The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Germany introduces localised lockdowns to contain COVID-19 outbreaks

    Germany introduces localised lockdowns to contain COVID-19 outbreaks

    Agency Reporter

    Germany on Friday reintroduced coronavirus restrictions on smaller areas.

    The new strategy was announced by federal and regional governments.

    Helge Braun, the government official responsible for overseeing the country’s pandemic response, on Tuesday said Germany is considering local travel bans to curb fresh outbreaks, as the rate of new infections now averages about three per 100,000 inhabitants a week.

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    He added, however, a second wave can be avoided if people respect social distancing rules. Germany’s success in curbing the outbreak was attributed to swift action during the early stages of the pandemic. It has managed the pandemic with less intrusive measures such as closing schools and bars and banning large gatherings.

    Under the new plan, areas with localised coronavirus outbreaks will be closed off more fully, with residents prohibited from travelling beyond their borders. Hotels will also be prohibited from taking in guests from coronavirus “hotspots” who do not have an up-to-date negative coronavirus test.

    The threshold for localised curbs remains at 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over a one-week period, but local authorities can now restrict non-essential travel into and out of affected areas if that rate is reached.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • British Airways retires entire 747 fleet ‘with immediate effect’

    British Airways retires entire 747 fleet ‘with immediate effect’

    Agency Reporter

    British Airways is to retire its fleet of Boeing 747 with immediate effect due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

    The airline has used the craft since July 1989 and is currently the world’s biggest operator of the 747-400 model.

    It was planning to retire the fleet of 31 craft in 2024 but its end has been hastened by coronavirus.

    The company said: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect.

    “It is unlikely our magnificent ‘queen of the skies’ will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic.

    “While the aircraft will always have a special place in our heart, as we head into the future we will be operating more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as our new A350s and 787s, to help us achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

    British Airways operated the plane, powered to a top speed of 614mph by four Rolls Royce engines, to destinations in China, the US, Canada and Africa.

    Read Also: US breaks record with over 77,000 cases of COVID-19 in one day

    UK airlines have struggled to cope with the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus crisis, with easyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all announcing job cuts and reduced operations.

    Meanwhile, demand for air travel will take longer to return to pre-pandemic levels than initially expected, according to the latest industry forecast.

    Trade body ACI Europe, which represents European airports, said it does not expect passenger numbers to recover until 2024, one year later than it predicted in May.

    This comes after figures for June show the increase in air travel following the easing of coronavirus restrictions has been slower than anticipated.

    Passenger traffic across European airports last month was down 93% compared with June 2019.

    This was an improvement on the 98% year-on-year decline recorded in May, but highlights how far the industry has to go to recover from the pandemic.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • US breaks record with over 77,000 cases of COVID-19 in one day

    US breaks record with over 77,000 cases of COVID-19 in one day

    Agency Reporter

    The United States reported a record high of more than 77,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 3,560,364, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

    Meanwhile, the death toll rose by 974, taking the country’s total to 138,201.

    Read Also: British Airways retires entire 747 fleet ‘with immediate effect’

    The state of Florida, which has emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak, reported a record 156 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday with close to 14,000 new cases.

    The United States remains the worst-hit nation in the world in absolute terms.

    Experts have warned that cases could soon top 100,000 a day if the country fails to take steps necessary to stem the spread of the virus.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • 1.3m more Americans file jobless claims in one week

    1.3m more Americans file jobless claims in one week

    Agency Reporter

    No fewer than 1.3 million more American workers filed unemployment claims last week, the U.S. Department of Labour said on Thursday.

    The department said in the latest edition of its weekly job statistics that the current figure was 10,000 less than “the previous week’s revised level”.

    The jobless claims are gradually reducing since their peak of 6.9 milling filings for the week ending on March 28.

    However, they remain historically high at over one million each week for nearly four months or 16 weeks.

    According to the department, no fewer than 17.4 million workers are continually claiming unemployment insurance for the week ending July 4.

    READ ALSO: Hushpuppi denied bail in America

    It said another 14.3 million people were claiming Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) programme, bringing the total number of people on unemployment insurance to 32 million.

    The latest figures came amid debate in the Congress as to whether to extend additional federal jobless benefits beyond their July tenure.

    The government currently pays 600 dollars (N228,000) a week to employed workers, an amount that has helped many struggling to cope.

    The U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs in June in what President Donald Trump described as the largest monthly job gain in U.S. history.

     

    (NAN)

  • COVID-19 vaccine records breakthrough in Oxford human trials

    COVID-19 vaccine records breakthrough in Oxford human trials

    Our Reporter

    A team of UK scientists racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine believe they have made a breakthrough in early trials of a jab which may eventually offer “double protection against the virus.

    Researchers at Oxford University began human trials of a coronavirus vaccine in April. Blood samples taken from the group of 500 UK volunteers who were given a dose of the vaccine developed both antibodies and T-cells in response, according to multiple reports, including the Daily Telegraph .

    T-cells can kill a virus and the cells it has infected, providing an important part of the body’s response to viral infections. The discovery is promising because two recent studies have indicated that antibodies may disappear within weeks or months, while T-cells can stay in circulation in the body for much longer.

