The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Prominent Chinese Australians express concern about rise in racial abuse amid virus outbreak

    Prominent Chinese Australians express concern about rise in racial abuse amid virus outbreak

    Prominent Chinese Australians are calling for unity and expressing concern about the recent rise in racial abuse targeting the Asian community amid the coronavirus outbreak.

    “We are deeply concerned that the recent rise in anti-Chinese sentiment is driving a marked escalation in racial abuse towards Asian Australians.

    “This poses a serious threat to our national unity,’’ the group of 16 wrote in an open letter dated April 8.

    Leaders from business, science, the arts and entertainment included former ‘Australian of the Year’ John Yu, Chinese Australian Forum president Jason Yat-sen Li, and chef and TV presenter, Adam Liaw.

    “As Australians of Chinese heritage, we have been shocked by footage of the vilification of Asian Australians that have circulated globally across social media with many of the victims targeted because of their Asian appearance,’’ they wrote.

    The group cited an Australian Human Rights Commission February report, stating that one in four people who lodged racial discrimination complaints in the past two months, said they were targeted due to COVID-19.

    READ ALSO: FG protests alleged maltreatment of stranded Nigerians in China

    “Australians are being targeted because of their Asian heritage or appearance and we cannot allow this disturbing trend to continue unchallenged.

    “We ask for fairness in our national debate, our media reporting and in our communities,’’ the group wrote.

    “Chinese and other Asian Australians have been in Australia since the 1800s.

    “They have helped to build this nation, fought for Australia in both World Wars and are deeply loyal citizens.’’

    As Australia battles the virus facing a shortage of personal protective equipment, “Chinese Australians have been sourcing and donating large quantities of medical supplies to Australia, alongside other generous organisations and individuals’’.

    The group also wrote that it was essential that the distrust, disenfranchisement and vilification of Asian Australians not be tolerated at any level.

    “To allow abuse of any group to occur in our current crisis, jeopardises Australia’s social cohesion at the time when we need it most.’’

    (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Germany reports more than 120,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19

    Germany reports more than 120,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19

    Germany has reported 123,016 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday morning, an increase of 2,537 within the past 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control agency.

    The total COVID-19 deaths in the country rose by 126 to 2,799, while a total of 64,300 patients have recovered, an increase of 4,000 from the previous day, according to the agency.

    READ ALSO: Germany to extend social distancing until after Easter

    On Sunday, for the first time in Germany, more people recovered than were recorded as actively infected.

    By Monday morning, the number of recovered overtook that of actively infected by over 8,000.

    (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Alli, Enahoro posthumous presidential pardon excites ex-TUC chief

    Alli, Enahoro posthumous presidential pardon excites ex-TUC chief

    A former President of the Trade Union of Nigeria, Mr Peter Esele, on Monday expressed his delight on the posthumous pardon granted to two prominent Edo citizens by the Federal Government.

    On April 9, President Muhammadu Buhari granted pardons to a former Governor of old Bendel State, Prof. Ambrose Alli and a former leading nationalist, Chief Anthony Enahoro.

    Both were jailed decades ago by the Federal Government for various offences.

    Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, Esele said that the presidential pardon had closed a sad chapter in the lives of Alli and Enahoro.

    According to the unionist, with the presidential pardon, the toga of ex-convict on Alli and Enahoro have been removed permanently.

    Esele said the pardon had cast Buhari as “a leader with humane heart who believes in one Nigeria and who appreciates and rewards Nigerians, who in anyway have contributed to the advancement of the country, whether they are alive or dead.

    “This posthumous pardon to a great son of Esan land in Edo State in particular and Nigeria in general has gone a long way to rekindle our faith in a better Nigeria.

    READ ALSO: Enahoro: Pardoning a ghost

    “I also want to commend Gov. Godwin Obaseki and every other Edo citizen, who ensured that this great desire of the generality of Edo citizens and Esan people in particular was achieved,’’ the APC stalwart said.

    The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had told a news conference in Abuja on April 9 that Buhari had pardoned Alli, Enahoro and two others.

    Aregbesola explained that the presidential pardon to Alli and the others meant that they were never convicted in the first instance.

    The minister said the pardon was based on compassion.

    Alli left office in 1983, retiring to his country home at Emaudo in Ekpoma in present day Esan West Local Government Area of Edo.

    The former governor was later sentenced to 100 years imprisonment by a military tribunal for allegedly misappropriating N983, 000 meant for a road project.

    Enahoro, who was a known activist, dating back to his early days, was said to have had issues from time to time with government, resulting to his imprisonment.

    (NAN)

  • WHO to Nigerians: COVID-19 is not a death sentence

    WHO to Nigerians: COVID-19 is not a death sentence

    By Agency Reporter

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) Office in Nigeria, says Coronavirus (COVID-19) is not a death sentence.

