New York state in the last 24 hours, down from 289 the day before.
More than 700 New Yorkers were dying daily at the peak of the outbreak last Month.
Cuomo announced that new cases and intubations continued to fall.
Source:Â france24.com
Dutch national coach Ronald Koeman required hospital treatment after suffering a heart problem, his wife told De Telegraaf newspaper on Sunday.
The 57-year-old underwent a “cardiac catheterisation” procedure at a hospital in Amsterdam after complaining of feeling unwell at his home.
“The speed with which he was taken to the hospital and the quick intervention of the doctors allowed his condition to be stabilised,” said Bartina Koeman.
Koeman, who has coached the Dutch side since 2018, is expected to be discharged from hospital on Monday.
“It was a shock,” tweeted the Dutch football federation.
“Happily, things are already a little better. Strength and a good recovery, coach.”
Koeman, a standout defender at Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord and Barcelona as well as the Dutch team in his playing career, had already qualified the Netherlands for Euro 2020.
However, the tournament has been pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus.
Source:Â france24.com
Ex-Asante Kotoko midfielder Yusif Chibsah has revealed businessman Kwame Osei ‘Despite’ promised to reward the team with a house each if they had won the 2004 CAF Confederation Cup.
But the Porcupine Warriors burned on the cusp of lifting the trophy on their home ground via penalties.
The first leg ended 1-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium and Kotoko held the aces to pull the victory rug from under the feet of their perennial rivals.
But after another 1-1 draw in the return clash at the Baba Yara Stadium, the Phobians won the inaugural edition of the competition 8-7 on penalties.
Reliving the moment on GTV Sports Plus on Sunday, Chibsah revealed he and his teammates
”Do you know what we missed for failing to win the cup? Despite promised each player a house and a 10 million (GHS 1,000) each,” Chibsah said on the Time With Our Captains Show.
”Looking back at the game we should have buried the game in the first half
Chibsah was joined on the panel by former teammate Charles Taylor.
Hearts of Oak were represented by trio Bernard Don Bortey, Lawrence Adjah Tetteh and Amankwa Mireku.
Source: Ghana Soccernet
Popular Kumawood actor, Kwaku Manu has surprised his younger brother, Joseph Appiah aka Fila Man with a car.
He presented the vehicle to him in a video sighted by Zionfelix.net.
Kwaku Manu revealed his supportive brother has been with him for a long time and deserves to be rewarded.
He captioned the video: “We are still in a sad mood but today is a day I plan to surprise my brother @filamanghana a gift and I still have [to] do that Also I thank everyone for his or her support since day one â€
Kwaku Manu proved that the documents of the car have been changed to the name of his brother officially.
A joyous Filla Man thanked his brother for the gesture and prayed to God to extend his boundaries.
Source:Â Zionfelix
The Ghana Movie Industry was hit with the news of the sudden demise of actor and man of God, Bishop Bernard Nyarko.
Many of his colleagues and movie lovers have been mourning the late actor.
There have been a lot of speculations about the cause of his death, with some attributing it to juju that was plotted by his colleagues in the movie industry.
In a recent interview, the brother of the late actor, Isaac Darko, disclosed that his brother died a natural death.
“My brother died peacefully at Ridge Hospital in Accra,” he said.
He, however, discredited the speculations within the media circles.
Source: GH Base
Family of the late Bernard Nyarko have finally broken their silence on the death of the actor and invoke curses on anyone who would peddle falsehood about the demise of the former Kumawood Star.
News of the death of Bishop Bernard Nyarko left Ghanaians in a state of shock and while some section of Ghanaians believed the development, others thought it was a hoax.
The family through its spokesperson who is also the elderly brother of the actor, Isaac Darko confirmed the death of their brother to SVTV Africa but had a word of caution for the public especially former colleagues in the industry giving varying accounts of his death.
He said the family is currently in a state of shock and that their mother has been the hardest hit by the sudden death of her son.
Detailing the trajectory of events that led to his demise, Isaac Darko said Bishop took ill some months ago so the family decided to seek medical attention and also seek the face of the lord.
He revealed that his condition was deteriorating and they were forced to bring him to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital where he met his sudden death on May 2, 2020.
According to him, people have started allegations and attributing the death of his brother to unheard off things but was quick to warn such people to desist from such acts because his brother was a Man of God and so the wrath if God will visit any such person who peddles falsehood about his death.
Isaac Darko expressed his gratitude to the people of Ghana and asked that there be calm as the family put things together for the final funeral rites for their son.
Source: My News GH
Movie lovers in Ghana are still mourning the sudden demise of popular Kumawood actor Bernard Nyarko popularly known as Bishop.
Some of his colleagues who worked closely with him took to their social media pages to mourn the passing of the late actor.
Yaw Dabo, Mercy Asiedu, Lil Win amongst others shared videos of themselves in tears.
