According to IMF, Africa ‘needs $1.2tn’ to recover coronavirus losses
The economic damage as well as the health costs caused by coronavirus has left Africa needing $1.2tn (£920bn) over the next three years, the International Monetary Fund has said.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said the world “must do more to support Africa to [recover]… from this crisis”.
Africa has had fewer Covid infections and deaths than most other continents.
But the World Bank says 43 million more Africans are at risk of extreme poverty as a result of the pandemic.
The economic impact is reversing the trend in recent years of strong growth in Africa, as jobs have been lost and family incomes have been reduced by 12%, Ms Georgieva told a virtual IMF meeting.
To help soften the blow, many African governments have introduced mitigation policies which have cost 2.5% of GDP, she added.
The IMF has given African countries about $26bn to cushion the impact but even with the help of private lenders and other countries’ assistance there is still a huge shortfall in funding.
“Some countries are confronting high debt burdens forcing them to choose between debt service and additional social and health spending,” the IMF chief said.
As a means to help, she called for an extension of the moratorium by the G20 of debt repayments and wanted more funds to be available to lend.
There have been more than 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa and nearly 37,000 people have died.
The North Korean leader said there had been no cases of Covid-19 in the country
North Korea held a rare night time military parade on Saturday, attended by leader Kim Jong-un.
The parade marked the 75th anniversary of the Worker’s Party.
North Korea typically uses its parades to show off new missiles and weaponry. Experts say intercontinental ballistic missiles were evident during Saturday morning’s event.
It is the country’s first parade in two years and comes just weeks ahead of the US presidential election.
North Korea had not featured ballistic missiles in its parades since President Donald Trump and Mr Kim held their first summit in 2018.
According to South Korea’s military, the parade was held before dawn on Saturday. It is not yet known why the event was held so early.
No foreign media or foreigners were allowed at the event, so analysts are relying on edited state-media footage which is being released to assess the parade.
During the parade
Images showed Mr Kim wearing a grey western-style suit, receiving flowers from children.
In a speech, he said the country would continue to “strengthen” its military for “self-defence and deterrence”.
He also said he was grateful that no North Koreans have contracted Covid-19.
“I wish good health to all the people around the world who are fighting the ills of this evil virus,” he said.
Despite claiming the country has no cases of coronavirus, Mr Kim continues to hold high-level meetings to ensure tight restrictions remain in place.
Analysts have said it is highly unlikely that North Korea has not experienced any coronavirus cases at all.
There was no sign of anyone wearing masks during the parade. However there were far fewer people involved in the event than usual, AFP news agency reports.
North Korea closed its borders to the outside world in January to prevent an outbreak of Covid-19 spreading from neighbouring China.
Image captionSatellite imagery had spotted people practicing for weeks
Authorities have reportedly issued “shoot-to-kill” orders along the border and created a buffer zone to stop anyone entering the country.
Last month Mr Kim apologised for the fatal shooting of a South Korean. South Korea said the 47-year-old man was found by troops while floating in the North’s waters. He was then shot dead and his body was set alight, according to Seoul.
For weeks, satellite imagery has shown thousands of people practicing for Saturday’s parade.
Foreign officials in Pyongyang had been told to avoid travelling through the city, going near the event venue and taking photos of the event.
US President Donald Trump has completed his course of treatment for Covid-19 and can return to public engagements this weekend, his physician has said.
Dr Sean Conley said the president had responded “extremely well” to medication and had “remained stable”.
Mr Trump later said he would probably take another Covid test on Friday and hoped to hold a rally over the weekend.
Critics have accused the White House of avoiding questions about Mr Trump’s health and testing in recent days.
A White House spokeswoman said the president wanted to return to the campaign trail this weekend.
But an administration official later said Trump was unlikely to travel so soon because the logistics of organising events at short notice was problematic. An appearance is more likely on Monday, they said.