    No fewer than 70 patients had been discharged so far.

    The UN health agency, in its official Twitter account @WHONigeria, commended the country’s  health workers for the feat.

    ”COVID-19 is not a death sentence. Thanks to all the health care workers serving tirelessly to ensure no lives are lost and more people discharged.

    ”Physical distancing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the COVID19,” it tweeted.

    READ ALSO: WHO declares yellow fever outbreak in South Sudan

    The agency also advised people to say no to hugging at Easter and  adopt nodding as a way of greeting.

    ”Avoid hugging, limit close contact with others, especially if they are showing flu-like symptoms,” it said.

    As at 9. 30 p.m. Saturday, April 11, a total of  318 confirmed cases of the pandemic had been recorded in Nigeria, with 10 deaths.

    A total of 19 states currently  have confirmed cases in Nigeria

  • U.S. coronavirus death toll now world’s highest

    U.S. coronavirus death toll now world’s highest

    Our Reporter

    THE United States (U.S.) has overtaken Italy to have the highest COVID-19 death toll in the world, according to data from multiple sources.

    Tallies by Johns Hopkins University, New York Times and Reuters news agency, all show that the country had no fewer than 20,506 COVID-19-related deaths.

    With this, Italy, which used to be top, has fallen one step behind with no fewer than 19,468 deaths as of Saturday afternoon. The U.S., as at yesterday, recorded  535,385 cases and 21,407 deaths.

    On Friday, the U.S. also became the first county in the world to record no fewer than 2,000 deaths in a single day.

    As of Saturday evening, there were no fewer than 528,301 confirmed cases of the deadly virus across the country, according to the New York Times database.

    New York remains the U.S. epicentre with no fewer than 180,458 cases which represents 34 per cent of the total, and 8,627 deaths, representing 42 per cent of the country-wide fatalities.

    New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania and Louisiana follow with no fewer than 20,000 cases each, and 2,183, 1,391, 686, 629, 506 and 806 deaths respectively.

    Public health experts are warning that the U.S. death toll could reach 200,000 over the summer if stay-at-home orders are lifted after 30 days.

    President Donald Trump has always argued that his country is reporting the highest figures because it is conducting more tests than any other in the world.

    Data compiled by Worldometer, a reference website that provides real-time statistics for diverse topics, show that the U.S. had conducted over 2.6 million tests as of Saturday evening.

    Read Also:

    This is twice higher than tests carried out by Germany and Russia, the closest countries with no fewer than 1.3 million and 1.1 million respectively.

    The website has no data on the number of tests conducted by China where the virus broke out in December.

    China’s COVID-19 cases and deaths stood at 8,052 and 3,339 as of Saturday, figures dismissed by U.S. politicians and activists as a downplay.

    The US tax service said on Saturday that the first Covid-19 economic relief payments had been deposited into taxpayers’ bank accounts.

    The payouts are part of the $2.2tn (£1.7tn) stimulus package Congress passed in March to combat the pandemic’s effect on the US economy.

  • UK deaths hit 10,000 as Johnson is discharged from hospital

    UK deaths hit 10,000 as Johnson is discharged from hospital

    THE United Kingdom (UK) has recorded 737 new coronavirus-related hospital deaths, taking the total number to 10,612.

    It comes after one of the government’s senior scientific advisers said the UK is likely to be among the worst-affected European countries.

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock said “today marks a sombre day”, but welcomed efforts people had made to stay at home.

    The number of reported deaths does not include deaths outside of hospitals.

    Also yesterday, Boris Johnson thanked healthcare workers for saving his life after being discharged from hospital.

    Johnson said it “could have gone either way” as he thanked healthcare workers for saving his life after being discharged from hospital.

    Johnson, 55, was taken to London’s St Thomas’ Hospital on Sunday – 10 days after testing positive for Covid-19.

    He spent three nights in intensive care before returning to a ward on Thursday.

    He said in a video on Twitter that he had witnessed the “personal courage” of hospital staff on the front line.

    Johnson said two nurses – Jenny from New Zealand and Luis from Portugal – stood by his bedside for 48 hours at the most critical time and named several other hospital workers who cared for him this past week that he wanted to thank.

    He said NHS workers “kept putting themselves in harm’s way, kept risking this deadly virus”.

    “It is thanks to that courage, that devotion, that duty and that love that our NHS has been unbeatable,” he said.

    Hancock told the daily news briefing: “Today marks a sombre day in the impact of this disease as we join the list of countries that have seen more than 10,000 deaths related to coronavirus.

    “The fact that over 10,000 people have now lost their lives to this invisible killer demonstrates just how serious this coronavirus is and why the national effort that everyone is engaged in is so important.”

    Speaking about those who have lost their lives to Covid-19, Mr. Hancock said: “Their grief is our grief and their stories will not be forgotten.”