But actor Kwame Borga believes that, most of the Kumawood stars who have been crying uncontrollably on social media over the demise of Bernard Nyarko are hypocrites who only want to ride on the death of the late actor for hype.
According to him, some of these stars were able to cry in front of a camera and later uploaded these videos on social media with others monetizing it on YouTube for financial gains.
View this post on Instagram
Source: GH Base
The Government has recognised the media as an “invaluable ally” in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and would strive to make the media and broadcasting space more productive in the country.
In a statement signed and issued by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Sunday, May 3, to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day, said the media plays a significant role by providing factual information to the public on the respiratory disease.
This year’s celebration is on the theme, “Journalism without Fear or Favour” and encouraged media practitioners to be fearless in their work to better the lots of the people.
The UNESCO Director-General in a statement said: “At a time when we are mired in worry and uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, free information is essential to helping us face, understand, think about and overcome this crisis”.
It said the Akufo-Addo’s administration has been working closely with the media and other stakeholders in disseminating information and facilitating preventive measures and etiquettes against COVID-19.
“We must consider the vital information in this solution; informing the public means giving everyone knowledge of the means of combating the illness by adopting appropriate practice”.
The government expressed profound gratitude to the Ghanaian media for their sacrifices over the years and, hoped, together, we can defeat the pandemic within the shortest possible time.
Meanwhile, Mr Roland Affail Money, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), in an interview with the media, urged the government to fast-track investigation into the horrendous murder of Ahmed Suale, a member of the “Tiger Eye” Team, that produced an investigative piece on football corruption in Ghana and other African countries and bring the perpetrator (s) to book.
He urged journalists to make an inventory and take a reflective look at their work over the years, and ensure the requisite adjustment to improve public perceptions about the media.
The celebration, usually marked with symposia, at the International Press Centre in Accra, would be marked at the GBC studios through a virtual platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: GNA
The Volta/Oti Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has donated assorted items to some vulnerable persons at Duta in the Ketu South Municipality to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
The items, including; 50kg bags of rice, 50 bottles of cooking oil, 20 bags of sachet water, 75 pieces of nose masks and 72 bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitisers were given to vulnerable persons identified by the Assembly.
The donation, done on Sunday, May 03 was the Association’s way of marking this year’s World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom around the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of work.
Mr Anthony Bells Kafui Kanyi, Volta/Oti GJA Chairman said the gesture was to support households hard hit by COVID19 restrictions.
“We are here at Duta, the hardest-hit community in the Volta Region by COVID-19 restrictions (border closure) to support you in our own small way. Today is a special day for us and we are here to put a smile on your face,” he said.
Mr Kanyi commended journalists for bracing all odds to provide the public with information and education on COVID19, sometimes without protection and asked that Journalists were respected and their works well valued.
Mr Elliot Edem Agbenorwu, Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South who received the donation for the people, thanked the Association for the gesture.
He called on residents to adhere to preventive protocols to break the chain of the virus spread, while asking journalists to be circumspect in their reportage on myths about the pandemic as that could do more harm than good.
Some residents who spoke to GNA expressed gratitude for the donation and asked God’s blessings for journalists in the Volta and Oti regions.
The outreach by GJA Volta/Oti had support from the Volta Regional Coordinating Council and Honourary members of the Association.
Source: GNA
Samuel Atta Akyea, Minister for Works and Housing says the government will only focus on dredging major drains in Accra prevent floods due to inadequate resources.
The government last month began the dredging of some chocked drains in Accra in anticipation of this year’s heavy downpour.
Many have called on the government to do their best to dredge all the known drains in Accra but Mr Atta Akyea says the limited resources meant they can only focus on dredging major chocked drains.
“When we hinted on the idea that it is capital intensive, the view of cabinet was that we go gingerly because the financial space is small in terms of you looking at Free SHS, Planting for Food and Jobs and other flagship programmes eating up the money. So we are concentrating on dredging the major drains. So it is like your money is small but the work is tall, we have a very good idea to clean up Accra but there aren’t enough funds”
Mr Atta Akyea at a recent press briefing advised Ghanaians especially people in Accra to begin cleaning their gutters as the annual rains have begun.
Anytime it rains in Accra, there are several areas that get flooded to the poor and chocked drainage systems.
It ends up in property destruction, loss of lives and rendering hundreds of people homeless.
Source: New Prime Ghana
Former Deputy General Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDCs), Koku Anyidoho, is bent on exposing top some NDC officials for a wicked plot against him.
According to him, some top persons in the NDC hierarchy are plotting to create fake Facebook accounts to destroy him.
Koku Anyidoho disclosed that he will be doing a press conference very soon to expose the evil deeds of NDC.
“I will be doing a press conference soon to reveal some secrets and evil plot against me,†Koku Anyidoho told Kingdomfmonline.com
“I will be exposing some of the NDC members who have plotted evil things about me and to also disgrace my personality,” he added
He alleged that the people who are conspiring evil against him are the same people who are currently around NDC flagbearer John Mahama.
Source: kingdomfmonline.com