Covid-19 infection rate soars in Brazil; Let neighbouring regions beware

Brazil has recorded 268,370 fatalities since the pandemic began

Brazil has exceeded 2,000 Covid-related deaths in a single day for the first time, as infection rates soar.

The country has the second highest death toll in the world, behind the US, with a total of 268,370 fatalities. Wednesday’s total was 2,286.

Experts warn the transmission rate is made worse by more contagious variants.

On Wednesday, former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hit out at President Jair Bolsonaro’s “stupid” decisions made during the pandemic.

Mr Bolsonaro, who was pictured wearing a mask for the first time in a month on Wednesday, has consistently sought to downplay the threat posed by the virus. Earlier this week he told people to “stop whining”.

The surge in cases has put health systems in most of Brazil’s largest cities under immense pressure, with many close to collapse, Brazil’s leading public health centre Fiocruz warns.

Margareth Dalcolmo, a doctor and researcher at Fiocruz said the country was “at the worst moment of the pandemic”.

“2021 is still going to be a very hard year,” she told AFP news agency.

The latest deaths mean Brazil has a rate of 128 deaths per 100,000 population – 11th highest amongst 20 of the worst affected countries in the world. The highest rates are in the Czech Republic with 208 deaths per 100,000 people and the UK with 188 deaths per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

Thursday is the anniversary of a pandemic being declared by the World Health Organization. Worldwide more than 118 million cases of the virus have been recorded, and more than 2.6 million deaths.

What’s the situation in Brazil?

On Wednesday, the country recorded 79,876 new cases, the third highest number in a single day. A surge in cases in recent days has been attributed to the spread of a highly contagious variant of the virus – named P1 – which is thought to have originated in the Amazon city of Manaus.

A total of 2,286 people died with the virus on Wednesday.

According to Fiocruz, 15 state capitals have intensive care units (ICUs) that are at more than 90% capacity including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Reports say the capital Brasilia has now reached full ICU capacity, while two cities – Porto Alegre and Campo Grande – have exceeded capacity.

In its report, the institute warned that figures point to the “overload and even collapse of health systems”.

Graph shows daily confirmed deaths in Brazil since January
Graph shows cumulative reported deaths in Brazil

Brazilian epidemiologist Dr Pedro Hallal told the BBC’s Outside Source TV programme: “If we do not start vaccinating the population here very soon, it will become a massive tragedy.”

Dr Hallal, who works in Rio Grande do Sul, said people felt “abandoned by the federal government”.

Mr Bolsonaro has belittled the risks posed by the virus from the start of the pandemic. He has also opposed quarantine measures taken at a regional level, arguing that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself.

Former leader Lula, in his first speech since corruption convictions against him were annulled, told people not to follow “stupid” decisions by Mr Bolsonaro and to “get vaccinated”. Mr Bolsonaro said the criticism was unjustified.

What do we know about the Brazil variant?

Preliminary data suggests the P1 variant could be up to twice as transmittable as the original version of the virus.

It also suggests that the new variant could evade immunity built up by having had the original version of Covid. The chance of reinfection is put at between 25% and 60%.

Workers wearing protective suits walk past the graves of COVID-19 victims at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery, in Manaus, Brazil, on 25 February 2021.
image captionThe new coronavirus variant first detected in Brazil has led to a surge in deaths in the country

Last week, the Fiocruz Institute said P1 was just one of several “variants of concern” that have become dominant in six of eight states studied by the Rio-based organisation.

“This information is an atomic bomb,” said Roberto Kraenkel, of the Covid-19 Brazil Observatory, told the Washington Post newspaper.

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has described the situation in Brazil as “very concerning” and warned of a possible regional spillover.

Myanmar protesters getting permanent symbols of resistance tattoos.

Throughout Myanmar’s month-long demonstrations against the resumption of military rule, artists have helped shape how the protests are expressed visually, from moving illustrations of demonstrators who have died, to huge murals, roadside artworks and satirical protest signs mocking coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing.

…But the most permanent form of protest is, perhaps, the tattoo.

