Inmates are to be restricted to their cells in a Belgian prison after more than half of a facility’s population tested positive for Covid-19.
Quarantine measures have been introduced at Namur prison following the rapid spread of coronavirus among its 132 prisoners.
Inmates will not be allowed walks or showers, but will have a hot meal and hygiene products delivered daily.
One inmate is in hospital with the virus, according to officials.
As well as half of prison inmates, about 60 of the facility’s 115 staff members have also tested positive for the virus.
Kathleen De Vijve, a spokeswoman for the prison administration, described the situation as “very serious”.
All visits have been suspended to the facility and several family members of prisoners gathered outside the prison on Saturday to protest the decision, public broadcaster Rtbf reported.
Belgium has been under restrictions now for four months with a night curfew and all hospitality closed, but schools remain open.
Despite this, infections have started to rise again with officials confirming on Friday that a more contagious virus variant originally found in the UK has now become dominant.
“Last week, we estimate that 53 percent of infections were caused by the UK variant, against 38 percent a week earlier,” virologist and government spokesman Steven Van Gucht said.
Prof Van Gucht said the rise in infections has put the country roughly a month back from where it was.
Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander De Croo, said at a Friday news conference that he had hoped to announce a relaxation of lockdown measures, but the situation remains “extremely delicate” and at “a difficult moment”.
“We were on a high plateau, but the figures are now rising again,” he said.
“It forces us to be particularly careful…When there is a storm you cannot set out. With these figures, we cannot ease.”
He said the government would take a “time-out week” before making further decisions.
Belgium has seen more than 766,000 confirmed cases and 22,000 deaths since the outbreak began.
“A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Our organisation faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today.”
“I look forward to working with members to shape and implement the policy responses we need to get the global economy going again.
These are the expressions of the WTO Director General, the Naijapremiumgist’s PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH.
LIFE AND FAMILY Okonjo-Iweala was born in Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State, Nigeria, where her father Professor Chukwuka Okonjo was the Obi (King) from the Obahai Royal Family of Ogwashi-Ukwu.
Okonjo-Iweala was educated at Queen’s School, Enugu, St. Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan, and the International School Ibadan. She arrived in the US in 1973 as a teenager to study at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude with an AB in Economics in 1976.
In 1981, she earned her PhD in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a thesis titled Credit policy, rural financial markets, and Nigeria’s agricultural development.
She is married to Dr. Ikemba Iweala, a neurosurgeon. They have four children and three grandchildren
She received an international fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), that supported her doctoral studies.
CAREER Dr. Okonjo-Iweala served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister, from 2003-2006, 2011-2015, and briefly Foreign Minister in 2006, the first woman to hold both positions. During her 25 years at the World Bank, she is credited with spearheading several initiatives to assist low-income countries, in particular raising nearly $50bn in 2010 from donors for the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a global finance expert, is an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Currently, Dr Okonjo-Iweala is Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.
Since its creation in 2000, Gavi has immunized 680 million children globally and saved ten million lives. She is also a Senior Adviser at Lazard and sits on the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc.
HONOURS AND ENLISTMENTS
Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been listed as:
One of Transparency International’s 8 Female Anti-Corruption Fighters Who Inspire (2019)
One the 50 Greatest World Leaders (Fortune, 2015)
Top 100 Most Influential People in the World (TIME, 2014)
Top 100 Global Thinkers (Foreign Policy, 2011 and 2012)
Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (Forbes, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014)
Top 3 Most Powerful Women in Africa (Forbes, 2012)
Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes, 2011)
Top 100 Women in the World (The UK Guardian, 2011)
Top 150 Women in the World (Newsweek, 2011)
Top 100 most inspiring people in the World Delivering for Girls and Women (Women Deliver, 2011). She has also been listed among 73 “brilliant” business influencers in the world by Condé Nast International.
In 2019, Dr Okonjo-Iweala was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2017, she received the Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Award from the Aspen Institute, the Women’s Economic Empowerment Award from WEConnect International, and the Vanguard Award from Howard University.
In 2016, she received the Power with Purpose Award from the Devex Development Communications Network and the Global Fairness Award from the Global Fairness Initiative in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development.
She was also conferred High National Honours from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and the Republic of Liberia. She is also the recipient of Nigeria’s third highest National Honors Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).
In addition, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been awarded the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2014), the President of the Italian Republic Gold Medal by the Pia Manzu Centre (2011), the Global Leadership Award by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2011) the Global Leadership Award by the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (2010), and the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award (2010).
She is also the recipient of the TIME Magazine’s European Heroes Award in 2004, named Finance Minister of the Year (Africa InvestorMagazine, 2014), Finance Minister of the Year for Africa and the Middle East (THE BANKER, 2004), Global Finance Minister of the Year (EUROMONEY, 2005), Finance Minister of the Year for Africa and the Middle East (Emerging Markets Magazine, 2005), and Minister of the Year (THISDAY, Newspaper2004 and 2005).
