United States
PTF decries continued refusal by hospitals to treat patients for fear of coronavirus
The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 (PTF) has decried the continued refusal by medical institutions including federal tertiary institutions to receive and treat patients for fear COVID-19. PTF lamented that this development has resulted in several unfortunate and avoidable fatalities. Meanwhile, the PTF will conclude its assessment on the impact of the measures put in place and further recommendations would be submitted to the President for a decision within the next seventy hours. Chairman of PTF and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who disclosed this at the daily Press Briefing in Abuja, noted that Nigeria is having more deaths from non-attendance to other diseases than even COVID 19 adding that the reason for the greater emphasis on COVID 19 is ...
US coronavirus death toll hits 100,000, cases now 1.7million
The coronavirus death toll in the United States hit 100,000 on Tuesday. According to renowned data website Worldmeters, the toll hit the mark around 6:00pm Nigerian time. On May 17, the figure reached 90,000; half of the number died in just one month. As at April 19, John Hopkins University and Worldometers, put their individual tallies at 40,000. America is currently the worst-hit country in the world. The U.S. has recorded 1,710,000 cases of coronavirus since the outbreak. Globally, over 5,630,000 cases have been recorded with nearly 350,000 deaths. 2,400,000 patients have recovered. President Donald Trump and his administration’s officials insist that China knows more than it is telling about the virus. The American leader recently suggested that Beijing wanted him lose the presidential...
Javier Tebas: La Liga could return with Sevilla-Betis derby on June 11
La Liga president Javier Tebas is hoping to resume the 2019-20 season on Thursday, June 11 with the Seville derby. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday that the Spanish top flight had been given permission to resume behind closed doors from June 8 following the coronavirus-enforced hiatus in March. Previous reports had suggested the first match would be played on June 12, exactly three months after the suspension started, with Sevilla’s home match against bitter rivals Real Betis said to be the chosen match. While Tebas confirmed the derby to be his desired fixture, he revealed on Sunday that he is hoping to resume a day earlier, with kick-off to be set at 22:00 local time due to the intense heat in Andalusia’s capital. Speaking on the Partidazo show, Tebas said: “The...
292 Nigerian nationals arrive Abuja from Saudi Arabia
The Federal Government on Tuesday received a batch of 292 stranded Nigerians from Saudi Arabia. According to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, the evacuees with a large number of nursing mother and children were flown to Abuja. This is coming after the country successfully evacuated Nigerians from United Arab Emirates (265); United Kingdom (253) and the United States (160). The latest returnees bring to 970 the total number of stranded Nigerians who have been evacuated. Onyeama, via his verified Twitter account, stated that the returnees are doing well and have all settled down in hotels for the mandatory 14-day quarantine. “We received 292 evacuees stranded in Saudi Arabia yesterday. The Saudi Government transported them to Abuja. A large number are nursing mothers and ch...
US coronavirus death toll exceeds 90,000 as Donald Trump urges reopening
The coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 90,000 on Monday as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1.5 million across the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The grim milestones came as President Donald Trump tweeted to “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!” and the White House attempted to shift blame, including onto its own scientists, for the high number of deaths. On Sunday, members of Trump administration disagreed on whether the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) let the country down with testing efforts. “Early on in this crisis, the CDC, which really had the most trusted brand around the world in this space, really let the country down with the testing,” Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, told NBC’s Meet the Press programme....
Iran’s OPEC governor dies of brain haemorrhage
Iran’s OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour-Ardebili has died of a brain haemorrhage two weeks after falling into a coma, the oil ministry said on Saturday. “Kazempour-Ardebili, who had gone into a coma over a brain haemorrhage two weeks ago in a hospital in Tehran, has passed away,” a ministry statement said, without giving further details. He died on Saturday morning aged 68, according to state news agency IRNA. The veteran politician was appointed governor to the OPEC oil cartel in 1985. He had also served as Iran’s ambassador to Japan from 1990 to 1995. Ardebili was a survivor of the 1981 bombing of the Islamic Republic Party headquarters in Tehran which killed 73 top Iranian officials. He was serving as trade minister at the time, appointed the year before. The bombing was blamed on the Pe...
