CORONAVIRUS: LAGOS BATTLES MASKS, SANITIZER SHORTAGE AMID PRICE HIKE

Credit: Abdur Rahman

Face masks and hand sanitizers have become hot commodities especially in Nigeria’s commercial city of Lagos. The mega-city this week recorded sub-Saharan Africa’s first case of the raging COVID-19 infection known popularly as coronavirus.

An Italian who arrived in the country aboard a Turkish Airlines flight was the patient who has since been quarantined as officials work to trace all possible contacts.

The privately-owned Cable newspaper reported that multiple pharmacies in Lagos had hiked the prices of the commodities or reported having run out of stock. Many people have already started wearing face masks and using sanitizers actively.

I think we need more enlightenment. We have an index case in Nigeria but it hasn’t gotten to the stage where everybody needs to start wearing face masks all over the place. I think people need to be more educated about the issue.

A number of residents blamed the pharmacies for seeking to profiteer from the situation by faking shortage of stock. On the other hand, some pharmacists are insisting that stocks have run out because of a spike in demand starting Friday.

But the Cable cited a medical doctor in its report who said there was no need for people to be hankering for these commodities. He said the reaction was, however, to be expected.

According to Olusegun Bankole, of Alimosho General Hospital in Lagos, those who have been confirmed to be infected with the virus, as well as those close to such persons, should be the ones using face masks, not the entire population.

“I think we need more enlightenment. We have an index case in Nigeria but it hasn’t gotten to the stage where everybody needs to start wearing face masks all over the place. I think the people need to be more educated about the issue,” he told TheCable.

“It is people who have respiratory tract infections or who have been confirmed to have the virus that needs face masks so as to prevent the spread to people around them. Those taking care of such people or staying close to them also need to wear face masks like to prevent the virus from getting into their respiratory system. But for the rest of us (Nigerians), I don’t think it is necessary.

“It hasn’t gotten to that stage in Nigeria, so this is just a panic buying. If you go to pharmaceuticals these days, you won’t even see sanitizers anymore and even where they are available, they are very expensive.

“It’s like a case of demand and supply in economics, when there is a sudden stampede or demand for a product or service, like we have for face masks now, naturally, some people will cash in on that and start making a business out of it,” he stressed.

Credit: Abdur Rahman

CORONAVIRUS: JUVENTUS V INTER MILAN AMONG FIVE SERIE A MATCHES POSTPONED

Credit: Getty Images

Five Serie A matches this weekend have been postponed because of coronavirus, including Juventus' game at home to Inter Milan.

Matches at Udinese, AC Milan, Parma, and Sassuolo have also fallen victim to the outbreak of the virus in Italy.

The games were initially going to be played behind closed doors, but Serie A took the decision on Saturday morning to call them off.

All five fixtures have been rescheduled for Wednesday, 13 May.

As a consequence, the Coppa Italia final, which was scheduled for the same day, has been moved to the following week on Wednesday, 20 May - four days before the end of the domestic season.

Doubts over Euro 2020, World Cup & Olympics qualifiers

UAE Tour canceled over coronavirus

Coronavirus' impact on sport - timeline

Coronavirus and sport - what next?

What is coronavirus?

Four of this weekend's five postponed fixtures were due to take place on Sunday with the match at Udinese due to kick off on Saturday at 17:00 GMT.

Italy has put towns in the north into lockdown after more than 300 people were infected, 12 of whom have died.

It follows last weekend's disruption when four Serie A games in Milan, Bergamo, Verona, and Turin were suspended and Serie B side Cremonese drove 300 miles to Ascoli, only to be sent home upon arrival.

Then on Thursday, Inter Milan's Europa League victory over Ludogorets was played behind closed doors at San Siro Stadium.

This weekend's games at Lazio, Napoli, Lecce, and Cagliari will go ahead with supporters as normal, but Sampdoria's match on Monday is yet to be decided upon.

Victory for Lazio against Bologna would move them to the top of the table, two points above defending champions Juve, who have won the last eight titles.