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the founder of Nigeria’s first ever indigenous opinion-research organization, NOI-Polls. She also founded the Center for the Study of Economies of Africa (C-SEA), a development research think tank based in Abuja, Nigeria. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development, and also at the Brookings Institution, premier Washington D.C. think tanks.
She has received honorary degrees from 15 universities worldwide, including some from the most prestigious colleges: Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Trinity College (University of Dublin), Amherst College, Colby College, Tel Aviv University, and Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica. She also has honorary doctorate degrees from a host of Nigerian universities including Abia State University, Delta State University, Oduduwa University, Babcock University, and the Universities of Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Ife (Obafemi Awolowo).
She is the author of numerous articles and several books, including Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines (MIT Press, 2018), Reforming the UnReformable: Lessons from Nigeria, (MIT Press, 2012), Mobilizing Finance for Education in the Commonwealth (Commonwealth Education Report 2019), Shine a Light on the Gaps – an essay on financial inclusion for African Small Holder Farmers (Foreign Affairs, 2015), Funding the SDGs: Licit and Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries (Horizons Magazine, 2016), and The Debt Trap in Nigeria: Towards a Sustainable Debt Strategy (Africa World Press, 2003). She also co-authored with Tijan Sallah the book Chinua Achebe: Teacher of Light (Africa World Press, 2003).
Okonjo-Iweala will take up her new post as the DG of WTO on March 1st 2021 and her term, which is renewable, will run until August 31, 2025.
There are other ongoing plans to further compensate the victims’ families in due time.
Dangote Group of Companies has paid N500,000 to each family of the eight students killed on January 23 when one of its trucks lost control at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.
The Students’ Union Government of the university made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday.
Mr Oluwasegun Obagunwa, its president said in the statement that the payment was made following several agitations led by the Students’ Union Government. “The Students’ Union Government wishes to announce to the students and the entire populace that the Dangote group of companies has reached out to all the families of the victims to pay them condolence visits.
“The N500,000 has already been paid to each of the families.
“We all know that there is no amount of money, items or valuables that can ever be compared to the loss.
“There are other ongoing plans by the Dangote Group of Companies to further compensate the victims and their families in due time,” he said.
Obagunwa added that the union would ensure that all further compensations were fulfilled to the families as soon as possible.
He prayed that the institution would never witness such tragic event anymore.
Facebook has banned all accounts linked to Myanmar’s military on Thursday with immediate effect.
This is as a result of the junta’s use of deadly force against anti-coup demonstrators, weeks after a military coup on February 1.
“Today, we are banning the remaining Myanmar military (“Tatmadaw”) and military-controlled state and media entities from Facebook and Instagram, as well as ads from military-linked commercial entities” the statement from the social media giant said.
Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban.”
“This ban does not cover government ministries and agencies engaged in the provision of essential public services,” the company said. “This includes the Ministry of Health and Sport, and the Ministry of Education.”
On February 1, Myanmar’s military seized power in the country, announcing a one-year state of emergency and vowing to take action against alleged voter fraud during the November 8 general election won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Sri Lanka has reversed a controversial mandatory order to cremate the bodies of all those who died of Covid-19.
Critics had said the order was intended to target minorities and did not respect religions. The cremation of bodies is forbidden in Islam.
The government had argued that burials could contaminate ground water.
The reversal came after a visit by Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan. Sources told the BBC that Sri Lanka has sought Pakistan’s support at a UNHRC session.
The council is expected to consider a new resolution responding to mounting rights concerns in Sri Lanka, including over the treatment of Muslims.
Sri Lanka is being called to hold human rights abusers to account and to deliver justice to victims of its 26-year-old civil war, which killed at least 100,000 people – mostly civilians from the minority Tamil community.
Sri Lanka has strongly denied the allegations and has asked member countries not to support the resolution.
The country had earlier come under intense criticism from rights groups, including the UNHRC, over the cremation order.
They said it failed to respect the religious feelings of the victims and their family members specially of the Muslims, Catholics and some Buddhists.
The government had argued that burials could contaminate ground water, based on the say-so of an expert committee, the exact composition and qualifications of which are unknown.
But political, religious and community leaders had repeatedly questioned this, pointing to the more than 190 countries allowing burials, and World Health Organization advice
It even took its fight to the Supreme Court, but the cases were dismissed without any explanation.
Public debate intensified when a 20-day-old Muslim baby was forcibly cremated.
Photos shared by the ministry showed the diplomats on the trolley with their suitcases amid a wintry landscape. They were also seen cheering in a video as they crossed into Russia.