From big cities like Yangon and Mandalay, to Shan state’s Nyaung Shwe, a small town near the popular tourist spot of Inle Lake, protesters are getting inked for democracy.

China and Russia to build lunar space station

China and Russia have announced plans to build a lunar space station.

Russian space agency Roscosmos says it has signed an agreement with China’s National Space Administration to develop research facilities on the surface of the moon, in orbit or both.

A statement from both countries’ space agencies says it will be available for use by other nations.

It comes as Russia prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its first-ever manned space flight.

The International Scientific Lunar Station will carry out a wide range of scientific research including exploration and utilisation of the moon, a statement from both agencies said.

“China and Russia will use their accumulated experience in space science, research and development and use of space equipment and space technology to jointly develop a road map for the construction of an international lunar scientific research station,” the statement (in Mandarin) said.

It added that both Russia and China will collaborate in the planning, design, development and operation of the research station.

Chen Lan, an analyst who specialises in China’s space programme, told AFP news agency that the project was a “big deal”.

“This will be the largest international space cooperation project for China, so it’s significant,” he said.

China is a relatively late bloomer when it comes to the world of space exploration but last December its Chang’e-5 probe successfully brought back rock and “soil” it picked up from the moon. At the time it was seen as another demonstration of the country’s increasing capability in space.

Russia, which pioneered space exploration, has been eclipsed by China and the United States in recent years. Last year it lost its monopoly on taking astronauts to the International Space station following SpaceX’s successful launch.

The US has announced plans to return to the moon by 2024. The programme, called Artemis, will see a man and woman step on the lunar surface in what would be the first landing with humans since 1972.

Thai Prime Minister sprays sanitiser on reporters

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha surprised journalists at a recent press conference when he chose an unusual way to deflect their questions.

When asked about a cabinet reshuffle, he picked up a bottle of sanitiser and began spraying reporters.

PM

The retired army general has been in power since a 2014 military coup, and has a history of acting controversially at press events.

In the past he was caught on camera patting a reporter’s head and tugging his ear, and once brought out a life-sized cardboard cutout of himself to “answer” questions.

Zoo staff devastated by loss of 2 giraffes who died in a fire

Two giraffes died in a fire at a zoo in Virginia on Monday, according to the zoo and the local fire department.
Roer’s Zoofari said in a Facebook post that staff were “devastated” by the loss of their “beloved giraffe” named Waffles and his new companion that had not yet been named.

“Waffles was a favorite with our visitors and our team. We are heartbroken,” owner Vanessa Roer said in a statement on the zoo website. “We are so grateful that no person or other Zoofari animals were injured or lost. And we deeply appreciate the firefighters who came so quickly to help extinguish the fire.”

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said in a Facebook post that the two giraffes were found deceased after the fire at the zoo on Hunter Mill Road in Vienna was brought under control. No other animals were injured, the department said.
The Zoofari owner received a call around 5:30 p.m. that the barn was on fire, according to the post from the zoo. The zoo website said the fire occurred after the zoo had closed for the day.

Zoom founder Eric Yuan transfers $6bn of his shares

Zoom founder Eric Yuan has transferred about 18 million of his shares worth more than $6bn (£4.4bn), according to a regulatory filing.

Mr Yuan, who is also chief executive of the video-conferencing platform, moved roughly 40% of his stake in the company last week.

The shares were shown as gifts to unspecified beneficiaries last week.

Mr Yuan has seen his personal wealth rocket as Zoom became a household name during pandemic lockdowns.

An increasing number of students and professionals connected online boosting the fortunes of Zoom and its founder.

Mr Yuan started Zoom in 2011 and listed it on the US stock market in 2019, making him a billionaire. He is currently worth $13.7bn, according to Forbes.

A Zoom spokesperson said the transfers were related to Mr Yuan’s estate planning practices. “The distributions were made in accordance with the terms of Eric Yuan and his wife’s trusts.”

Zoom’s shares have nearly tripled in the past 12 months and the company has a market valuation of around $100bn.

“Zoom founder Eric Yuan’s decision to transfer more than a third of his stake will raise some eyebrows,” Edward Moya, at trading firm Oanda, told the BBC.