On Saturday, France announced a ban on indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people to prevent the spread of the virus and Sunday's Paris half-marathon was canceled - but football matches were not affected.

Serie A matches postponed: Juventus v Inter Milan, Udinese v Fiorentina, AC Milan v Genoa, Parma v Spal, Sassuolo v Brescia

Serie A matches to be played with fans: Lazio v Bologna (Sat, 14:00 GMT), Napoli v Torino (Sat, 19:45), Lecce v Atalanta (Sun, 14:00), Cagliari v Roma (Sun, 17:00)

Still to be decided: Sampdoria v Hellas Verona (Mon, 19:45)

Has coronavirus affected the Premier League?

Newcastle and West Ham both announced on Friday that handshakes had been banned between players at training, on the advice of their medical teams.

But all teams took part in the pre-match handshakes before Saturday's kick-offs in the Premier League.

Southampton boss Ralph Hassenhuttl did say the club had told players not to sign autographs for fans.

"I still hope this virus will not be that big. You have to keep your hands clean and try to avoid contact. Let autographs go," he said after Saints lost at West Ham.

Credit: BBC

WATFORD 3 . 0 LIVERPOOL. LIVERPOOL'S HOPES OF REMAINING UNBEATEN FOR AN ENTIRE PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON WERE ENDED IN SENSATIONAL STYLE BY A RAMPANT WATFORD AT VICARAGE ROAD.

Credit: REUTTERS

Ismaila Sarr scored twice while captain Troy Deeney added a third in a sparkling second-half display from the hosts as Liverpool's run of victories was brought to a shuddering halt.

The Reds had won their past 18 Premier League games and another at Vicarage Road would have made history as the longest winning run in the English top flight.

But they never got going against a Watford side who were superb from start to finish and who move out of the relegation zone as a result.

The Hornets had more chances in the first half and only a superb save from Alisson, to deny Troy Deeney, prevented them from leading at the break.

However, Watford deservedly went in front when Abdoulaye Doucoure squeezed a cross in from the left and the impressive Sarr was there to stab in.

Liverpool had fallen behind against West Ham last week but still managed to grind out a win. However, there was a feeling that this time was different, with the Reds sloppy in possession and lacking bite in attack.

It was no surprise that Watford doubled their advantage. Sarr was put through on goal by Will Hughes and the winger calmly lifted the ball over Alisson and into the net.

Captain Deeney then completed a famous victory, curling into the back of the net from the edge of the area.

This is not a result that is going to halt Liverpool's title charge with the Reds 22 points clear at the top but it was nevertheless an unexpected and memorable result for Watford.

Many had arrived at Vicarage Road expecting to see Liverpool make history by winning in the league for the 19th game in a row.

Indeed, such was the level of expectation that press accreditation for the game had been oversubscribed, with hundreds of media outlets keen to cover a moment in English football history.

But Watford were clearly not reading from the same script.

A superb run of four wins in five games at the start of Nigel Pearson's reign had lifted them up from the foot of the table and out of the relegation zone but five games without victory prior to the visit of Liverpool had dropped them back into trouble.

Despite the recent poor run of results, performances had still been good and they were boosted for this game by the return from injury of Sarr.

The winger has been a real creative spark for the Hornets this season, and he was a menace from the outset, taking advantage of the surprising amount of space he was afforded on the wing to deliver a number of dangerous crosses.

His pace and trickery unsettled the Reds, who were unable to handle him and both his goals were taken with an assured calmness.

If he can remain fit for the remaining 10 games of the season then Watford have a real chance of retaining their Premier League status.

There is no getting away from the fact that Liverpool have been simply sensational this season and the only surprise is that they have been able to maintain a consistent level of brilliance for so long.

Recent performances have not been quite at the level they have been capable of, losing to a resilient Atletico Madrid in the Champions League before scraping past West Ham last week.

The Hammers showed that if teams attack the Reds defence then they stand a better chance of upsetting them and that was the case on Saturday as they struggled to deal with the Hornets' high press.

A couple of wayward clearances from Alisson early on, when the Liverpool goalkeeper was under pressure, provided a hint of what was to come.