The president is also set to have a televised “medical evaluation” on Fox News on Friday evening.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in Washington, on Friday announced legislation to establish a commission to assess a president’s fitness for office.
Mrs Pelosi said it was not meant to rule on Mr Trump’s condition, but any serious consideration of the measure is unlikely.
What’s this commission about?
Democrats are focusing on a clause in the 25th Amendment that allows a president to be removed from office against their will because of a physical or mental incapacity.
The amendment was introduced after the 1963 assassination of President John F Kennedy to clarify issues around the transfer of presidential powers. It can only be invoked if the vice-president and a majority of cabinet secretaries or Congress agree.
Democrats are looking to set up mechanisms that would enable Congress to have more say on a president’s fitness.
Conservatives say this is a political move to attack Mr Trump’s health ahead of the election.
On Friday, Mrs Pelosi said the move was “not about President Trump”, who “will face the judgment of the voters”.
“This legislation applies to future presidents but we are reminded of the necessity of action by the health of the current president.”
Previewing the legislation on Thursday, Mrs Pelosi told reporters that serious questions concerning Mr Trump’s health were still unanswered, and described the president as being in an “altered state”.
Mr Trump called Ms Pelosi “crazy” and said she was “the one who should be under observation”.
What’s the latest on Trump’s health?
Speaking on Fox News late on Thursday, Mr Trump said he was feeling “really good” and hoped to hold a campaign rally on Saturday evening, possibly in Florida.
The president was also heard clearing his throat and coughing during the interview. At one point, he appeared to mute his mic after needing to clear his throat.
Fox News has since said that Mr Trump will appear for a televised “medical evaluation” on Friday at 20:00ET (01:00BST). It will be his first on-camera interview since his diagnosis and he will undergo an evaluation by Dr Mark Siegel, a Fox contributor.
Earlier this week, White House doctor Dr Conley had said that if the president’s condition remained the same or improved throughout the weekend and into Monday, “we will all take that final, deep sigh of relief”.
Although the names of many people who have interacted with the president and tested positive are now known, it remains unclear just how many were exposed at the White House. New Covid safety measures are in place there.
One of the top Republicans, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, said on Thursday that he had not been to the White House since 6 August because its approach to handling Covid with social distancing and masks was “different from mine and what I suggested we do in the Senate”.
A tragic incident was recorded in Benin, Edo state’s capital ,Nigeria on Friday October 9, as 7 members of a family died of food poisioning.
The Nation reported that the incident occurred at Number 4k0, Otete Street, off Textile Mill Road, Ogida Quarters, Benin, in Egor Local Government Area of Edo state.
Mrs Christy Igbinadolor whose apartment is opposite the house of the victims, said the corpses were discovered shortly after a man came to ask her about the victims while she was studying the Bible. She told him to knock on the door and report to a nearby police station if he gets no response.
After the man returned with the police and broke down the door, some of the victims were found dead while others who were unconscious were rushed to the Edo state government-owned Central Hospital Benin.
The head of the family said to be an evangelist who lost his pastor wife five days earlier (last Sunday), was not at home at the time of the incident but returned when alerted.
It was gathered that man’s children were the ones staying in the house. Among victims of the incident were two of the man’s children who stay elsewhere, but decided to return to Benin to mourn their late mother.
Frank Mba,Nigerian Police Force Public Officer has opined that some social media celebrities are using the End SARS campaign to grow their fan base.
He further noted that these celebrities are seeking public validation.
Frank Mba said in an Interview yesterday;
“I have seen some of those who are pushing for end SARS who are just pseudo-activists, people who are desperate for public validation, people who are looking to be seen as social media influencers and I will tell you these are the people that post false items, fake news.”
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday finally reacted for the call to end the Special Anti-Robbery Squad over their alleged brutality in the country.
Nigerians have been protesting against the activities of the police operatives for some past few days.