The main “engine” was the embassy’s third secretary Vladislav Sorokin, who pushed the trolley across a rail bridge over the Tumen River into Russia, said the ministry.
This was after the group, which included Mr Sorokin’s three-year-old daughter Varya, had travelled 32 hours by train and two hours by bus from Pyongyang to reach the Russian border.
Ministry officials greeted them at a station on the Russian side, and the group then travelled by bus to the Vladivostok airport.
Pyongyang’s strict anti-Covid measures have affected travel movements and access to amenities. Extra troops have been sent to border areas with orders to block any possible transmission of the virus.
Over the past year, many foreign diplomats have left the country and Western embassies have closed.
Most travellers have gone overland and crossed the border into China, although there was one flight in March last year to Vladivostok carrying diplomats from Germany, Russia, France, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Mongolia and Egypt.
Golf legend, Tiger Woods reportedly has no memory of the car accident that left him with leg injures and unaware of how badly injured he was when the first deputy arrived at the scene.
The 45-year-old was involved in a single-car crash on Tuesday morning, February 23, in California, and was taken to a hospital, where he underwent successful surgery over multiple leg injuries.
“At the hospital, he was asked about it by the investigators and he had no recollection of the crash itself,” LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told CNN, according to the Times of London.
Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who arrived first at the scene, told NBC’s “Today” on Wednesday that the golfing legend was calm, but appeared to be unaware of how badly he was hurt.
“I don’t think he was aware of how gravely he was injured at the time. It could be a mixture of adrenaline, it could’ve been shock,” Gonzalez said.
“Again it was very quick, the moment that I arrived from the moment that he rolled over, so I don’t know if he had time to fully assess his injuries,” added Gonzalez, who arrived six minutes after a 911 call was made.
The deputy said he did not see any signs of impairment at the site.
“At the scene, we’re looking for evidence of intoxication like if there’s an odor of an alcoholic beverage or there’s an open container or prescription medication,” he said.
“At this time we didn’t see any evidence of impairment and anything beyond that in terms of the medical toxicology, I wouldn’t be aware at this time,” Gonzalez added. He said the 45-year-old golf icon remained calm as he asked him assessment questions before determining that he needed to call the fire department to help extricate him.
“I’ve seen collisions that didn’t look as serious where the occupants were injured much more severely,” he said. “I think that’s just a testament to the fact that he was wearing a seatbelt, airbags worked as intended and modern vehicles are much more safe than they ever used to be.”
Gonzalez was wearing his body camera while interacting with Woods and the footage should be available in the near future, according to USA Today.
Asked about the possibility of a reckless driving charge, Villanueva said there was no evidence Woods’ crash met the criteria.
“A reckless driving charge has a lot of elements into it,” he said. “This is purely an accident.
The two unions had shut the university’s main gate and the senate building during the indefinite strike which affected the first semester examination of the institution.
The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Lagos State University (LASU) Chapter, on Thursday, suspended an indefinite strike over outstanding arrears of minimum wage and other demands.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NASU and SSANU under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) had embarked on a nationwide strike on Feb. 5, to compel the Federal Government to address their demands.
NAN reports that NASU and SSANU, LASU chapter, also demanded payment of their members’ earned allowances and rightful position.
The two unions had shut the university’s main gate and the senate building during the indefinite strike which affected the first semester examination of the institution.
Moruf Sanni, chair, NASU, LASU Chapter, said the workers suspended the strike to honour the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“We had a virtual meeting with the Lagos State Government on Wednesday.
“It was led by the commissioner for establishments, and the government appealed to us to honour the governor by suspending the strike.
“After the suspension of the strike, we can come back to negotiate with the government concerning our issues or demands.
Police officers claim to be working diligently to ensure the victim’s release.
Gunmen who abducted a university student on Monday, February 22, 2021 have asked his family for a ransom of N100 million.
Odetunde Emmanuel was abducted on Monday evening at his father’s poultry farm in Oke Odan, Apete area of Ibadan, Oyo State, according to a report by Premium Times.
Odetunde Emmanuel
The victim’s brother, Odetunde Samuel, said the family is struggling to raise the ransom to secure the release of the student of sociology department of the University of Ibadan.
Customs authorities in Germany and Belgium have seized a record of more than 23 tonnes of cocaine that was destined for the Netherlands.
German officials discovered 16 tonnes in five shipping containers that had arrived in the port of Hamburg from Paraguay earlier this month.
Police in the Netherlands were notified and a further 7.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized at the Belgian port of Antwerp.
German officials said the cocaine had a street value of billions of euros.
A 28-year-old man suspected of involvement in the trafficking of the drugs has been arrested in the Netherlands, Dutch police said on Wednesday.
The two raids, which took place earlier this month, resulted in the seizure of an “enormous amount of cocaine”, customs officials said.