Donald Trump threatens to cut China ties over coronavirus spread
US President Donald Trump threatened to cut ties with China over its role in the spread of the coronavirus, as the global death toll from the disease topped 300,000. Despite fears of a second wave of infections, national and local governments around the world are easing lockdown orders as they try to get stalled economies moving again. But there were warnings Friday that some of the world’s poorest people remain the most vulnerable, with predictions that a quarter of a billion Africans could be infected without urgent action. The nexus of poverty and risk was highlighted by the discovery of cases in the world’s biggest refugee camp, where upwards of a million Rohingya live in squalor. “We are looking at the very real prospect that thousands of people may die from COVID-19” in these camps, ...
Intelsat files for bankruptcy, seeks to restructure
Global satellite operator Intelsat filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday, citing disruption from to its business from the virus pandemic, in a move aimed at restructuring its operations. The filing in the United States (US) bankruptcy court in Virginia listed more than $16 billion in debt. The company said in a statement it was “managing the economic slowdown impacting several of its end markets caused by the COVID-19 global health crisis.” Intelsat said bankruptcy protection would help it restructure its balance sheet as it reorganizes operations, and that business would continue during this process. The company is scheduled to receive $4.87 billion for exiting the C-band required by the US Federal Communications Commission for 5G, or fifth generation wireless networks in the United...
Naomi Osaka using lockdown to conquer inner demons
Two-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is using the novel coronavirus shutdown as one of self reflection to try and overcome her crippling shyness. The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the hiatus will continue until at least mid-July with many countries in lockdown to contain the virus. Japan’s Osaka, who trains in the United States, the country worst affected by the flu-like virus with over 1.4 million infections and more than 83,000 deaths, is taking advantage of the extended break to do some soul searching. “I think people know me as being really shy… I want to take the quarantine time to just think about everything, and for me, I have a lot of regrets before I go to sleep,” Osaka told CNN Sport. Petra Kvitova said last year Osaka would hav...
US stands in solidarity with Nigeria to defeat coronavirus – envoy
Following President Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari on efforts to defeat Covid-19 in Nigeria, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Berth Leonard, has restated the United States government’s promise to stand in solidarity with Nigeria to defeat the deadly virus. Ambassador Berth who said this at a teleconference with journalists, Tuesday May 12, 2020, stated that President Buhari was the first African Head of State that President Donald Trump spoke with on issues concerning the deadly virus that is ravaging the world noting that the US government is very pleased to work with Nigeria to see the end of the pandemic. She also disclosed that about 237 million USD had been expended on Covid-19 activities with Africa continent and about 32.8 million USD already...
19 dead as Iran warship hit by ‘friendly fire’ in tense Gulf
An Iranian warship was hit by a friendly fire missile during naval exercises, killing 19 sailors, state media and the army said Monday, amid tensions with the US in Gulf waters. The incident involving the Konarak vessel occurred on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask, off the southern coast of the Islamic republic, state television said on its website. “The vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target,” said the channel. The armed forces said in a statement that 19 crewmen were killed and 15 injured. It said the Konarak had been involved in an “accident” during the exercises, without elaborating. The vessel had been towed ashore for “technical investigations”, it added, calling on people to “avoid speculatio...
Ex-QPR Star Taraabt Backs Eze To Lead Club To Premier League
Former Queens Park Rangers star Adel Taraabt says he hopes England-born Nigerian midfielder Eberechi Eze will lead the London club back to the Premier League. Eze has been impressive for Queens Park Rangers this season which has seen him been linked with a host of Premier League sides. The 21-year-old has scored 12 goals made eight assists in 39 games in all competitions so far this season for Mark Warburton side. And the 30-year-old Moroccan international, who now plays for Benfica in the Portuguese top flight urged Eze not to lose focus. “I watch him and think he has big potential,” Taarabt told the club website. “I enjoy watching him – he’s physically strong, has a good touch, can score goals. I see him and hope he will one day take QPR to the Premier League – I think he has that abilit...
