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Activists press Morroco on fate of 39 political prisoners
Associated Press The fate of 39 Saharawi Political Prisoners in Moroccan jail have become the focus of a new regional campaign from African activists who are asking King Mohammed VI of Morocco to release the men for fear of their exposure to the coronavirus disease. The Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara, (NMLWS) issued a statement on Wednesday in Abuja through its Nigerian coordinator, Oladipo Fasina, a philosophy professor and noted advocate for academic freedom. According to the statement, the Saharawi prisoners, held for seeking independence for Africa’s last colony, “are in grave danger of contracting the coronavirus as a result of their underlying health conditions resulting from extreme torture and hunger strike they have undergone as prisoners.” Mr Fasina said, “this arb...
Ten person associated with Lagos House in Marina test positive for coronavirus
Ten person said to have been associated with Lagos State House, Marina, have tested positive for coronavirus and are currently in isolation. The state Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Thursday while giving update on the situation of the pandemic in the state. According to him, the status of the 10 people was discovered just as the third test conducted on the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his wife which came out negative. The commissioner said: “I am glad to announce that #COVID19 Incident Commander, Governor of Lagos State @jidesanwoolu and the First Lady of Lagos @jokesanwoolu have consistently tested negative to #COVID19 following three consecutive tests conducted on them recently. However, 10 persons associated with Lagos State House in Mar...
Nigerian nationals in US now to be evacuated Saturday
Luc Doan/Foursquare The federal government has announced that the evacuation of the first batch of Nigerians from the United States will take place on Saturday, May 9, as against Sunday, May 10, 2020 that was earlier announced. It added that the Ethiopian Airline aircraft would depart Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, on May 9, 2020 at the estimated time of 19:15 hours and arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja on May 10, 2020, at the estimated time of 11:15 hours. The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York in a statement dated May 5, 2020, and made available to journalists on Thursday, added that only 270 passengers would be accommodated in the evacuation batch. It stated categorically that the mission would attend to applicants on a first come, first served basis a...
France using artificial intelligence to check whether people are wearing masks on public transport
France is integrating new AI tools into security cameras in the Paris metro system to check whether passengers are wearing face masks. The software, which has already been deployed elsewhere in the country, began a three-month trial in the central Chatelet-Les Halles station of Paris this week, reports Bloomberg. French startup DatakaLab, which created the program, says the goal is not to identify or punish individuals who don’t wear masks, but to generate anonymous statistical data that will help authorities anticipate future outbreaks of COVID-19. “We are just measuring this one objective,” DatakaLab CEO Xavier Fischer told The Verge. “The goal is just to publish statistics of how many people are wearing masks every day.” The pilot is one of a number of measures cities around the world a...
Will Premier League with no fans be worth the wait?
The Premier League is adamant that it can overcome huge logistical challenges to get players back on the pitch during the coronavirus crisis but has long since accepted there will be no fans in the stadiums. English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke became the latest senior figure to admit this week that social-distancing guidelines make it impossible for supporters to congregate in stadiums “any time soon”. The drive behind the Premier League’s “Project Restart” is the attempt to avoid having to pay back millions in TV revenue. Clubs could reportedly miss out on £762 million ($946 million) for failing to complete this season alone. According to UEFA’s latest European Club Footballing Landscape report, just 13 percent of the Premier League’s revenue comes from gate receipts. Englan...
Electronic music pioneer passes on
Florian Schneider, the co-founder of pioneering German electronic band ”Kraftwerk”, has died of cancer. His death was confirmed by his friend, co-founder of Kraftwerk Ralf Huetter who said he died from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday. Schneider and Huetter founded Kraftwerk in 1970 after meeting at a music academy in Duesseldorf, Germany. They are widely recognised as among the first to popularise electronic music with commercial success. With mesmerising tracks like ”Autobahn”, their work has influenced generations of pop and dance musicians. Kraftwerk has been a major influence for musicians ranging from Detroit techno star Juan Atkins to pop act the Pet Shop Boys and David Bowie. Get more stories like this on Twitter
Nine Premier League clubs to allow stars miss project restart
Up to nine Premier League clubs will let their players skip Project Restart over fears they could infect their families with coronavirus. England’s top division is looking at a return date of June 12 as they attempt to conclude this season. But The Sun have reported that nearly half of the league’s teams have conceded forcing players back into action while the virus is active will be impossible. A source told the publication: “If someone has a partner who’s pregnant, or close family who has cancer, how can we force them to play in those circumstances?” It is understood that teams from across the table are concerned with player safety and one team has told stars they do not have to play. One club who will be without key players should football return is Aston Villa, with manager Dean Smith ...