Buhari in a statement released on Friday night noted that he had met with the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
The president expressed his determination to reform the Police Force and ensure that officers are fully accountable to Nigerians.
Few minutes ago, the president of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the on going “END SARS” protest in Nigeria.
He stated the following;
“I met again with the IGP tonight. Our determination to reform the police should never be in doubt. I am being briefed regularly on the reform efforts ongoing to end police brutality and unethical conduct, and ensure that the Police are fully accountable to the people.”
“The IG already has my firm instructions to conclusively address the concerns of Nigerians regarding these excesses, & ensure erring personnel are brought to justice. I appeal for patience & calm, even as Nigerians freely exercise their right to peacefully make their views known.”
“The vast majority of men and women of the Nigeria Police Force are patriotic and committed to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians, and we will continue to support them to do their job.”
The Nigerian Police force has released statements on Twitter to address the “END SARS” protest and the killings associated with it.
Below are the statements;
“ENDSARS PROTESTERS GO BERSERK – MURDER 1 POLICEMAN, INJURE ANOTHER IN DELTA, STEAL AK47 RIFLE WITH 25 ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION.”
“The Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has condemned the unprovoked and violent attack on policemen and damage to police operational vehicles and other assets by ENDSARS protesters in Ughelli, Delta State, on Thursday, 8th October, 2020.”
“The incident which resulted in the unfortunate death of one Police officer, Corporal Etaga Stanley attached to ‘A’ Division, Ughelli, Delta State who was attacked and brutally murdered by the protesters also left another, Sergeant Patrick Okuone with serious body injury sustained from gunshot by the protesters. The protesters also carted away one (1) service AK47 rifle with breach no 56-2609008 and 25 rounds of live ammunition that was with the deceased at the time of the incident.”
“The IGP, who described the incident as cruel and unwarranted, has warned that the Force will no longer tolerate any attack on its personnel or any member of the law enforcement community by any individual or group protesting under any guise.”
“The IGP notes that protest by citizens remain a legitimate means for airing their concerns and views. It must however be carried out with all sense of responsibility and within the confines of the law.”
“The IGP, while condoling the family and friends of the late Corporal Etaga Stanley who paid the supreme price in the service of our dear nation, equally commended the officers of the Delta State Police Command for exercising restraint in the face of the immoral and unjustified provocation.”
“Meanwhile, the IGP has directed the Commissioner of Police, Delta State to carry out a discrete investigation into the unfortunate incident, root-out the perpetrators and bring the killer protesters to book.”
Below are snapshots of the original tweets as posted by the Nigerian Police force.
The chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has said he will resume his trial only when his doctor gives him a clean bill of health. Maina, who claimed to be suffering from knee injuries, spoke in a recorded video clip which circulated online on Thursday.
The about six-and-a-half-minute-long video clip showed him fielding questions from an unseen “journalist” who claimed to have embarked on an “independent investigation” to verify if Maina had jumped bail as being speculated in the media.
Maina was shown lying in a bed as he fielded questions, with his son, Faisal, who is also being prosecuted for separate charges, seated beside him.
The left knee, which he claimed was injured, was not shown in the clip, Punch reports.
Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly laundering N2bn, has been absent from court on seven consecutive occasions since September 29, 2020, when his trial was scheduled to have resumed.
On October 2, Borno South Senator Ali Ndume, who stood surety for Maina to enable him to get bail, told Justice Okon Abang that he could no longer find the defendant.
But Maina, who was in hiding for about two years before he was re-arrested by the EFCC last year, said in the video clip that he had not absconded from his ongoing trial.
Asked when he would resume his trial, he said, “The doctors are here. You need to ask the doctors. But what they told me was that I would need six to seven weeks for recovery.”
But when asked further if he was ready for his trial, he said, “Of course I am ready, as soon as I am healed.”
“They told me that the next knee cap, they may not be able to do it here,” Maina added.
Asked to respond to specific allegations that he had jumped bail, Maina said, “You have done your independent investigation. You were able to get my location Punch reports.