“While a Zoom spokesperson noted that the transfer is consistent with the Yuans’ typical estate planning practices, investors will be nervous until we find out who is the recipient of the stock,” he added.

“Yuan is only 51, married and has three children, so the distribution of his wealth could be viewed as rushed.”

“In order to avoid further damage to my party, I am resigning with immediate effect”– MP Lobel

An MP from Angela Merkel’s party has stepped down from Germany’s parliament over a scandal about the purchase of face masks during the pandemic.

Nikolas Löbel announced he would leave the CDU party after it emerged that his firm had earned around €250,000 ($300,000) from the sales.

He initially planned to continue as an MP but said on Monday he was stepping down with immediate effect.

Another lawmaker is facing pressure over a similar case.

The news comes just a week before regional elections in two German states, including Mr Löbel’s constituency of Baden-Württemberg, where the sales took place.

As reports of the deal emerged last week, Mr Löbel said he would carry on as a lawmaker until elections in September.

However, he soon faced calls from senior politicians, including the leaders of the CDU and its Bavarian sister party the CSU, to resign his seat in parliament.

MP Lobel

“In order to avoid further damage to my party, I am resigning my parliamentary mandate with immediate effect,” Mr Löbel, 34, announced on Monday.

Another MP involved in a similar scandal about the purchase of face masks, Georg Nüsslein of the CSU, has also announced he is leaving the party and is also facing pressure to leave his seat in parliament.

The controversies come in a key election year for the CDU, with parliamentary elections scheduled for September and Chancellor Angela Merkel set to step down after more than 15 years in office.

However, a poll carried out for the Bild newspaper over the weekend found that support for the CDU/CSDU bloc had fallen to 32% – the lowest figure since the pandemic hit Germany last year.

While Germany was initially praised for its response to the pandemic, the country has struggled to contain a second wave and has been affected by the slow pace of vaccine roll-out across the EU.

Americans that have been fully vaccinated can meet without mask– US CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that fully vaccinated Americans can return to some sense of normalcy.

Those who have received the required jabs can visit with other vaccinated people and some unvaccinated people, according to the new guidelines.

People are considered protected two weeks after they take the final dose of their vaccine, the CDC said.

Over 30 million Americans have been fully vaccinated thus far.

Health officials announced the new safety guidelines at Monday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing.

The recommendations say fully vaccinated Americans can:

  • Meet indoors with other fully vaccinated people without masks or social distancing
  • Meet indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household, if they are at low risk for severe illness from the virus
  • Skip testing or quarantine when exposed to Covid-19, unless symptoms appear

“We’ve begun to describe what a world looks like as we move beyond Covid-19,” senior adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters. “As more and more people get vaccinated… the list of activities will continue to grow.”

Those who are vaccinated are still required to follow other basic safety measures, like wearing masks and socially distancing in public as well as avoiding large crowds and travel.

The guidelines also call for masking and distancing from those who are unvaccinated and who may be at an elevated risk of serious Covid-related complications.

The US has seen a recent uptick in the number of jabs per day. Over 90m vaccines have been administered to date. The approval of the third vaccine, Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose jab, has also helped boost supply.

But health officials also warned that Covid-19 is still a serious concern.

“Over 90% of the population still has not been vaccinated,” CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said.

“Our responsibility is to make sure, in the context of 60,000 new cases a day, that we protect those who are vulnerable.”

The US has reported over 29 million virus cases and 525,000 deaths.

Dr Walensky added that the guidance will continue to be updated “as more people get vaccinated and science and evidence expands”.

Mr Slavitt said it was a “very hopeful morning but with continued warning signs for the future”.

Later on Monday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden will deliver his first primetime address this Thursday to mark one year under Covid-19 lockdown measures.

Last week, Mr Biden said the US will have enough coronavirus vaccines for every adult by the end of May.

Syrian president, wife test positive for coronavirus

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president’s office said Monday

According to AP, both are having only mild symptoms of the illness.