In Antwerp, the drug was hidden in a container filled with wooden blocks from Panama.
The cocaine found in the northern German city of Hamburg was concealed in tins of wall filler, which had entered Europe on a container ship from Paraguay.
image captionOfficials ordered the containers to be emptied after noticing “clear irregularities”
Customs officers decided to take a closer look at the Paraguayan containers after noticing “clear irregularities” with some of the contents – tin cans that were meant to be filled with putty.
“Beyond a layer of genuine goods, packed just behind the container door, numerous tin cans were in fact filled with other goods,” officials said.
image captionCustoms officials said the amount of cocaine discovered had a street value of “several billion dollars”
Investigators then ordered the containers to be unloaded, and found cocaine stashed away in more than 1,700 tins.
“This is the largest amount of cocaine ever seized in Europe and one of the largest single seizures worldwide,” German customs said, referring to the Hamburg haul alone.
“We are estimating a street sales value of between €1.5bn and €3.5bn ($1.8bn and $4.2bn) for the 16 tonnes,” Hamburg customs official Rene Matschke told AFP news agency.
Hamburg is Europe’s third biggest port, and the largest in Germany.
Paraguay has been a key transit country for drugs for years.
Powerful drug trafficking gangs from neighbouring Brazil, such as First Capital Command (PCC), have expanded across the border into Paraguay and are running many of the smuggling operations there.
The drugs are often shipped in containers from Paraguay to port cities in Europe.
This latest haul, however, is the biggest ever discovered in Europe.
In October, 11.5 tonnes of cocaine was discovered hidden in scrap metal containers that had arrived in Antwerp from South America.
In August 2019, customs officials at the port of Hamburg seized about 4.5 tonnes of cocaine from a shipment that was listed as soya beans. Officials said at the time that the haul could have been worth up to €1bn, depending on its purity.
High-purity cocaine can be cut up or divided, with different substances added to increase profits when sold on the street.
Last year, about 102 tonnes of cocaine was intercepted while heading for Europe.
When Real Madrid take on Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday there will be a notable – if entirely predictable – absentee.
Eden Hazard, signed in 2019 from Chelsea for a fee that could exceed £150m, will be nowhere to be seen.
But whisper it quietly, the word coming out of Madrid is that he is on the verge of making yet another comeback – his 11th to date – after an injury blighted 20 months at the club.
He had been expected to be out for between four and six weeks following yet another muscle injury sustained at the end of January in the game against Levante, but his return to the training ground last week for some gentle running exercises is just the boost the attacking midfielder needs as he tries to get his stuttering Real Madrid career back on track.
The truth is that In the ever-demanding, never-forgiving bearpit that is elite football, Hazard is rapidly finding out at Real Madrid what it means to fail to live up to the expectations that come with such a huge price tag, whether it’s your fault or not.
“Eden Hazard,” say the powerful Madrid media, “is made of glass”.
The story so far with Hazard and Real Madrid
The Belgian arrived in the Spanish capital carrying more than just his cases. He came with an injury which kept him out for three games before he had even stepped onto the training ground and since then he has continued much as he started.
Up to this latest setback, Hazard’s career at Madrid has seen him suffer more injuries (10) than he has scored goals (four), most of them muscle problems.
At the time of writing he has made 35 appearances but missed 46 games.
Hazard (centre) arrived at Real with great expectations but has struggled for form and fitness
It is a depressing catalogue of one injury after another plus, for good measure, a dose of coronavirus sandwiched between them in November last year.
At Chelsea he missed just 20 games over seven seasons.
It won’t come as any consolation to him but he is at least in good company and merely the latest in an impressive line of superstars to arrive at Madrid and earn the unwanted, self-explanatory title of “futbolistas de cristal” (glass footballers).
Already comparisons are being made with Gareth Bale, who had 23 medical issues during his seven years at the club, although the Welshman could at least look back at moments of triumph, especially the Champions League final successes in Lisbon and Kiev.
The Brazilian sensation Kaka arrived at Madrid two years after winning the Ballon d’Or and proceeded to spend more time on the treatment table than he did on the training pitch.
And if you think Hazard is having it hard, spare a thought for the Englishman Jonathan Woodgate. His stay at Madrid from 2004 until 2007 saw him play fewer than 14 games in total and none at all in his first season.
When he did eventually make his debut in September 2005, in a league match against Athletic Bilbao, he scored an own goal and was later sent off.
So what is the problem with Hazard?
The question that many are now asking of Hazard is how much the trials and tribulations he is enduring are mental as much as physical?
In 2015-16 when Jose Mourinho was his manager at Chelsea, Hazard was named player of the season. Regarded by many – Mourinho included – as potentially a player at the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the Chelsea boss started to pressure the Belgian to raise his game.