“Now, you have seen me. You have seen the situation , and you can tell whether or not I am running away from my trial.”
Maina also alleged that the judge had in the course of the trial shown bias against him, citing an occasion when the judge asked him to stop gazing at him.
He said, “My lawyer asked him why, and he said ‘I don’t want him to look at me because I have a wife and children, and I want them alive’. Does that suggest that looking at him would kill his wife and children?”
At a news conference, RKI President Lothar Wieler said Germans must be wary of what he called the “prevention paradox” – the feeling that measures were no longer needed because case numbers were relatively low.
“The current situation worries me a lot. We don’t know how the situation in Germany will develop in the coming weeks. It’s possible we’ll see more than 10,000 new cases a day, it’s possible the virus will spread out of control,” he said.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn praised the German people for their “prudent actions” in integrating the rules into their day-to-day lives, but added: “We must not gamble away this achievement.”
He pointed the finger at large groups of socialising young people, who “think they are invincible”, for failing to follow the rules on social distancing and hygiene and welcomed the curfews on evening entertainment introduced by Berlin and Frankfurt.
As the autumn school holidays get under way in Germany, rules for domestic travel have also been tightened and include a ban on overnight stays in hotels or holiday apartments for anyone coming from “risk zones” where infection rates top 50 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Germans have also been urged to avoid travelling abroad during the holiday period.
There are already bans on large gatherings in areas with high infection rates, testing at airports for people arriving from high-risk countries and fines for anyone failing to wear face coverings in shops or on public transport
Protests have been held in several cities in Algeria to demand action to stop violence against women following the rape and murder of a teenager.
The charred body of Chaïma, 19, was found in a deserted petrol station in Thenia, 80 km (50 miles) east of the capital Algiers, this month.
Her killer confessed to the crime and is under arrest, local media say.
There are also reports that the charred body of another woman was found in a forest overnight.
Women held sit-in protests in Algiers and Oran, chanting Chaïma’s first name and calling for an end to gender-based violence. Activists also took to social media with the hashtag #JeSuisChaima (I am Chaïma).
Activists say there was a heavy police presence despite the small protests.
Chaïma’s body was found burnt
“This government offers no shelters or mechanisms to protect the victims from their torturers, this government says it has laws, but in reality women are asked to forgive their aggressor, be it their brother or their father or whatever,” one woman at the rally in Algiers said.
“Women file a complaint and wait three or four years for it to be resolved and for a judgement to be rendered. These are unacceptable conditions. Algeria is for Algerian men and women.”
Chaïma’s mother said the suspect had attempted to rape her daughter in 2016, when she was 15, but the case was dropped.
Femicides Algeria group, which tracks such killings, says 38 women have been killed on account of their gender in the country since the start of the year. They recorded 60 in 2019, but believe the actual number is far higher as many such killings go unreported.
The FBI says it has thwarted a plot to abduct and overthrow Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Mrs Whitmer has become a target of coronavirus sceptics after enacting strict mitigation measures that were overturned by a judge last week.
Officials say the kidnapping plot involved six men who planned to hold a “treason trial” for her.
“Hatred, bigotry and violence have no place” in Michigan, Mrs Whitmer said, describing the accused as “depraved”.
According to a sworn FBI affidavit, an undercover law enforcement source attended a June meeting in Dublin, Ohio, where a group of Michigan-based militia members discussed overthrowing state governments “that they believed were violating the US Constitution”.
Media captionOfficials say the alleged plot involved kidnapping Mrs Whitmer from her holiday home
“Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,” the charging document states. In one video, a suspect denounced the state’s role in deciding when to reopen gyms during the coronavirus lockdown.
Those arrested include Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, Brandon Casert and Ty Garbin, whose home was raided by authorities on Wednesday.