Lockdown: Anambra lose N1.9 billion internal revenue in six weeks – official
Anambra State Government said it has lost about N1.9 billion from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, in six weeks, due to the lockdown order to contain the dreaded coronavirus pandemic. In a telephone interview with newsmen, on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, on Political Affairs, Chief Ifeato Obi-Okoye, disclosed that the lockdown was not only having an effect on residents but also on government as the generation of revenue was severely affected. According to him, it is not only residents that are running short of their daily incomes also the government has lost lots of revenue too. Although I’m not working in the Anambra State Inland Revenue Service (AIRS), I gave the estimate while speaking with Tribune Online that Anambra state government has l...
Hillard ‘Sweet Pea’ Atkinson, Legendary Vocalist With Was (Not Was), Dies at 74
When Chris Blackwell signed Hillard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson to Island Records, he wanted to do more than just make a solo album for the Was (Not Was) singer. “He wanted to make a comic book where Sweet Pea was the main character,” Don Was tells Billboard, “because he was a larger than life guy — which is how I still think of him. I don’t think of him as a regular human.” Atkinson’s large life came to an end May 5, when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 74 in Los Angeles, where he lived. While Was (Not Was) became Atkinson’s claim to fame, it was also the stepping stone into a career that included two solo albums — Don’t Walk Away in 1982 and 2017’s Get What You Deserve — and membership i...
Ingrooves Expands In Australia and NZ
Ingrooves Music Group, the music marketing services and distribution division of Universal Music Group, is expanding its presence Down Under. Nina Rabe-Cairns is recruited to lead its activities in the region, in the role as Country Manager of Ingrooves Australia and New Zealand, based in Sydney. A former reporter and presenter, Rabe-Cairns joins from Spotify, where she served as market strategy & operations manager for Australia and New Zealand and, earlier, as senior editor/playlist curator. Previously, Rabe-Cairns served in executive roles with Viacom in Berlin, rising to senior brand marketing manager for Nickelodeon. And before that, she was head of content for Viacom’s digital editorial team, working on MTV and Comedy Central. “Nina brings with her a wealth of expertise and deep ...
Almeria centerback confident of breaking into Super Eagles squad
Almeria center back and Nigeria international, Valentine Ozornwafor, has confidently disclosed that he is so sure of making the Super Eagles set up in the nearest foreseeable future. Ozornwafor in a chat noted that the Super Eagles chance is not something to think about too much because his time to become an Eagles regular is closer. “I don’t think about it, I am sure that one day I will play for the Super Eagles, and it is not going to be far from now, all I do now is work hard to making sure it comes to pass,” He said. “Talking about the players there presently, I am not disputing the fact that they are not good, but I am speaking confidently that I know who I am, I know what I am capable of.” Lastly, the on-loan Galatasaray defender, however, admitted that there are many central backs c...
La Liga congratulates Bundesliga ahead football league return
The Spanish La Liga has congratulated Germany’s Bundesliga for announcing its imminent return as Spain’s top-flight stepped up its own comeback preparations. The Bundesliga was given the green light to resume later this month when chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement during a news conference on Wednesday. Strict testing and matchday procedures will be put in place by the German government, with football seemingly set to resume on May 15 having been paused in mid-March. LaLiga outlined its own plan for a staggered return to training on Monday, with teams set to begin individual work this week before gradually moving to group sessions, the ultimate aim being to re-commence the 2019-20 season in June. Spanish clubs began testing players for COVID-19 on Tuesday and LaLiga sees the Bu...