While technically and tactically he had everything in place, it remained to be seen whether he had the mental fortitude to be considered worthy of dining at the same table as the likes of Ronaldo and Messi.
And it soon became clear to Mourinho that the player didn’t have the mental resilience to withstand that kind of pressure and that the stresses incurred trying to get him to step up lessened his effectiveness as a player.
Mourinho became swiftly aware that the way to get the best out of Hazard was to ensure he was relaxed, happy and not under any massive pressure. He backed off and Hazard regained his form.
Similarly, when Antonio Conte was at Chelsea he would privately admit the best way to ensure top performances from Hazard was by not putting too many stresses on him.
He realised from the start that in Hazard Chelsea had a player more suited to short-term objectives, such as his magnificent performance in the Europa League final in 2019 or when helping Belgium to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, than to long-term plans.
Those who know him best say Hazard is a player of moments and not for 90 minutes; a man who lacks the mental strength to demonstrate consistency and one who prefers to enjoy his life and feel relaxed rather than seek to live among football’s elite.
Real Madrid paid an initial £89m for Hazard, meaning he has cost them more than £2.5m for every game he has played (excluding wages)
And it was precisely because of this lack of desire to be the leader, the captain, or to take on board the tactical requirements placed on him by the demanding Maurizio Sarri that led to his fall-out with the Italian coach.
At Madrid he has changed his routines. He does a lot of gym work, core and balance exercises, something he hardly did at all while at Chelsea.
The flippant disregard he has shown to his body in the past with such things as a less-than-ideal diet, coupled with mental fragility, has made him more vulnerable to injuries.
Add to that the fact he does not wear the mantle of stardom with any degree of comfort and his critics are quick to describe him as a ‘fair-weather’ player; someone who will shine when the sun is out and the team are playing well but vanish when the rain comes and problems appear.
The doctors in the Belgium national side are convinced the problems he is suffering are more physiological than psychological.
They believe Real Madrid have slightly forced the return to action of a player who has missed two pre-seasons as a result of injury.
But is it all Hazard’s fault or do Real Madrid have an endemic injury crisis?
The Spanish champions have been hit hard by an injury crisis all season. Dani Carvajal’s latest injury takes their total to 40 for the campaign, shared across 20 players.
In addition to Hazard, Real Madrid went into Saturday’s win against Real Valladolid without Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Eder Militao, Alvaro Odriozola and Marcelo sidelined.
Nobody in Spain has suffered more injuries this season. According to stats published in Marca last week, so far this campaign they’ve had 25 more than Atletico Madrid’s 15, 15 more than Barcelona’s 25 and 22 more than Sevilla’s 18.
What does the future hold for Hazard?
Friends and colleagues closest to the player unanimously agree that what Real Madrid need to do with him is press the reset button. Start afresh with the benefit of a full pre-season programme.
Hazard does not benefit from the luxury of having his own private medical assessors, something many top-level footballers do.
Three of Hazard’s four goals for Real Madrid have come this season
He is also keen to please everyone and to do the right thing and at the moment that is causing him to please absolutely no-one, least of all himself.
Finally it is still not completely known what the repercussions of having suffered Covid-19 in November have been. Some have calculated that the medium to long-term effects of the illness can lead to symptoms similar to those associated with excessive training, which in turn can can cause new injuries.
The club need to take on board the type of player Hazard is, rather than the player they thought they were buying. He is not a leader, an inspirer but rather a fantastic player who can be a vital ingredient in a winning team.
He is addressing his shortfalls and perhaps most importantly, is happy in Madrid. He is settled and enjoys the lifestyle.
The news that he can now re-start training with the first team will be just the boost he needs. He was in a dark place immediately after the latest setback. While he is unlikely to be part of the side to face Atalanta he is now in a much better frame of mind, especially after being given special dispensation to spend time at home with his family.
If Real Madrid can begin to understand what Hazard’s main strengths are then there is no reason why he should not go on to enjoy a long and fruitful career at the Bernabeu.
More importantly perhaps, they need to take on board and accept what his limitations are and then, hopefully, it won’t be long before we see him do at Real Madrid what he did with such frequency and aplomb with Chelsea and Belgium.
Ghana has become the first country to receive coronavirus vaccines through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative.
The World Health Organization (WHO) programme aims to ensure that vaccines are shared fairly among all nations.
Covax is aiming to deliver about two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines globally by the end of the year.
A total of 600,000 doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University arrived in Ghana’s capital Accra on Wednesday.
In a joint statement, the WHO and the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef) said it was a “momentous occasion”.
“The arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines into Ghana is critical in bringing the pandemic to an end,” they said.