The group wished to gather about “200 men” to storm the capitol building and take hostages, including the governor. They hoped to enact their plan before the November presidential election. If that failed, they planned to attack the governor at her home, officials say.
The accused “co-ordinated surveillance of the governors’ vacation home”, said the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, adding that they also planned Molotov cocktail attacks on police officers, purchased a taser, and pooled their funds to purchase explosives and tactical equipment.
The six men – five of whom are from Michigan and one from Delaware – allegedly planned to hold a “treason trial” against Mrs Whitmer.
Media caption Michigan protesters
The accused held weapons training in several states, and at times attempted to create bombs, the FBI says, adding that their training was captured on video.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, said that separate to the kidnapping charges, seven members of the “wolverine watchmen” militia will be charged by the state with gang affiliation and providing material support to terrorists. Mrs Nessel said the arrested militia members hoped to start a civil war.
“Michigan law enforcement officers are united in our commitment to rooting out terrorism in any form and we will take swift action against anyone seeking to cause violence or harm in our state,” Colonel Joe Gasper, director of the Michigan State Police, said in a statement announcing charges against the “wolverine watchmen”.
In a press conference on Thursday, the governor tied the plot against her to the rhetoric of President Donald Trump, who she said has spent the last several months “stoking distrust, fomenting anger and giving comfort to those who spread fear and hatred and division”.
The governor pointed to Mr Trump’s failure to condemn white supremacists at the first presidential debate, calling his remarks a “rallying cry” for hate groups. He later disavowed such organisations in an interview with Fox News.
Numerous violent incidents have been linked to citizen militia groups across the US in recent years. Adherents, who are often white men, sometimes brandish weapons during protests. The Department of Homeland Security warned this week in an annual report that violent white supremacy was the “most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland”.
Mrs Whitmer’s lockdown orders drew thousand of protesters to the state capitol, where many compared her to German dictator Adolf Hitler. In April, Mr Trump cast support for the protesters, tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”.
In May, armed protesters opposed to lockdown stormed the state capitol.
“None of us has faced a challenge like Covid-19,” Mrs Whitmer said on Thursday. “We are not one another’s enemy. This virus is our enemy, and this enemy is relentless.”
Last Friday, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that Mrs Whitmer did not have the legal authority to issue emergency executive orders and that that responsibility belonged to the state’s legislature.
Following the ruling, the attorney who argued the case before the top court advised citizens to “burn your masks”, which health officials say are necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Spain abortion: Government works to repeal parental consent rule
Equality Minister Irene Montero
The Spanish government has said it wants to change the law to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to seek an abortion without parental permission.
Equality Minister Irene Montero said women should have the right to “decide about their bodies”.
In 2015, the ruling Popular Party (PP) changed Spain’s abortion laws and mandated parental consent for those aged between 16 and 18.
It is important to know that abortion is legal in Spain in the first 14 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy.
On Wednesday, Ms Montero said the reform was “more than necessary”.
She added that other measures would be introduced, including a greater focus on sex education which she described as a “vaccine” in the fight against gender violence.
The law change would also include the right to the “newest forms” of contraception, the minister told a parliamentary commission.
The government is aiming to repeal the reform – introduced by the PP in 2015 – which established the obligation of parental consent in the case of girls between 16 and 18-years-old who wanted to end their pregnancy.
But to be able to change that rule they would need the backing of an absolute majority in parliament, which is 176 votes
Abortion was first legalised in Spain in 1985 in cases of rape or physical damage to the mother or child.
The scope of the law was broadened in 2010 by the last socialist government, which allowed abortion up to 22 weeks in cases of foetal deformities.
In 2014, then Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dropped plans to limit abortion to cases of rape or where the mother’s health was at serious risk.
The proposals drew widespread opposition and prompted dissent in Mr Rajoy’s Popular Party, despite being part of its election programme in 2011.
The government instead changed the law to stop 16 and 17-year-olds having an abortion without parental consent.