In a statement, Assad’s office said the first couple did PCR tests after they felt minor symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 illness and will return to work after spending between two to three weeks in isolation in their home.

Both were in “good health and in stable condition,” it added.

20 killed, 600 injured as multiple explosions hit Equatorial Guinea military camp

Not less than 20 people have been killed while 600 were injured after four powerful blasts hit the Nkoa Ntoma military camp in the economic capital Bata in Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, the state television reported.

The TVGE channel broadcast footage of wrecked and burning buildings, with people, including children, being pulled from the rubble and the wounded lying on a hospital floor.

The first blast reportedly occurred in the early afternoon and in the early evening with the TVGE referring to heavy “casualties” but said it had not determined whether there were any fatalities.

We heard the explosions and we saw the smoke, but we don’t know what’s going on,” one local resident, Teodoro Nguema, said on television.

The camp houses, among others, elements of the army’s special forces and the paramilitary gendarmerie, a journalist said.

Bata is the largest city in the oil and gas-rich nation, with around 800,000 of the nation’s 1.4 million population living there, most of them in poverty.

While it sits on the mainland, the capital Malabo is on Bioko, one of the country’s islands off the West African coast.

Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by 78-year-old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema for nearly 42 years while his son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, described as jet-setter, the vice president with responsibility for defense and security, often appearing on television accompanied by his Israeli bodyguards.

In December last year, the UN’s top court found in favor of France in a bitter battle over a swanky Paris property seized in a corruption probe into Teodorin.

Opposition figures and international organizations regularly accuse Obiang of committing human rights abuses.

The authoritarian leader has seen off at least half a dozen assassinations or coup attempts to become Africa’s longest-serving leader.

How I Was Almost Killed During #EndSARS Protest —Aisha Yesufu.

She narrated the ordeal that pushed her into the national struggle saying that as a teenager she hated injustice, corruption, poverty ravaging the country.

A human rights activist and co-convener of BringBackOurGirls, Aisha Yesufu, has said she joined the national advocacy shortly after her 40th birthday.

She narrated the ordeal that pushed her into the national struggle saying that as a teenager she hated injustice, corruption, poverty ravaging the country.

Yesufu said this during the International Women’s Month Special on Rubbin’ Minds programme on Channels TV, monitored by SaharaReporters Sunday.

While she said she had been fearless and making demands from life since age 4 despite the environment she grew up in, Yesufu thought she was going to be hit by a bullet and die during the #EndSARS protest last October.

“I have always been at the advocacy work. Remember my demands at the age of 4. That was actually advocating for myself. Anywhere I saw injustice, I never would look the other way.

“And so in 1992, was when I had my first protest and I was in the university. That was my year at the university and I can’t even remember what the protest was all about. There were others and that as far back as 1992.

“On the 10th of October during #EndSARS and that picture that went viral. That was not even the most moment at that event, we were protesting and the police started shooting teargas canisters, everybody ran away.

“I refused to run away, I raised my hand and walked slowly and the police were shooting at me and I could hear the bullets flying. I could see the teargas canister.

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die literally and I said to God, I said look, let it be one single shot and be gone. Because I didn’t want a situation whereby I would be on the floor in pain and some policemen would stand over me and be gloating.”

Speaking on the courage that she has garnered for her to be at the forefront of battles against the excesses of government, she attributed it to reading a lot of books from childhood. She also talked about her financial freedom which has contributed to her voice in society.

“Maybe it was from the books I read because I used to be an avid reader. I was extremely stubborn. Maybe the children called stubborn children, I was one of them. I do not fear any man, I only respect. I was less than 10 when I said to myself that the worst thing any human being can do to me is to kill me and I’m going to die anyway, so that’s not really the worst thing.

“But in the case of national advocacy, for me, it came after my 40th birthday. I turned 40 on the 12 of December, 2013 and I realised I had become the problem of Nigeria. As a teenager I hated Nigeria, I hated the injustice, I hated the corruption, I hated the poverty, I hated the fact that adults were doing nothing while our country was going this way. And one day, I was 40 and I realised I had become the adult who was also doing nothing and there were also children that were my age who were going through so much right now and I said to myself from now on, I am going to focus on national issues. 