    Read Also: British PM Boris Johnson ‘discharged from hospital’

    He also congratulated the British public for “rising to this challenge” of staying at home.

    “Your steadfast commitment to following these social distancing rules is making a difference,” he added.

    The UK is likely to be among the European countries worst affected by coronavirus, one of the government’s senior scientific advisers has said.

    The warning from Sir Jeremy Farrar comes as UK hospital deaths are set to pass 10,000 yesterday.

     

     

     

  • Turkey records COVID-19 fastest infection rate

    Turkey records COVID-19 fastest infection rate

    Our Reporter

    Turkey’s novel coronavirus cases came late, but once they started, they rose quicker than anywhere else in the world.

    Less than a month ago, the nation of 80 million people didn’t have a single reported case.

    Three days ago (April 10) Turkey had 42,282 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 908 deaths. There are fears it could be the next pandemic hotspot as the infections increase by 3,000 every day.

    Turkey has imposed restrictions like closing schools, universities, and cafes, and stopping prayers, and halting flights to particular countries. But the restrictions have been incremental, and even with cases continuing to rise, a nationwide lockdown has not been imposed.

    It has a booming tourism industry with about 50 million visitors in 2019.

    Read Also: How I caught COVID-19, by US-based Nigerian doctor

    It already has high unemployment, inflation, and the looming possibility of a recession due to a massive fall in its currency in 2018.

    The country also had a weakened healthcare sector. After a failed coup in 2016, Turkey’s government blacklisted about 15,000 health care workers, as well as a coronavirus expert named Mustafa Ulasli, who was allegedly linked to the coup.

  • US announces arrest in multimillion-dollar COVID-19 fraud

    US announces arrest in multimillion-dollar COVID-19 fraud

    Our Reporter

    The police in the United States have arrested a Georgia man for allegedly trying to defraud the Veterans Affairs Department of millions of dollars, in one of the first big coronavirus related fraud cases brought by the Justice Department’s new Covid-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging task force.

    Christopher Parris allegedly told the VA he had 125 million 3M masks and would sell them for $6.45 each.

    However, the equipment for sale did not exist, and the exchange would have totaled over $750 million.

    The masks are typically sold for $.60 to $1.20 each.

    Parris is accused of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to “obtain large upfront payments for scarce PPE that Parris knows he cannot fully obtain or deliver,” according to a Justice Department affidavit supporting the complaint.

    An official said the DOJ was still investigating.

  • Italy, India extend lockdown

    Italy, India extend lockdown

    Our Reporter

    Italy has extended its Coronavirus lockdown until May 3, rejecting calls by business leaders to allow a gradual restart of the economy.

    India has also done same but with no indication of the duration of the extension.

    Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the restrictive measures “are bearing fruit” hence the need to extend the lockdown.

    “If we yield now we would risk, as our experts tell us, losing all the positive results we have achieved so far,” he told reporters.

    With a ban on non-essential business crippling Europe’s weakest major economy, Conte said he was giving a limited range of business and shops a waiver to resume activity.

    He held out the prospect of a gradual restart of normal life after May 3, though strict health protocols would remain in force.

    Conte named Vittorio Colao, former chief executive officer of Vodafone Group Plc, to head a task force that will help map Italy’s exit from the lockdown. The country “can’t wait for the virus to disappear completely,” Conte said.

    India also extends

    The chief Minister of Delhi State Arvind Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided that the extension was inevitable if the spread of the coronavirus must be curbed.

    But Kerjriwal did not disclose how long the extension would last.

    Modi had earlier yesterday held a video conference call with several state ministers to decide on the future course as the original 21-day lockdown ends on Tuesday.

    “Today, India’s position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost,” Kejriwal said on Twitter.

    The number of coronavirus infections in India rose to 7,447 yesterday, with the capital city New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai fast emerging as hotspots. There have been 239 deaths.

    Several states had urged Modi to extend the lockdown, even amid rising concerns that the restrictions have put millions of poor people out of work and forced an exodus of migrant workers from cities to villages.

  • Coronavirus vaccine may be ready by September, says scientist

    Coronavirus vaccine may be ready by September, says scientist

    Our Reporter

    A Vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready within the next five months, according to an Oxford University professor.

    Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology is “80% confident” that the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by her team will work.

    Her team is one of the many across the world working round the clock to find a vaccine for coronavirus which has killed more than 100,000 people around the world.

    Professor Gilbert has said that human trials are set to take place within the next fortnight, and that she has been working seven days a week to get a vaccine rushed through.

    Read Also: COVID-19: Churches must help the needy, says C&S leader

    The London Times quoted her as saying  “there’s a high chance that it will work based on other things that we have done with this type of vaccine.

    “It’s not just a hunch and as every week goes by we have more data to look at. I would go for 80%, that’s my personal view.”

    The UK has pumped £210m into an international fund for a vaccine.