The defensive pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren also looked vulnerable, certainly in comparison to the seemingly impenetrable Van Dijk-Joe Gomez partnership, with Gomez out because of a fitness issue.

It was an off day for the Reds and one that may provide them with renewed spirit to finish off in style what is sure to be a title-winning campaign but we should take nothing away from what was an excellent display by Watford.

Man of the match - Ismaila Sarr (Watford)

Credit: Gary Rose

CHASING AFRICAN CITIZENSHIP: Anthony Joshua, Cardi B, Ludacris, Idris Elba, Tiffany Haddish

Credit: Anthony Joshua, Cardi B, Ludacris, Idris Elba, Tiffany Haddish.

Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B is the latest icon to share the excitement at the possibility of having citizenship of an African country, using social media to let her fans know that she’s ‘filing for Nigerian citizenship’.

Several other stars including British actor Idris Elba and American rapper Ludacris have recently been granted citizenship in Sierra Leone and Gabon respectively.

In this article, we explore the pride of citizenship of African nations from the perspective of celebrated icons.

Anthony Joshua’s Nigerian credentials

Nigerian immigration authorities on Wednesday posted images of British-born boxer Anthony Joshua registering for an identification number.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) issued Joshua who is of Nigerian descent with a National Identification Number (NIN) slip after registration.

The NIN is an eleven-digit number that is issued to Nigerians for identification and consolidation of personal documents.

Credit: The National Identity Management Commission

Cardi B as Chioma in Nigeria

Cardi B, who recently visited Nigeria and Ghana Two months ago as part of her African tour, announced her Nigerian citizenship desires following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and sent Middle East tensions soaring.

“Its sad this man is putting Americans live in danger. Dumbest move Trump did to date … I’m filing for my Nigerian citizenship,” she tweeted on Friday.

This week she asked fans to weigh in on whether her Nigerian name should be CHIOMA B or Cadijat.

Cardi B, who was born Belcalis Almanzar, is of Afro-Caribbean descent, tracing her roots to Trinidad and the Dominican Republic.

It was not immediately clear how the rapper might acquire citizenship in Nigeria.

Gabon’s Ludacris

Fellow rapper Ludacris recently acquired citizenship in Gabon after marrying a woman from the Central African nation.

Ludacris is married to Eudoxie Mbouguiengue, a 33-year-old model who spent most of her childhood days in the French-speaking country before moving to the United States. Her father is American while her mother is Gabonese.

Elba traces father’s roots in Sierra Leone

British actor Idris Elba was last month given a passport from Sierra Leone, his late father’s birthplace.

“I’m no stranger to Africa: I’ve been to Africa, I’ve made films in Africa, I’ve championed Africa. But Sierra Leone, it’s a very different feeling because it’s my parent’s home,’‘ Elba said.

Eritrea’s Tiffany Haddish

In May, American author and comedian Tiffany Haddish were granted Eritrean citizenship during a visit to join in the 28th independence anniversary celebrations.

“Signing those papers and getting the validation meant the world to me. That is something my father wanted,’‘ Tiffany told the information ministry’s news outlet.

Credit: Africanews.

https://zikkyzhints.blogspot.com/

Namibia has become the first African country to export red meat to the United States, following nearly two decades of negotiations.

The state-owned meat firm Meatco sent a shipment of 25 tonnes of beef to Philadelphia on Wednesday, and the Southern African nation is set to export 860 tonnes of various beef cuts in 2020 to the United States, rising to 5,000 tonnes by 2025.

“We’re able to finally export meat to the lucrative and big U.S. market,” Namibia’s minister of international relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said.

The United States is the world’s biggest red meat consumer as Americans consume on average 120 kgs of meat per person, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Namibia’s first commercial consignment came after samples were sent in the past 24 months to U.S. laboratories for tests. Negotiations over safety regulations and logistics have spanned 18 years.

Under the deal, exports will include boneless, raw beef cuts in frozen or chilled form.

“Namibia will benefit economically from tapping into the largest consumer market with the purchasing power of $13 trillion, and U.S. consumers will benefit from access to Namibia’s high-quality, free-range, grass-fed beef,” U.S. ambassador to Namibia, Lisa Johnson, said.