“But before I focused on a national issue, I have to work on something and that was my financial independence. Remember, I grew up poor. When you’re poor in Nigeria, you are faceless, nameless, and voiceless. You are seen as nothing. You’re cancelled already and I never wanted that for my life. So, all through up to 40, I worked on my financial independence. I’m a trader, I’m a businesswoman. I buy and sell.

“On that 40th birthday, I said to myself I’m going to give Nigeria the next 40 years of my life if God gives me another 40 years and four months after, Chibok girls happened. And when that happened, I joined the protest, and Nigerians heard me loud and clear.”

There was no fire inside the Presidential Villa– Presidency.

Contrary to reports concerning a fire outbreak in Aso Rock, the nation’s seat of power, on the night of Saturday, March 6, 2021, the presidency has said there was no such incident.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement on Sunday said, ‘there was no fire inside the Presidential Villa.”
Garba, however, clarified that what was speculated to be a fire outbreak around Aso Rock was a bush fire in the area between the Villa and the Barracks, towards Asokoro.

He said, “People in the country and even abroad have been expressing concerns over reports of a fire incident in Aso Rock Villa, the seat of the Nigerian government. I would like to clarify that there was no fire inside the Presidential Villa.
“In the evening of Saturday, March 6, a fire broke out, burning shrubs between the outer wire fence and walls surrounding the Villa, precisely in the area between the Villa and the Barracks, towards Asokoro.


“The fire, as being speculated, might have started from a passerby dropping a burning cigarette. The Federal Fire Service will ascertain the reason for it when they complete their investigation.
“It suffices to say that this bush fire, which started and ended outside the perimeter walls of the Villa, was seamlessly contained by fire stations of the State House and the one nearby from the Federal Fire Service. No loss of life, no loss whatsoever to building and property was recorded.”
The incident comes nine months after a fire incident near the Aso Rock villa chapel in 2020.

Presidency promise to investigate bush fire incident outside Villa.

The Presidency has promised to investigate the “Bush fire incident recorded outside villa perimeter” on Saturday night.

Contrary to the claim made in a viral video that the fire incident was recorded inside the Presidential villa, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the incident was no where near the villa.

In a statement on Sunday, Shehu said the fire that broke out “between the outer wire fence and walls surrounding the Villa.”
He added that the “bush fire” started and ended outside the perimeter walls of the Villa.
“People in the country and even abroad have been expressing concerns over reports of a fire incident in Aso Rock Villa, the seat of the Nigerian government.


“I would like to clarify that there was no fire inside the Presidential Villa.
“In the evening of Saturday, March 6, a fire broke out burning shrubs between the outer wire fence and walls surrounding the Villa, precisely in the area between the Villa and the Barracks, towards Asokoro.
“The fire, as being speculated, might have started from a passer-by dropping a burning cigarette. The Federal Fire Service will ascertain the reason for it when they complete their investigation.
“It suffices to say that this bush fire, which started and ended outside the perimeter walls of the Villa, was seamlessly contained by fire stations of the State House and the one nearby from the Federal Fire Service. No loss of life, no loss whatsoever to building and property was recorded.
“We thank well-meaning Nigerians for expressed concerns.” the statement read.

World’s first space hotel scheduled to open in 2027.

If you’re daydreaming of future travels while stuck at home during the pandemic, why fantasize about the beaches of Bali or the canals of Venice when vacationing in space could be in your future?

Back in 2019, Californian company the Gateway Foundation released plans for a cruise ship-style hotel that could one day float above the Earth’s atmosphere.

Then called the Von Braun Station, this futuristic concept — comprised of 24 modules connected by elevator shafts that make up a rotating wheel orbiting the Earth — was scheduled to be fully operational by 2027.

Fast forward a couple years and the hotel has a new name — Voyager Station — and it’s set to be built by Orbital Assembly Corporation, a new construction company run by former pilot John Blincow, who also heads up the Gateway Foundation.

In a recent interview with CNN Travel, Blincow explained there had been some Covid-related delays, but construction on the space hotel is expected to begin in 2026, and a sojourn in space could be a reality by 2027.