The West African country has recorded more than 80,700 cases of coronavirus and 580 deaths since the pandemic began. These numbers are believed to fall short of the actual toll because of low levels of testing.
The WHO and Unicef said the shipment represented “part of the first wave of Covid vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries”.
What is Covax?
So far, richer countries have been able to buy far more Covid jabs than poorer ones.
The Covax scheme was set up by the WHO, the Gavi vaccines alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to try to prevent poorer countries from being pushed to the back of the queue.
The programme is designed so that richer countries buying vaccines agree to help finance access for poorer nations, too.
It hopes to deliver more than two billion doses to people in 190 countries in less than a year. In particular, it wants to ensure 92 poorer countries will receive access to vaccines at the same time as 98 wealthier countries.
image captionGhana has recorded more than 80,700 cases of coronavirus
The scheme has so far raised $6bn (£4.3bn), but says it needs at least another $2bn to meet its target for 2021.
Covax has faced some criticism for not moving quickly enough. One WHO board member, Austria’s Dr Clemens Martin Auer, said it had been slow to secure vaccine deals and deliver doses to countries.
The joint statement on Wednesday said the shipment to Ghana represented “the beginning of what should be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history”.
SaharaReporters gathered that the bandits heavily armed with assorted sophisticated weapons came into the village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically.
Armed bandits on Tuesday night launched another attack on Manta village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.
SaharaReporters gathered that the bandits heavily armed with assorted sophisticated weapons came into the village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically.
“Manta village of Manta district in Shiroro Local Government Area was under siege by the armed bandit last night. They shot into the air frequently to instill fear in the victims,” a source said.
He added that there are many casualties but there is no certainty to the number of those affected at the moment.
This is the fourth reported attack in Niger State in the last one week.
On Wednesday, armed men dressed in military uniform abducted staff and students of Government Science College, Kagara.
A student who attempted to escape was shot dead.
Hours after the Kagara incident, armed men raided Gurmana community, killing and kidnapping residents.
The bandits launched another attack on the community on Sunday.
SaharaReporters gathered that over 15 people who tried to escape drowned in River Kaduna.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has resigned with his side 18 points adrift of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
Lennon took charge for a second spell in February 2019 when Brendan Rodgers left and led the club to two titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup.
However, Celtic are well behind their Glasgow rivals in their bid to win 10-straight titles and slumped to defeat at struggling Ross County on Sunday.
Assistant manager John Kennedy will take interim charge of the team.
“We have experienced a difficult season due to so many factors and, of course, it is very frustrating and disappointing that we have not been able to hit the same heights as we did previously,” Lennon, 49, said, in a statement on Celtic’s website.
“I have worked as hard as ever to try and turn things around, but unfortunately we have not managed to get the kind of run going that we have needed.
“I have always given my best to the club and have been proud to deliver silverware to the Celtic supporters. The club will always be part of me. I will always be a Celtic supporter myself and I will always want the best for Celtic.
Celtic said that former captain Lennon had “served the club with distinction as both player and manager”.
“Neil has always been and will always be a true Celtic man and someone I will always hold in the highest regard,” added chief executive Peter Lawwell.
“Personally, it is a sad day for me to see Neil leave. Neil is a man of quality and decency, he is someone who will always be part of the fabric of Celtic and someone who will always be welcomed at Celtic Park.”
Principal shareholder Dermot Desmond described Lennon as a “Celtic legend”.
“He has given so much to the club, and with his success over the last number of years – including winning a treble in his own right – he will be very difficult to replace,” Desmond continued.
“We thank Neil sincerely for all he has done for the club and we wish him every success going forward.”
Lennon answered Celtic’s call in early 2019, when Rodgers departed mid-season for Leicester City, and guided the club to their eighth league crown in a row while securing a third-straight Scottish Cup.
After Celtic beat Hearts in the final, he was offered the job on a permanent basis by Lawwell in the Hampden showers.
Last season was called early amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Celtic handsomely ahead of Rangers and crowned champions, having also defeated their rivals in the League Cup showpiece.
But this term, as the club pursued an unprecedented tenth league title in succession, things unravelled spectacularly.
US President Joe Biden has spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader since taking office.
The two leaders highlighted mutual policy priorities around climate change and China, including the release of two Canadians held captive there.
“Human beings are not bartering chips,” Mr Biden said on Tuesday.
The nations also pledged to align climate goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Canada is often the destination chosen for a US president’s first foreign trip, but Covid-19 scuppered Mr Biden’s plans. Instead, the meeting was held remotely.
Mr Biden, a Democrat, is hoping to hit the reset button with Mr Trudeau, a Liberal, whose relationship with the former Republican US President Trump was often considered rocky.
Mr Trudeau also pledged to work with the US to “get through Covid but also to make sure we’re pulling our weight around the world”.