In 2019, Namibia exported about 12,400 metric tonnes of meat to Norway, Britain, the European Union, and Chinese markets.

Agriculture contributes about 5% to Namibia’s economy but farming including cattle raising contributes to nearly two-thirds of the population’s income.

Namibia’s exports will also benefit from a duty-free regime under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Africanews

BREAKING!!! CORONAVIRUS has killed around 50 people in Qom, IRAN

Credit: Aljazeera

Coronavirus has killed around 50 people in Qom, the Iranian city's representative in parliament said, according to the semi-official ILNA news agency.

The comments by MP Ahmad Amirabadi Farhani suggest that coronavirus is far more widespread in Iran than previously thought. The Iranian government announced on Monday morning that the total stood at 12 in the entire country, raising questions over its reporting of the crisis. Iran's Health Ministry rejected the number on Monday afternoon.

“Up until last night, around 50 people died from coronavirus. The health minister is to blame,” Amirabadi Farhani said on Monday.

Ten people die in Qom daily due to the coronavirus outbreak in the city, he added.

In response, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi denied the figures and said he would resign if Amirabadi Farhani's numbers were correct. “If the number of coronavirus victims in Qom is a quarter of what media outlets are reporting, I will resign. The figure is incorrect, and we are sure of our statistics,” he said.

However, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianush Jahanpour rapidly revised the total up on Monday, saying there are now 61 confirmed cases in the country.

Amirabadi Farhani also criticized the government's efforts to control the virus. “Qom is in a poor state and the government has been unsuccessful in controlling the coronavirus outbreak,” he said.

The government is not “worried enough” about the outbreak, he added, stating: “It is true that we should keep calm, but we must not act as nothing has happened.”

He added that coronavirus has been in Qom for three weeks already, but nurses were still unprepared.

The MP himself was forced to leave the parliament due to feeling unwell, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, citing another MP.

The Iranian parliament held a session behind closed doors today which was also attended by health minister Saeed Namaki.

Prior to the start of the session, the body temperature of MPs was checked as a precaution, and three MPs – including Amirabadi Farhani – were advised not to attend the session, ISNA quoted an unnamed MP as saying.

Despite that, all three MPs attended the session, the unnamed MP told ISNA.

Amirabadi Farhani was told that he needs to be quarantined, but he declined and went home, the MP added. A member of the parliament staff then disinfected his seat, according to ISNA.

Amirabadi Farhani spoke with journalists today and gave exclusive interviews to several TV channels, ISNA said, adding that the MP was wearing a mask and a pair of gloves.  

Credit: New York Post

KEMI OLUNLOYO'S SON BEING IMPERSONATED ON INSTAGRAM BY HER SISTER,FUNKE OLUNLOYO.

Credits: Funke Olunloyo, Kemi Olunloyo and Mrs Funlayo Olunloyo

Speaking exclusively to Dr. Kemi Olunloyo, Kemi disclosed that her own sister Funke Olunloyo has also started impersonating her children on social media just like she allegedly wrote Premium times a letter stating Kemi was disowned by their father, a letter their father denied writing.

Kemi emphasized none of her children are on Instagram except RichKJT. Her oldest two children are never fans of Instangram.

Speaking exclusively to Dr. Kemi Olunloyo, the investigative Journalist and her son Robert Ogunade Disclosed that Funke Olunloyo has been impersonating her son on a cloned Instagram page saying that her son's Facebook post about Transit and cosplay was used to build a fake Instagram page

She also went further to say that Janet Edem who is the housemaid of Funke made the so-called birthday post calling her a whore and Nigerians filthy, she also said that Funke's goal is to continue to make Nigerian's hate her and her children,

A similar post went viral on her 55th Birthday which Dr. Kemi ignored. She continues to ask Nigerians to beware of her sister and mother.

Dr. Kemi Olunloyo went further to express her pain and bitterness over such post which cost her a lot of opportunities, Endorsement, Contracts as well as Government jobs.