“We’re trying to make the public realize that this golden age of space travel is just around the corner. It’s coming. It’s coming fast,” said Blincow.

Vaccination wasn’t Painful—VP Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday said he did not feel any pinch while being vaccinated against Coronavirus.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Osinbajo got the jab on live TV, a day after the COVID-19 national vaccine programme started with the vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Laolu Akande, Spokesman of the Vice-President, quoted Osinbajo to have said: “The thing was not painful at all. I didn’t even feel the pinch.”

On his part, Buhari called on all eligible Nigerians to present themselves and be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Personal Physician to the President, Dr Sanusi Raafindadi, administered the vaccine to him while that of the Vice President was done by his Personal Physician, Dr Nicholas Audifferen.

Buhari said his decision to take the vaccine in public was ‘‘a demonstration of leadership and faith in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.’’

‘‘I have received my first jab and I wish to commend it to all eligible Nigerians, to do same so that we can be protected from the virus,’’ he said.

Buhari said since the beginning of the year 2020, humanity has remained under the burden of COVID-19 pandemic, an unseen but very potent enemy around the world.

‘‘Infection from the virus has resulted in over two million and five hundred thousand fatalities and destroyed several global and national systems.

‘‘The response in Nigeria and the ECOWAS sub-region has been robust, collaborative and united. It was driven by a collective knowledge of the fact that ‘no country is safe until every country is safe.

‘‘The speedy development of the COVID-19 vaccines is quite significant and underscores the collective resolve of humanity to overcome the pandemic.

‘‘Similarly, the collaborative effort to ensure equal access has brought relief to poor and developing countries,’’ he said.

President Buhari spoke of the assurance by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) that the AstraZeneca vaccine which Nigeria has accessed would arrive in batches beginning with the four million doses already received.

He said the roll out and administration plan would cater for over seventy percent of Nigeria’s population in 2021 and 2022.

In his remarks, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the jab is painless as a narrow gauge syringe was used with small quantity injected in the upper arm, adding that the after effects are mild and little discomfort follows in the area that was injected.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said with the memorable event, vaccine hesitancy had given way to the reality.

British singer, Adele finalises divorce

Grammy Award-winning British singer, Adele has finalized her divorce with her husband, Simon Konecki two years after they separated.

The estranged couple went public about their split about two years ago.

The judgment packet submitted by Adele and Konecki has now been signed by a judge on Thursday, March 4th.

The multiple Grammy award winner filed the packet in which both ex-lovers chose to determine rights to community property and debts through mediation.

Adele and Konecki represented themselves in the case.

The ‘Hello’ crooner and her ex announced their separation in April 2019.

This was after a quiet wedding ceremony in the previous year.

They have a son together named Angelo.

At least 20 killed by suicide car bomb near restaurant in Somalia capital.

At least 20 people were killed and 30 wounded by a suicide car bomb just outside a restaurant near the port in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu late on Friday, an emergency services official said.

The blast sent plumes of smoke into the sky and triggered gunfire, witnesses and state-owned media reported.

“So far we have carried 20 dead people and 30 injured from the blast scene,” Dr. Abdulkadir Aden, founder of AAMIN Ambulance services told Reuters.

The blast occurred at the Luul Yemeni restaurant near the port, witnesses said.

“A speeding car exploded at Luul Yemeni restaurant. I was going to the restaurant but ran back when the blast shook and covered the area with smoke,” resident Ahmed Abdullahi, who lives near the site, told Reuters.

Somalia’s state-controlled Radio Mogadishu reported there was also destruction of property and that police had cordoned off the area.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast.

Islamist group al Shabaab frequently carries out such bombings in Somalia and elsewhere as part of its campaign to topple the Horn of African country’s central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

A-7-Year-Old Alabama Girl Sells Lemonade to Help Fund Her Brain Surgeries.

A 7-year-old from Alabama – faced with the daunting cost of upcoming brain surgeries – has helped her family raise more than $315,000 to help pay for the procedures.