    A source told the Telegraph that the combination of T-cells and antibodies would “hopefully keep people safe.”

    A total of 124 coronavirus vaccines are currently in development, with 10 currently being tested in people. But scientists do not yet know whether it is possible for any vaccine to give a user long-term immunity to Covid-19.

    But David Carpenter, chair of the Berkshire Research Ethics Committee, which approved the Oxford trial, told the Telegraph the teams were “absolutely on trackand said the vaccine could be available, if it proves to be effective, as early as September.

    READ ALSO: First COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results – Researchers

    “Nobody can put final dates … things might go wrong but the reality is that by working with a big pharma company, that vaccine could be fairly widely available around September and that is the sort of target they are working on,” he said.

    A bigger trial for the Oxford vaccine of 5,000 volunteers is currently underway in Brazil, and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has signed a contract to mass-produce the vaccine should it prove to be effective.

    The full findings of the first trials for the Oxford vaccine will be published in The Lancet, a medical journal, on July 20, the Telegraph reported.

    Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary, said on Wednesday that the “best-case scenariowas a vaccine being available this year, but that one would more likely be ready by next year.

    “We’re all working towards the best-case scenario, we’re all giving AstraZeneca and the team at Oxford, and the Imperial vaccine, every possible support, we’re working with the other potential vaccines around the world, in America, and Germany, and the Netherlands, he told ITV’s Robert Peston .

    “We’re working with them to ensure that if they come off first, that we’ll get access to them here.
    “But this is an inexact science and it’s at risk.”

    A spokesperson for Oxford University said the full paper setting out their findings will be published in the Lancet on Monday next week.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • Zindzi Mandela dies at 59

    Zindzi Mandela dies at 59

    Agency Reporter

    Tributes poured in torrents on Monday following the death of South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark Zindzi Mandela.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa said her passing was saddening.

    Zindzi died at 59 in a Johannesburg hospital after a short illness. She was Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela’s youngest daughter.

    “Her spirit joins Tata Madiba and Mama Winnie in a reunion of leaders to whom we owe our freedom,’’ Ramaphosa said on Monday.

    Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the Mandela family and the rest of the diplomatic family.

    Read Also: Lagos Assembly member Buraimoh dies at 60, buried

    At the time of her death, Zindzi was designated to become South Africa’s Head of Mission in Monrovia, Liberia.

    She also served as Deputy President of the Soweto Youth Congress and was a member of the Release Mandela Campaign.

    “I offer my deep condolences to the Mandela family as we mourn the passing of a fearless political activist who was a leader in her own right,’’ the president said.

    He said the fact that her death was a few days before Nelson’s birthday which is on July 18 was sad.

    “Our sadness is compounded by this loss being visited upon us just days before the world marks the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela,’’ Ramaphosa said.

    Ramaphosa praised Zindzi’s involvement in the liberation struggle against apartheid.

    “Zindzi Mandela was a household name nationally and internationally, who during our years of struggle brought home the inhumanity of the apartheid system and the unshakeable resolve of our fight for freedom,’’ Ramaphosa said.

    He also applauded for the role she played after the country gained democracy.

    “After our liberation she became an icon of the task we began of transforming our society and stepping into spaces and opportunities that had been denied to generations of South Africans,’’ he said.

  • Over 300 Nigerians evacuated from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia

    Over 300 Nigerians evacuated from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia

    By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

    No fewer than 300 Nigerians stranded in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia were at the weekend evacuated home by the Federal Government.

    The stranded Nigerians were flown home aboard two Boeing 777 aircraft marked with registration number 5N-BWI and 5N- BVE operated by Air Peace.

    The aircraft on departure from Nigeria took along over 200 Indians and other nationals from Malaysia and Singapore.

    Immigration sources said both aircraft ferrying the stranded Nigerians landed at the Abuja and Lagos Airports.

    The excited passengers thanked the government and the carrier for the gesture, saying they had lost hope of returning as no other carrier was ready for the exercise at the prevailing fare.

    Read Also: Nigerian-British professionals plan to address infrastructure deficits

     

    Speaking on the development, Air Peace Chief Operating Officer Mrs. Toyin Olajide thanked the Federal Government for support.

    But, the Federal Government yesterday lauded Air Peace for facilitating the evacuation of 584 Nigerians following its decision to engage another airline when the British government denied it landing right into the Gatwick Airport, London.

    Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hinted that Air Peace had to defray the extra cost for engaging a foreign carrier to ensure that Nigerians were brought back to the country and for this, the Federal Government lauded the airline.

    The ministry, in a letter, with reference number No: MFA/PR/2020/16 and dated July 12, 2020 and titled, “Public Announcement to Change of Departure Date and Airport of Air Peace Evacuation Flights from the United Kingdom,” lauded the airline for the sacrifice it made to ensure that Nigerians returned to the country.

     

  • Mali opposition rejects President’s concessions amid unrest

    Mali opposition rejects President’s concessions amid unrest

    Agency Reporter

    Opposition leaders in Mali have called for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta to resign, after they rejected concessions intended to quell growing unrest.