Nicola Sturgeon announces tougher restrictions for pubs and restaurants
All pubs and restaurants across central Scotland are to be closed under new measures aimed at tackling a surge in coronavirus cases.
The new rules will apply to licensed premises across the central belt, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Pubs and restaurants will be able to open in other parts of Scotland – but can only serve alcohol outdoors.
The new rules, which will be in force from 18:00 on Friday until 25 October, apply to about 3.4 million people.
They cover people living in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Lothian and Ayrshire and Arran health board areas.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the restrictions were “intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection”.
She warned that without taking action, the country risks “returning to the peak level of infection by the end of the month”.
But she admitted that the new rules would be disruptive to many businesses and would be unwelcome to many people.
The Scottish Hospitality Group, which includes many of the the country’s best known pubs and restaurants, accused the first minister of “effectively signing a death sentence” for many businesses.
And the Federation of Small Businesses said the move would have a major knock on impact across other parts of the economy, including tourism.
Opposition parties have called for more detail on a £40m support package for affected business that was announced by Ms Sturgeon, and have questioned the need for the blanket closure of pubs and restaurants.
The new rules for the five central belt areas are:
all licensed premises – with the exception of hotels for residents – will be required to close indoors and outdoors, although takeaways will be permitted
cafes which do not have an alcohol licence will be able to stay open until 18:00
snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling alleys, casinos and bingo halls will also close in the five health board areas for two weeks from 10 October
contact sports for people aged 18 and over will be suspended for the next two weeks – with an exception for professional sports
indoor group exercise activities will not be allowed, although the current rules will remain in place for under 18s and gyms can remain open for individual exercise
outdoor live events will not be permitted for the next fortnight.
There will be no travel ban in any of the areas, but people in the central belt have been urged to avoid public transport unless it is “absolutely necessary”.
And they have also been advised not to travel outside of the health board area they live in if they do not need to.
Throughout the pandemic Scotland has tended to adopt a slightly more cautious approach than England.
It has imposed more restrictions and lifted them more slowly in general. The latest move is in line with that trend.
There is little difference in overall infection rates. Scotland has seen 85 cases per 100,000 in the past week, compared to England’s 109.
The measures imposed by the Scottish government are focussed on areas with the highest infection rates.
But those places are some way below the levels seen in England’s hotspots.
Cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle have seen around 500 cases per 100,000 people over the past week – that is more than twice the level of infection in Glasgow for example.
But the differences between the two nations should not mask the growing concern there is in England about the infection rates, particularly in the north of country.
Senior ministers and their advisers are today discussing whether extra steps are needed south of the border.
The problem is action to supress the virus has negative consequences too.
In other parts of the country, pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will be able to open indoors until 18:00 – but only to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks.
However, they will be able to serve alcohol in outdoor settings such as beer gardens until 22:00, with the current rules on no more than six people from two households remaining in place.
And the existing rules will continue to apply to weddings that have already been booked, and funerals, in all parts of Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said regulations would be introduced to extend the mandatory use of face coverings in indoor communal settings such as staff canteens and workplace corridors.
Shops across Scotland will be asked to return to 2m physical distancing from this weekend, and to reintroduce measures such as one-way systems.
It comes as Scotland recorded more than 1,000 new confirmed cases of the virus in a single day for the first time – although the country is doing far more testing now than at the height of the pandemic earlier in the year.
The R number is currently believed to be higher in Scotland than in other UK nations, and the number of people dying or in hospital with the virus has increased over the past week.
The number of UK cases rose by 14,162 on Wednesday. This was a slight drop on Tuesday’s figure, but the seven-day rolling average is still pointing upwards.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said the “vast majority” of pubs and restaurants had worked hard to ensure the safety of their staff and customers.
Beer gardens outside of the central belt will be able to serve alcohol until 22:00
But she added: “Indoor environments, where different households from different age groups can mix, inevitably present a risk of transmission.