Liza Scott was determined to alleviate some of the financial burdens off of her mother after finding out last month that she needs to have multiple surgeries to treat three rare brain malformations.

So, she put her homemade lemonade stand to use.

That stand, coupled with her online fundraiser, “Lemonade for Liza – Zest for Life w/ Brain Surgery” helped pave the way for her upcoming surgeries at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Liza’s mother, Elizabeth Scott, told Fox News that her daughter has always tried to “lift a bit of the burden” around the house. This is the latest example of that.

When Elizabeth Scott is not running the family business, Savage’s Bakery, she is taking care of Liza and her 3-year-old brother, Finnley.

“Liza has always shown the initiative to step up and take part in helping with things around the house or at the bakery even when it’s not expected or asked,” Elizabeth Scott said.

“Liza has always shown the initiative to step up and take part in helping with things around the house or at the bakery even when it’s not expected or asked,” Elizabeth Scott said.

After the 7-year-old suffered a grand mal seizureat the end of January, doctors at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham uncovered multiple cerebral malformations in her brain that need “immediate attention”

The surgeries are to help prevent Liza from having any further seizures as well as possible brain bleeds, hemorrhages or strokes, according to her fundraising page.

Liza had insisted that she help raise funds necessary to cover some of the costs and within a matter of days she set up shop inside her family’s bakery in Homewood.

Source: Fox News

Large Protest hits Senegal

Large protests have hit Senegal for a third day as demonstrators burnt cars and clashed with police after the arrest of an opposition leader on Wednesday.

Ousmane Sonko appeared in court on Friday accused of disrupting public order. He also faces a rape allegation.

He denies the allegations and his supporters say the accusations are politically motivated.

At least one person has died in the rare nationwide unrest.

Senegal is one of West Africa’s most stable countries.

On Friday police fired tear gas at Mr Sonko’s supporters in the capital Dakar where some shops and schools closed during the protests.

Police also blocked motorbikes and mopeds, which are popular among Mr Sonko’s young supporters, from the city’s streets.

Cars were burnt near the headquarters of a radio station thought to be close to Senegal's government
image captionCars were burnt near the headquarters of a radio station thought to be close to Senegal’s government

Demonstrators have gathered in the city’s surrounding areas and in the southern city of Bignona, a stronghold of Mr Sonko.

Two private TV channels that covered the protests have been suspended for 72 hours by the government.

On Thursday Internet monitor NetBlocks said access to social media and messaging apps was restricted.

Senegal’s government has condemned the protests as a “flagrant violation” of the state of emergency put in place to tackle coronavirus.

The unrest is rare in the West African country
image captionThe unrest is rare in the West African country

The United Nations’ special envoy for West Africa Mohamed Ibn Chambas has appealed for calm.

Mr Sonko, 46, was accused of rape in February by a woman who worked in a beauty salon.

Police have used tear gas against protesters in the capital Dakar
image captionPolice have used tear gas against protesters in the capital Dakar

Following an investigation he was arrested on Wednesday and taken to court accompanied by a group of supporters.

Police said they then arrested him for disrupting public order when he refused to change his route to the court.

Mr Sonko says the allegations of rape are fabricated. He accuses Senegal’s President Macky Sall of trying to remove potential opponents ahead of the 2024 election. Two other opposition leaders were excluded from the 2019 election after being convicted on charges which they say were politically motivated.

There are reports that Mr Sall may seek to change the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.

Ousmane Sonko, 46, is popular among Senegal's youth
image captionOusmane Sonko, 46, is popular among Senegal’s youth

Mr Sonko is the president’s only remaining serious challenger, BBC Afrique’s Ndèye Khady Lo in Dakar says.

She explains that the opposition politician is particularly popular with young Senegalese for his promise of radical opposition to what he calls “the system”.

In 2014 he founded his own political party, Nastef, and came third in the 2019 presidential election with 15% of the vote.

In a video recorded and shared on social media in 2018, Mr Sonko told activists: “There is enormous potential in this country. It is unacceptable to see suffering of our people” adding “our politicians are criminals. Those who have ruled Senegal from the beginning deserve to be shot.”