News was also reposted on Instablog9ja.

Credit: Dr Kemi Olunloyo

BREAKING: Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi suspended for six months

Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers has suspended the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, for six months.

Oba Akanbi was found guilty of assault by the committee set up by the council of Obas following his encounter with another Oba within Iwoland.

Image result for BREAKING: Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi suspended for six months

A committee headed by Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun, was also constituted by the council to further investigate the matter involving Oluwo and Obas in Iwo land.

The royal fathers at their emergency meeting held at Osun State Government Secretariat, Abere, presided over by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, arrived at the decision to suspend Oba Akanbi.

Credit @TVC

NIGERIANS REACT AS ANTHONY JOSHUA ENROLS FOR NATIONAL ID

Heavyweight champion Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua has enrolled for his National Identification Number (NIN) at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

NIMC tweeted this on Tuesday with photos showing Anthony Joshua being registered.

Reacting to the tweet, Nigerians took to twitter to express their displeasure with complications involved in enrolling for the NIN.

They called on NIMC to make the process easier for everyone like they did for Anthony Joshua.

                                  Credit @Dorcas Daniels

U.S. RAPPER LIL WAYNE REVEALS THAT HE'S 53% NIGERIAN

Photo Credit @Ramona Rosales

Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne told Revolt TV in an interview that he was 53% Nigerian, following an ancestry test and said he intends visiting the West African country. Responding to the rapper's disclosure on Twitter, the chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri, said Lil Wayne is welcome to visit anytime

Credit @Premium Times

AFRICA QUALIFIERS FOR 2020 WORLD CUP: SECOND-ROUND GROUP PAIRINGS

                                   Credit @Fifa



The Nile Ritz-Carlton hotel located in Egypt’s capital Cairo hosted the high and mighty in African football when the second-round draw for African World Cup 2022 qualifiers was held on Tuesday, January 21.

Africa’s race to elect representatives for the next World Cup now enters the second-round with today’s draw. Forty teams were pooled into 10 groups of four after the draw. This qualifying phase starts in March 2020 and comes to an end in October 2021. Ten teams will make it after this stage.

For the third and final round, the ten group winners will be drawn into five two-legged knockout ties to be played in November 2021.


The forty teams pooled today comprised – the 14 winners of the first-round of qualifiers. They were joined by the 26 highest African nations in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking (as of December 2019). Only the section winners advance to the third round and final round.



How the groups played out
GROUP A
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Niger
Djibouti

GROUP B
Tunisia
Zambia
Mauritania
Equatorial Guinea

GROUP C
Nigeria
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Liberia

GROUP D
Cameroon
Ivory Coast
Mozambique
Malawi

GROUP E
Mali
Uganda
Kenya
Rwanda

GROUP F
Egypt
Gabon
Libya
Angola

GROUP G
Ghana
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Ethiopia

GROUP H
Senegal
Congo
Namibia
Togo

GROUP I
Morocco
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Sudan

GROUP J
DR Congo
Benin
Madagascar
Tanzania.

DEONTAY, FURY DEAR UP FOR REMATCH SATURDAY

The much-awaited rematch between two heavyweight champions will come off in Las Vegas, United States this Saturday.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are gearing up for this highly anticipated bout.

“This is the biggest fight in the last 50 years in heavyweight division so both men are putting it on the line and the fans are the only winners here on that Saturday night because we both have a lot to lose. We’re gonna put on an entertaining fight and may the best man win.” Reporter: “Are you still sticking by (your predicion of a) 2nd round knockout?” Fury: “One hundred percent, second round, two rounds”, Fury said.

Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title will be on the line. The champ is assuring fans of an amazing fight.

“This is living witness that things can happen, people can come together and make the best fights happen for the fans to see because that’s the only way we’ll really truly know who is the best in the division and as a heavyweight and it (heavyweight division) was down so many years and now it’s on fire, it’s an amazing feeling just to be a heavyweight right now, but it’s amazing just to put aside all the egos all the politics all the things that’s involved in boxing from not making fight happen, and we can finally come together, and eat at the dinner table together, and give the fans an amazing fight”, Wilder said.