The leaders did not take questions from journalists, which is unusual in Washington for a bilateral event such as this.
One major issue for both leaders is the Chinese detention of two Canadians, who have been accused of spying and held in jail since 2018.
Canada alleges that the men were arrested as retribution for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant.
Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested in China in 2018 and formally indicted in June 2020.
Calling for their release in remarks following the meeting, Mr Biden said: “Human beings are not bartering chips. We’re going to work together until we get their safe return.”
The 15-time golf major champion, 45, had to be “extricated from the wreck” by firefighters and paramedics.
Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg said: “He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support.”
Steinberg confirmed the detail about the American having sustained “multiple leg injuries”.
Woods was at the Riviera Country Club in LA at the weekend as host of the Genesis Invitational tournament.
A statement from the LA County Sheriff’s Department said it responded to the crash “on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes” on Tuesday morning local time.
It added: “Mr Woods was extricated from the wreck with the ‘jaws of life’ by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries.”
The LA County Fire Department said:“Units dispatched at 07:22 and found a single-vehicle rollover. One adult male was assisted out of the vehicle and transported to a local area hospital in serious condition.”
Tiger Woods pictured at his last tournament, the PNC Championship in December
World number three Justin Thomas is one of Woods’ best friends on the tour and expressed concern for his compatriot.
“I’m sick to my stomach,” Thomas said. “You know, it hurts to see one of your… closest friends get in an accident.
“Man, I just hope he’s all right. Just worry for his kids, you know. I’m sure they’re struggling.”
A statement from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: “We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery.
“On behalf of the PGA Tour and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.”
Everton FC’s plans for a new 52,000-seater stadium have been unanimously approved by city councillors.
The club said the Bramley-Moore Dock site will be a “world-class addition” to the city’s waterfront and hopes to host games there in 2024.
The £500m scheme which it’s claimed will create 15,000 jobs will now go to the government for the final say.
Outline plans for a series of community-led developments at Everton’s Goodison Park site were also approved.
Historic England had objected to the new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock saying it could harm the city’s heritage but this was dismissed by the city’s planning committee.
The Premier League club, which has been at Goodison Park since 1892, said it had been looking for a new home for 25 years due to limitations at its current home.
The development would be the “most inclusive and sustainable” stadium in the UK and would “preserve the area’s heritage”, Everton’s chief executive officer Prof Denise Barrett-Baxendale told the meeting.
She said it was a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to regenerate one of the city’s most deprived areas, creating thousands of jobs and be a “key part in the region’s post-pandemic recovery plan”.
Under the plans, the 52,888-seater ground could host up to four pop concerts a year as well as weddings, funerals, Christmas parties and conferences.
And the club’s current Goodison Park site is to be converted to “high-quality, affordable housing, a health centre, retail and leisure spaces and a youth enterprise zone” for the Walton community.
image captionThe ground would be built within Liverpool’s World Heritage Site
“I’ve got shivers down my spine. First the derby and then this – what a week!”
Everton fans have a lot to celebrate. After a 25-year search, a new stadium could be on the horizon.
That famous horizon – Liverpool’s waterfront – is a World Heritage site. It’s been on UNESCO’s “in danger” list since plans for tall buildings were first mooted in 2012.
Those skyscrapers haven’t materialised, and this stadium might beat them to it.
The planning committee had to decide whether the public benefit of the new stadium outweighed the harm to the heritage assets of the site… and they decided that they did.
The Secretary of State will now decide whether to overturn or uphold the committee’s decision, and the UNESCO World Heritage status will be reviewed later this year.
Club chairman Bill Kenwright said: “Whilst today is just one more step in our long journey, it is a very important one.
“It’s been a good week for Everton and Evertonians.”
Historic England said that while it supports Everton’s need for a “state-of-the-art” stadium and the benefits it could bring, it advised the council to refuse the application.
In a statement, it said the plan to infill the dock would “fundamentally change its historic character” and result in “substantial harm” to the significance of the Grade II listed dock.
It added it could also damage the waterfront’s World Heritage Site status.
image captionThe news was a “very important step”, says Everton FC chairman Bill Kenwright
The club said it had committed to spending £55m in preserving and celebrating the heritage assets as well as creating a heritage centre around the currently derelict Hydraulic Tower.
Green party group leader councillor Tom Crone had raised concerns about the environmental impact of the scheme.
He said he felt “reasonably reassured” with the club promising alternative forms of transport but added that would like to see “good footpaths” to the stadium.
The proposals will now be referred to the Secretary for State of Housing, Communities and Local Government for consideration.
The family of an 11-year-old boy who died in recent cold weather in Texas have filed a $100m (£71m) lawsuit against power companies for negligence.