“That risk can be increased in some hospitality premises if good ventilation is difficult, and if it is hard to control the movement of people.
“And the presence of alcohol can of course affect people’s willingness to physically distance.”
Scottish Conservative group leader Ruth Davidson criticised a lack of detail over the £40m support package that was announced by the first minister.
Ms Davidson said: “These businesses deserve better. They need to know how much they can apply for, when they can apply for it and how long they will have to wait before support reaches them.
“Those answers could have been provided today, but Nicola Sturgeon failed to do that.”
And Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the government should target premises which break the rules “instead of shutting down every single business”.
The daily coronavirus death toll is on the worrying trajectory in Iran, where a record 239 died with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
That increase brings Iran’s overall death toll to 27,658 since the pandemic began, the country’s health ministry reported on Wednesday. It has the highest official death toll and confirmed number of infections in the Middle East, according to Johns Hopkins University.
A further 4,019 cases were also registered on 7 October, pushing the total number of people who have officially tested positive in the country to 483,844. Today’s rise in infections is the second highest since the outbreak began, the highest being 4,151 a day earlier.
Authorities have attributed the rise in cases to an increase in testing and people flouting social-distancing rules.
After a trial lasting more than five years, the leadership of Greece’s neo-Nazi party has been convicted of running a criminal organisation.
Big crowds gathered outside the court in Athens as the judges gave verdicts on 68 defendants.
The criminal inquiry into the party began with the murder of an anti-fascist rapper in 2013.
Leader Nikos Michaloliakos and six colleagues were convicted of heading a criminal group. Supporter Giorgos Roupakias was found guilty of murdering an anti-racist musician and 15 others were convicted of conspiracy in the case.
Some 2,000 police were deployed around Athens Appeals Court as thousands of protesters demanded long jail terms, carrying banners that read “fear will not win” and “Nazis in prison”, Greek media reported.
Tear gas was fired into the crowd as some of the protesters clashed with police and threw petrol bombs.
image captionThousands of people crowded outside the court building in the centre of Athens
Eleven of the defendants were in the court when the verdict was read out, journalist Dmitris Parras told the BBC, along with 50 attorneys and 50 journalists.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said the verdict was an important day for the country’s democracy.
Hundreds of witnesses gave evidence in the trial, which was delayed this year by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Who was on trial?
At the centre of the trial are Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos and 18 ex-MPs who were elected in 2012 when the neo-Nazi party came third in national elections on an anti-immigrant, nationalist platform. Golden Dawn no longer has any MPs in parliament.
image captionGolden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos, an admirer of the Nazis, formed the party in the 1980s
After they won almost 7% of the vote in May 2012, emboldened supporters attacked political opponents and migrants.
Golden Dawn supporter Giorgos Roupakias had already confessed to the murder of rapper Pavlos Fyssas. The musician was chased down by thugs and stabbed in Piraeus in September 2013.
As the verdict was delivered, Fyssas’s mother Magda cried out, “Pavlos made it, my son!”.
What were the verdicts?
The key verdict on Wednesday was that Golden Dawn – Chrysi Avgi in Greek – was a criminal group. Its leadership was found guilty of running it.
They included Michaloliakos and six former MPs – Ilias Kasidiaris, Ioannis Lagos, Christos Pappas, Artemis Matthaiopoulos, Ilias Panagiotaros and Giorgos Germenis. The other ex-MPs were found guilty of joining a criminal organisation.
image captionMagda Fyssa, the mother of murdered anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas, reacted to the verdicts in courts
The three judges, led by Maria Lepeniotou, were due to deliver sentencing later.
As well as the deadly stabbing of Pavlos Fyssas, defendants in the trial were also convicted of other violent attacks on migrants and left-wing political opponents.
image captionPavlos Fyssas died after he was set upon by thugs outside a cafe in Keratsini in Piraeus
Five Golden Dawn members were convicted of the attempted murders of Egyptian fishermen and four of the attempted murder of communist activists in the PAME union.