The two fought to a draw in December 2018.

Fury is the lineal heavyweight champ of the world. Wilder is undefeated at 42-0 with one draw. Forty-one of his wins came by knockout.

Fury will step into the ring with a match record of 29-0, also with one draw.

He has recorded knockouts in 20 of his ring wins.

Credit @cnet

CHURCH LEADERS IN EASTERN AFRICA CALL FOR URGENT ACTION ON DEVASTATING LOCUST INVASION

Credit @World Council of Churches

Church leaders in eastern Africa are calling for increased action against desert locusts which have terrorised the region since January this year.

Like scenes from the Book of Exodus, huge swarms of the insects have descended on the region, destroying farmlands and animal pastures. The outbreak is affecting seven East African countries, where such a scale of infestation was last seen seven decades ago. At stake is food security for millions of people.

“They are threatening livelihoods. They are clearing vegetation. The people’s food security is in danger. We are calling on the government and those concerned agencies to increase their effort to curb the problem,” said Kenya’s Anglican Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit. “We can see from the way it’s developing, it’s going to be difficult…to fight it alone. I urge the international community within Africa and outside to join hands so that we can repulse the locusts.”

The locusts were first seen in Kenya in December after they made landfall in Wajir County, northeast of Somalia. Another swarm also entered the country from Ethiopia. The hoppers have since spread in 17 Kenyan counties. Last week, a locust invasion near a church in Embu central forced a suspension of a service, as a congregation walked out to chase away the insects.

“They are spraying them, but the eggs the insects laid continue to hatch,” said Jacob Nzoka, a Caritas official in the Catholic diocese of Kitui, a locust hit area.

On 17 February, the locusts spread to South Sudan – the world’s youngest nation – where millions are facing hunger, partly due to climate change and prolonged conflict. The Food and Agricultural Organization said an estimated 2,000 adult locusts entered the country through Uganda.

“Even before we can resolve our political issues of peace and the formation of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity, South Sudan is now experiencing the invasion of locusts,” said Fr James Oyet Latansio, a Roman Catholic priest who is general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches. “People are now crying and calling for God’s intervention.”

An estimated six million South Sudanese people face severe food insecurity and are in need of humanitarian aid, according to humanitarian agencies.

Save the Children warned that without coordinated preparedness and control measures for locusts, as well as an increase in funding surveillance and community mobilisation, the locusts could contribute to a further drop in nutrition levels.

According to scientists, although the insects are called desert locusts, they thrive after heavy rainfall which results in more vegetation in deserts and arid areas. Since last year, eastern Africa has experienced heavy rainfall linked to a condition called Indian Ocean Dipol, a  warming of the sea surface resulting in increased rainfall.

Credit:APO Group on behalf of World Council of Churches (WCC).

TOKOYO OLYMPICS 2020: LONDON CAN HOST GAMES IF MOVED OVER CORONOVIRUS, SAYS MAYOR CANDIDATE SHAUN BAILEY

Credit @The Tokyo 2020 Logo. AP Photo

Tokyo: London would be ready to host the 2020 Olympics if the outbreak of the coronavirus forced the Games to be moved from Tokyo, Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate for mayor of the British capital, has said.

Tokyo organisers have set up a task force to coordinate with public health authorities on how to respond to the epidemic, while the International Olympic Committee has said it had been advised by the World Health Organization that there is no case for contingency plans to cancel or relocate the Games.The flu-like virus, which has killed more than 2,000 people in China and infected over 74,000 globally, has had a major impact on the sporting calendar in Asia with a host of events being cancelled and postponed.

In Japan, hundreds have been infected by the virus with two deaths confirmed on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Yokohama port, sparking concerns that the world’s top sporting event may not take place.

With London having hosted the 2012 Games, Bailey said it was well placed to step in for Tokyo if needed.

“We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up,” he said on Twitter.

“London can host the #Olympics in 2020”.

His comments, carried by several major Japanese media outlets, became a top trending topic on Twitter in the country with nearly 50,000 tweets on the subject.