Cristian Pineda was found unresponsive by his mother in their mobile home last week amid freezing temperatures.
Millions were left without power in the unusually cold weather, which has killed dozens in southern states.
The family suspect hypothermia but police say official autopsy results may take weeks.
The lawsuit accuses utility firms of putting “profits over the welfare of people” by failing to prepare properly.
Both the Entergy Corporation provider and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot) are named in the lawsuit.
“Despite having knowledge of the dire weather forecast for at least a week in advance, and the knowledge that the system was not prepared for more than a decade, Ercot and Entergy failed to take any pre-emptory action that could have averted the crisis and were wholly unprepared to deal with the crisis at hand,” the lawsuit alleges.
Ercot described the Pineda case as a “tragedy” and told the BBC it was “confident that our grid operators made the right choice to avoid a state-wide blackout”.
A spokesperson for Entergy Texas said the company was “deeply saddened by the loss of life in our community”, but was unable to comment further “due to pending litigation”.
Texas has a deregulated power system which operates independently from other states.
Governor Greg Abbott has already called for an investigation into Ercot, which manages the grid for over 90% of the state’s customers, over its handling of the weather crisis.
https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.39.19/iframe.
The council said it initiated emergency rolling blackouts last week to avoid a state-wide loss of power after about 46% of the privately owned power generation tripped offline on Monday morning.
The complaint alleges power was turned off to “those who were most vulnerable to the cold” as temperatures plummeted to 30-year lows.
“Hence, there were images of empty downtown Houston office buildings with power, but the Pinedas’ mobile home park was left without power,” the lawsuit alleges.
The Pineda family were without electricity and heat for two days as temperatures dropped to -12C (10F) where they lived, according to the lawsuit.
“Everything was well. He was happy that day. He was not at all sick,” she said.
The family of five said they stayed together in one room that night to keep warm. Cristian shared a bed with his younger brother, aged three, but was unresponsive the next day when his mother tried to wake him. She called the emergency services and tried to resuscitate him but without success, according to the legal filing.
The Pineda family lawsuit criticises communication to customers, who believed they would be “temporary” and rolling instead of days long.
“The failure to adequately inform Plaintiffs of the length of the black-outs prevented them from properly preparing for the lack of power, or leaving the area,” the lawsuit says. “Accurate information might have saved Cristian Pineda’s young life.”
The story of his death is one of dozens of tragedies being blamed on the cold weather in Texas. The Pinedas’ lawyer, Tony Buzbee, has said he now represents seven families who lost loved ones.
“Cristian’s lawsuit is the first and his lawsuit should be the first,” Mr Buzbee told ABC News “This kid is going to change Texas and God bless him for that.”
More than $86,000 has been donated on an online fundraiser, set up by the family to help them send the 11-year-old’s body back to Honduras to be buried by his grandparents.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Texas, clearing the way for more federal funds to be spent on relief efforts.
Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed in an attack in the east of the country, its foreign ministry has said.
Luca Attanasio, 43, died in hospital on Monday after the United Nations convoy he was travelling in came under fire near Goma, a statement said.
The convoy reportedly belonged to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
An Italian military police officer travelling with the envoy and a Congolese driver were also killed.
“It is with deep sadness that the foreign ministry confirms the death, today in Goma, of the Italian ambassador,” the ministry’s statement democratic republic of Congo. Ambassador. Italy. United Nations.
The attack in North Kivu province is believed to have been an attempted kidnapping, according to officials at the nearby Virunga National Park.
What do we know about the attack?
Mr Attanasio was a passenger in one of two vehicles travelling about 15km (nine miles) north of Goma when the attack happened on Monday morning.
The vehicles were “ambushed by a group of six attackers, who fired warning shots before taking all the passengers into the Virunga National Park”, the governor of North Kivu province, Carly Nzanzu, told the BBC.
image captionSecurity forces guard the area where the attack took place on Monday morning
“That’s when a patrol of Virunga National Park rangers intervened and managed to free four people,” he said.
“Unfortunately, before they ran away, the assailants shot the ambassador and his bodyguard, and they killed the Congolese driver at the start of the attack,” the governor added.
image captionVirunga is regarded as one of the most dangerous parks in Africa
The WFP said Mr Attanasio was travelling from Goma to visit a “schools programme” in the village of Rutshuru in eastern DR Congo.
The two other fatalities were military police officer Vittorio Iacovacci, 30, who had been serving at the embassy since last September, and their Congolese driver, whose name has not yet been officially released.
A number of other passengers were reportedly injured.
It is not clear who was behind the attack, but the interior ministry has accused a Hutu rebel group known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Many armed groups are known to operate in and around the park and militias clash regularly in the east of the country, where a large UN force is struggling to keep the peace.
The DRC army has deployed troops to help search the area.
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