    About four people were killed during street protests on Friday, and there were further clashes on Saturday.

    It prompted the president to dissolve a top court which has been at the centre of the controversy after it overturned provisional election results in March.

    But a coalition of opposition leaders rejected his proposal shortly after.

    Nouhoum Togo, a spokesman for the M5-RFP group of religious and political leaders which organised recent protests, said “we are not going to accept this nonsense”.

    “We demand his resignation, plain and simple,” he told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

    Opponents are unhappy with President Keïta’s handling of Mali’s long-running jihadist conflict, an economic crisis and the disputed elections.

    Conservative Imam Mahmoud Dicko is leading the new opposition coalition. He has been insisting on further reforms after rejecting earlier concessions from the president, including the formation of a unity government.

    Yesterday, Dicko called for calm and said he would deliver a televised address later in the day.

    “Calm down, please! Calm down,” he said according to the AFP news agency. “We can obtain what we want [through] patience [and] good behaviour.”

    Four people died in Friday’s demonstration in the capital Bamako, authorities say. There were a further four deaths on Saturday.

    As street protests raged on Saturday, the president delivered an evening television address, saying he would dissolve the constitutional court.

    “I have decided to repeal the licences of the remaining members,” he said.

    “This de facto dissolution of the court will enable us… to ask relevant authorities to nominate new members so that the reformed court can quickly help us find solutions to the disputes arising from the legislative elections,” he added.

    President Keïta also suggested that he could agree to re-run some of the disputed parliamentary elections, which is one of the protesters’ demands. This was recommended last month by the West African regional bloc, Ecowas.

    Speaking earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Boubou Cissé said he and the president were open to talks and promised to form an inclusive government “very quickly”.

    The offer of concessions came as the opposition said the security forces had detained two of the protest leaders, Choguel Kokala Maïga and Mountaga Tall. Another protest leader, Issa Kaou Djim, was arrested on Friday.

    The security forces also “came and attacked and ransacked our headquarters”, opposition coalition spokesman Nouhoum Togo said.

    The leader of one of the parties in the opposition coalition, Yeah Samaké, told the BBC that he rejected President Keïta’s offer of concessions and still wanted him to leave power.

    “We are demanding the president to step down because he has failed the people of Mali,” he told the Newshour programme.

  • Elvis Presley’s grandson dies aged 27

    Elvis Presley’s grandson dies aged 27

    Agency Reporter

    A little-known member of one of rock ‘n’ roll music’s royal families, Benjamin Keough, grandson of the late Elvis Presley and only son of the “The King’s” daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, has died aged 27, her spokesman said on Sunday.

    There was no immediate word from authorities on the circumstances or timing of Keough’s death.

    The Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed only that the death of an individual of his name and age was under investigation.

    Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, celebrity news website TMZ said Keough had taken his own life on Sunday in Calabasas, California, a community northwest of Los Angeles. That information could not be independently verified.

    Keough was the younger of the two children Lisa Marie Presley had by her first husband, musician Danny Keough, before their divorce in 1994.

    The other is actress Riley Keough, 31.

    Presley, 52, singer-songwriter in her own right, also has twin 11-year-old daughters with her fourth husband, musician-producer Michael Lockwood, whom she wed in 2006 after two brief marriages, to pop star Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage.

    She is the only offspring of rock pioneer Presley, by his marriage to actress Priscilla Presley.

    Lisa Marie Presley’s only son, who kept a low public profile, bore an uncanny resemblance to his grandfather, widely acclaimed as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” who died in 1977.

    “She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated, but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley,” Roger Widynowksi, a spokesman for Lisa Marie Presley’s manager, said in a statement.

    “She adored that boy. He was the love of her life.”

    Her close relationship to her son, whose middle name was Storm, was reported to have inspired the title track she wrote for her third album, “Storm & Grace,” released in 2012.

    One of the last times he was seen in public with the family, according to TMZ, was during a vigil at Graceland for the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death.

    Benjamin Keough was himself a musician who struck a record deal and had earned a couple of acting credits in his burgeoning career, TMZ added.

    (Reuters/NAN)

  • Nelson Mandela’s daughter Zindzi has died in Johannesburg

    Nelson Mandela’s daughter Zindzi has died in Johannesburg

    Agency Reporter

    Zindziswa “Zindzi” Mandela, the daughter of Nelson Mandela, the late former president of South Africa, has died in Johannesburg.

    Her granddaughter Ndileka Mandela confirmed the information to dpa on Monday.

    According to state broadcaster SABC, the 59-year-old, who was the younger daughter of Nelson Mandela and his second wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, died on Sunday in a Johannesburg hospital.

    READ ALSO: 20 memorable quotes of Nelson Mandela

    The details surrounding her death are not yet known and a statement is expected to be released by the family in due course.

    Mandela was South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark at the time of her death.

    A spokesperson for the ruling African National Congress, the political party which Nelson Mandela led and which won the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, expressed condolences on SABC.

     

    (dpa/NAN)