“How dare you! Don’t deprive the Olympics from Japan! In the first place, the UK didn’t take any remedies for the “Diamond Princess” owned by your country!” Twitter user @Gelsomi47388050 said in English.

The Diamond Princess is a UK flagged vessel owned by Carnival Corp.

Another user said London would be the best back-up option.

“Probably the only major city that could, facilities, hotels etc all ready & the weather would be more conducive to both competitions/ spectators than Tokyo,” @twose_brian also tweeted in English in reply to Bailey, tagging #LondonOlympics2020.

The Tokyo 2020 organising committee did not comment on Bailey’s remarks. It said in an e-mailed statement that they were taking the necessary steps over the coronavirus.

“Tokyo 2020 will continue to collaborate with all relevant organisations which carefully monitor any incidence of infectious diseases and we will review any countermeasures that may be necessary with all relevant organisations,” it said.

Bailey was not reachable for comment.

Credit @Firstport

HANAU SHOOTING: TOLL RISES TO 9 AFTER GUNMAN ATTACKS TWO HOOKAH LOUNGES IN GERMANY;SUSPECT FOUND DEAD AT HIS RESIDENCE

                               Credit @Firstpost Hanau AP

Hanau: A man suspected of fatally shooting nine people in the German city of Hanau was found dead at his home early Thursday, hours after the attacks in and outside two hookah lounges, police said. Officers also found another body at the same address, police said.

Police gave no details of the suspected gunman but said: “there are currently no indications of further perpetrators.” They did not give details of his possible motive or how he died, or specify why they believe “with a high degree of probability” that he was the assailant.

The number of dead in the shootings Wednesday evening rose to nine, a police statement said.

 Hanau shooting: Toll rises to 9 after gunman attacks two hookah lounges in Germany; suspect found dead at his residence
A police officer stands guard near the scene in front of a restaurant after a shooting in central Hanau. AP
German news agency DPA reported, citing unnamed security officials, that a written claim of responsibility and a video were found and are being examined by police.

Henry Faltin, a spokesman for police in southeastern Hesse state, where Hanau is located, declined to comment on the DPA report or a report by daily Bild that ammunition was also found in the suspect's vehicle.

Officers sealed off and searched the apartment in Hanau's Kesselstadt district, near the scene of one of the shootings, after following up witness statements on a getaway car. Police said work to confirm the identities of the two bodies at the home was still underway, and they couldn't immediately give details either on them or the identities of the victims of the earlier shootings.

“Thoughts this morning are with the people of Hanau, in whose midst this terrible crime was committed,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said on Twitter.

“Deep sympathy for the affected families, who are grieving for their dead,” the spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said. “We hope with those wounded that they will soon recover.”

Earlier Thursday, police said that eight people were killed and around five wounded. They said a dark vehicle was seen leaving the location of the first attack and another shooting was reported at a scene about two and a half kilometres away.

Police officers swarmed central Hanau, cordoning off the area of one of the shootings as a helicopter hovered overhead. A car covered in thermal foil also could be seen, with shattered glass next to it. Forensic experts in white overalls collected evidence.

Hookah lounges are places where people gather to smoke flavored tobacco from Middle Eastern water pipes.

"This was a terrible evening that will certainly occupy us for a long, long time and we will remember with sadness," Hanau Mayor Claus Kaminsky told the Bild newspaper. Lawmaker Katja Leikert, a member of Merkel's centre-right party who represents Hanau in the German parliament, tweeted that it was “a real horror scenario for us all.”

Hanau is about 20 kilometres east of Frankfurt. It has about 100,000 inhabitants and is in Hesse state.


With Files from The Associated Press

CHINA REPORTS 114 NEW DEATHS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS, TAKING TOLL TO 2,118; CONFIRMED CASES OF INFECTION STAND AT 74,576

                              Credit @ Representational Image. AP

Beijing: New virus cases in China rose by just 394 from the previous day, with a rise in the toll of 114, the government said Thursday, as health inspectors went door-to-door to find every infected person in the worst-hit city.

