April 2020

World Faces New 'Great Depression' As Virus Toll Mounts

World Faces New ‘Great Depression’ As Virus Toll Mounts

World powers scrambled on Thursday to build a global response to the human tragedy and once-in-a-century economic collapse caused by the coronavirus epidemic, as the worldwide death toll topped 90,000.

In a locked-down New York, the UN Security Council was to meet on the pandemic for the first time. And, by video conference, EU finance ministers are wrangling over how to bail out their worst hit members Italy and Spain.

The US coronavirus death toll jumped to over 15,774, according to the Johns Hopkins University, with more than 430,000 cases.

New York State had recorded its single day record for …

New Rules Apply As US-Russian Space Crew Blasts Off

New Rules Apply As US-Russian Space Crew Blasts Off

A US-Russian space crew blasted off Thursday to the International Space Station (ISS) following a tight quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos’ Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner lifted off as scheduled at 08:05am GMT from the Russian-operated Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Read Also: US Vice President Gives Deadline To Boeing, SpaceX

Their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft was set to dock at the station six hours later.

Russian space officials have taken extra precautions to protect the crew during training and pre-flight preparations as the coronavirus outbreak has swept the world.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in

Five Rockets Hit US Airbase In Afghanistan

Five Rockets Hit US Airbase In Afghanistan

Five rockets have hit a important US airbase in Afghanistan but there were no casualties, the NATO-led force in Afghanistan has said, in an attack claimed by ISIL (ISIS).

The attack comes weeks after the Taliban and the United States reached a deal on the withdrawal of US-led international troops in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

Read Also: UN Condemns Rocket Attack On Tripoli Hospital

The Afghan affiliate of ISIL, known as the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), have not been included in the pact.

“Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning,” the NATO-led mission, Resolute Support, said

Visa Chinese Workers In The US Are Losing Their Visas

Chinese Workers In The US Are Losing Their Visas

UK Doctor Who Urged PM To Provide Protective Gear Dies

UK Doctor Who Urged PM To Provide Protective Gear Dies

London, United Kingdom – A British doctor who warned United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson that health workers on the front line did not have enough personal protection equipment (PPE) has died of COVID-19.

Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a 53-year-old consultant in the urology department at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Romford, worked for the NHS for more than 20 years after migrating from Bangladesh.

He died on Wednesday aged 53 after spending 15 days in hospital.

Read Also: Coronavirus Plunges World Economy Into Brutal Recession

In a Facebook post on March 18 directly addressing Johnson, Chowdhury urged the prime minister to

Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Top 1.5m

Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Top 1.5m

The United Kingdom reported 881 coronavirus deaths as of 1600 GMT on April 8, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 7,978.

Read Also: Coronavirus Plunges World Economy Into Brutal Recession

The British foreign minister warned that the country hadn’t “yet reached the peak of the virus”.

Meanwhile, Spain reported 683 daily coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours – a lower number of fatalities compared to the previous two days.

For the second straight day, the US recorded nearly 2,000 fatalities.

There are now more than 1.5 million confirmed cases of …

Hundreds Of Migrants Stuck In Sahara Amid Pandemic

Hundreds Of Migrants Stuck In Sahara Amid Pandemic

While countries across Africa have been closing their borders as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, migrants and people on the move are paying a high price.

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of women, men and children have been stuck in Niger, a country that represents a traditional corridor of transit for seasonal labourers from West Africa heading to Libya or Algeria, as well as people hoping to move further to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.

Read Also: Turkey To Stop Migrants Crossing To Greece By Sea

“We’re being overwhelmed by requests of support,” said Barbara

Facebook Expands Information Centre To Nigeria, 16 Others

Facebook Expands Information Centre To Nigeria, 16 Others

Facebook Inc has announced that it would expand its Coronavirus Information Centre to 17 more countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.

Kojo Boakye, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa, who disclosed on Thursday, noted that the information centres form part of Facebook’s effort to help the global fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to him, Facebook will be providing people with the latest news and information from trusted health authorities.

“The COVID-19 Information Centre features at the top of the news feed that provides a central place for people to get informed about the virus.

How Educators Can Stem The Tide Of Cyber-Bullying

How Educators Can Stem The Tide Of Cyber-Bullying

It’s perhaps one of the great paradoxes of our time – the opportunities that technology presents come with complexities that can be difficult to navigate. Nowhere is this more evident than in today’s classrooms. While technology is helping transform the learning experience in profound ways, it can also leave students exposed to significant online risk if the right measures aren’t in place.

A recent survey on online bullying in the Middle East and North Africa revealed the depth of the challenge educators and parents face, highlighting that at least 85 per cent of UAE children have been bullied online.

In …

Coronavirus Outbreak In Spain Now Under Control – Sanchez

Coronavirus Outbreak In Spain Now Under Control – Sanchez

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain has said that the coronavirus outbreak in the country is under control, citing the latest infection figures.

The overall number of coronavirus cases rose by 6,000 to reach 152,000 over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry reported on Thursday after several days of the new infection rate remaining stable.

Since Wednesday, 683 people have died of coronavirus, taking the overall death toll to 15,238. That was slightly lower than the 757 registered the day before.

Sanchez told parliament that a state of emergency that has been in place since March 15, helped quell …

Spate of kidnappings in Kogi reduced – Gov Yahaya Bello

Governor Yahaya Bello Lifts Ban On Religious Gatherings

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has lifted the ban on religious gatherings.

Gov. Yahaya Bello on March 20, ordered the closure of public and private schools (tertiary, secondary and primary) in the state indefinitely as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The governor also banned all gatherings involving 30 people and above.

However, in a statement issued in Lokoja on Thursday, Yahaya Bello said that the lifting of the ban was to enable religious bodies to resume their normal worship and services.

The statement was signed …

No Face Mask, No Shopping In Shoprite

No Face Mask, No Shopping In Shoprite

The Shoprite store in Kwara state has introduced a ‘no face masks, no entry’ policy to customers if they must shop to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who went to the Palms Mall, Ilorin, confirmed the new development.

Read Also: Ondo: Prices Of Facemask, Hand Sanitizers Skyrocket

The correspondent observed that the pharmaceutical made brisk business as shoppers besieged the place to get face masks before they could enter the mall.

The management had also provided hand sanitizers at its main gate for its potential customers and visitors to …