Mainland China has now reported 2,118 deaths and 74,576 total cases. While the overall spread of the virus has been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, where the new coronavirus was first detected in December. More than 80 percent of the country's cases are in Hubei and 95 percent of the deaths, according to data from China's National Health Commission.

The new daily figure is a notable drop from the 1,749 cases recorded the previous day.

Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday in December, usually China's busiest travel period. Authorities halted nearly all transportation and movement except for quarantine efforts, medical care, and delivery of food and basic necessities. "Wartime" measures were implemented in some places, with residents prevented from leaving their apartments.Inspectors in protective suits went door-to-door on Wednesday in Wuhan trying to find every infected person. "This must be taken seriously," said Wang Zhonglin, the city's newly minted Communist Party secretary.

The stringent measures have followed public fury over Hubei authorities' handling of the outbreak when it began in December. The risk of human-to-human transmission was downplayed, and doctors who tried to warn the public were reprimanded by police. Wuhan residents reported overcrowding in hospitals and futile attempts to seek treatment.

Many countries have also set up border screenings and airlines have canceled flights to and from China to prevent further spread of the disease, which has been detected in around two dozen countries and caused more than 1,000 confirmed cases outside mainland China. Six deaths have been confirmed outside the mainland — two in Hong Kong and one each in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and France.

Chinese scientists reported some troubling findings about how the virus spreads. Swabs were taken on 14 people who returned to Guangdong province in January after visiting Wuhan and developing the disease. High amounts of the virus were detected soon after symptoms started, more in the nose than in the throat, and the virus was also found in one of their close contacts who never showed any symptoms.

That adds to concern about potential spread of the virus by people who may not know they're infected. The report from the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention was published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

In Japan, about 500 passengers who tested negative for the virus departed the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship Wednesday. Australia and Hong Kong also brought home their residents from the ship and put them in 14-day quarantines. The ship has 621 cases of the virus, the most outside China. Results were still pending for some other passengers and crew among the original 3,711 people on board.

Passengers from another cruise ship Westerdam have tested negative for the virus, according to Cambodia's Health Ministry, but they are stuck on the ship or in Cambodia because they have limited travel options there and other countries are concerned they could carry the virus.

Seven hundred of the Westerdam's passengers had already left Cambodia after the ship docked last week, only to have one woman test positive for the virus when she arrived in Malaysia.

With Files from The Associated Press

US RAPPER POPSMOKE SHOT DEAD IN HOLLYWOOD

                                                 Credits @RealPopsmoke on Instagram

Reports emerged that Pop, just 20 years old, was shot and killed in his Hollywood Hills house last night by two masked men in what appears to be a home-invasion robbery are shocking in their senselessness and brutality. How could this happen? How could that voice – so forceful, so unbending – now be silenced forever?


Pop Smoke was due to go on tour next month, increasing his reach and visibility. As devastation has had it, he joins recent fallen rappers Mac Miller, Lil Peep, the problematic XXXTentacion, Nipsey Hussle and Juice WRLD – mostly very young men who were making music that helped define their generation. Rap has suffered losses incalculable to the culture.


It’s impossible not to consider how different the landscape of the next 20 years would be had they lived to help design it. In the tragedy of Pop Smoke, all there is to cling to is the records he left behind and reminder that few people have done so much with so little. May he rest in peace.


With files from the Guardian UK

CHINA LOSES MEDICAL DIRECTOR TO CORONAVIRUS.

                 

 (Wuhan, China 2020 Credit: Guardian)

The Virus that was unleashed in Wuhan, China and the rest of the Hubei province has now killed the Chief Medical Director of the hospital that is harboring most patients. The disease which was declared a global emergency by W.H.O has now infected thousands and killed over 1500 people with a shortage of equipment.

Wuhan, the sprawling capital of Central China’s Hubei province, is a commercial center divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers. The city contains many lakes and parks, including expansive, picturesque East Lake. Nearby, the Hubei Provincial Museum displays relics from the Warring States period, including the Marquis Yi of Zeng’s coffin and bronze musical bells from his 5th-century B.C. tomb. It is now the epicenter of the Corona virus.

With Files from Wikipedia