Who is their leader?
Nikos Michaloliakos founded the movement in the mid-1980s and was admirer of Nazism and a Holocaust denier, giving the Hitler salute at party rallies.
But he had always denied any knowledge of the Pavlos Fyssas murder. When police raided his home in 2013, they found weapons and ammunition.
Golden Dawn officially denied being a neo-Nazi movement, but its badge closely resembled a swastika, some senior members praised Adolf Hitler, and the clothing of choice at anti-immigrant protests was black T-shirts and combat trousers.
Witnesses told the trial that members were trained to handle weapons and used Nazi symbols.
Last December, chief prosecutor Adamantia Economou prompted uproar, with a call for the party officials to be cleared, arguing there was no evidence they had any part in planning or carrying out the series of attacks.https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.35.13/iframe.htmlmedia captionMourners laid tributes after Pavlos Fyssas’s death, as Mark Lowen reports
How has Greece reacted
There has been disgust at Golden Dawn across the political spectrum in Greece. The verdict was praised as “just” and “historic” by Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who was president of Greece until earlier this year.
Centre-left political leader Fofi Gennimata said the decision sent a strong message to Europe that “fascism has no place in our lives”.
At the weekend, centre-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote of Greece’s “traumatic, painful, and unfortunately, very bloody” experience of Golden Dawn, while ultimately praising the country’s democratic success in getting rid of it both in parliament and daily life.
Left-wing opposition leader Alexis Tsipras was adamant that “members of this criminal gang must go to prison”.
Nils Muiznieks of Amnesty International said the trial had been a serious test for Greek justice but that a “clear and unequivocal message” could help deter future racist violence.
Meanwhile, the Jewish cemetery in Athens was daubed this week with anti-Semitic graffiti and Nazi slogans, prompting condemnation from Greek ministers and the Jewish community
The anti-cybercrime department of the Cambodia Police has arrested two Nigerians, Makcava Femi Wisdom, 28, and Spark Onwa, 33 over an alleged online scam.
Also arrested was a 33-year-old Cambodian woman, Thon Sarem.
General Lieutenant Neth Savoeun, the director of National Police, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
According to Savoeun, the arrest was carried out by officers led by lieutenant Chea Pove, and coordinated by the Phnom Penh court prosecutor, on October 1.
He said they were brought to the Department of Technology Crimes for processing and later sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for legal action following a complaint.
The PM made a speech at the virtual Tory party conference and even ardent supporters would have to join in with Government critics and agree there was an awful lot of wind in the speech as the Prime Minister pledged a new concentration on creating clean energy sources, mainly wind.
Mr Johnson at one point stated: “As Saudi Arabia is to oil, the UK is to wind.”
With almost Trumpian bravado, Mr Johnson challenged the naysayers to physical jousts to prove his point, saying: “I could refute these critics of my athletic abilities in any way they want: arm-wrestle, leg-wrestle, Cumberland wrestle, sprint-off, you name it”
In a wide-ranging speech full of ambition but, as ever, lacking in detail he also promised to “fix the injustice of care home funding” by “bringing the magic of averages to the rescue of millions”, although aides were unable to set out what he meant.
He wanted to explore the use of one-to-one teaching for gifted pupils or those in danger of falling behind, saying it could be “transformational”.
Johnson also attacked “lefty human rights lawyers and other do-gooders” who had “hamstrung” the legal system.
Drivel
He shook off any doubters that he was too physically unfit for the job, saying “and of course this is self-evident drivel, the kind of seditious propaganda that you would expect from people who don’t want this Government to succeed, who wanted to stop us delivering Brexit and all our other manifesto pledges.”
Then the PM discussed his own experience with Covid. Johnson said he was “too fat” and had lost 26 pounds since he had the disease. The he went revealed himself to be a fan of 90s dance and soul band M People
He referenced one of the band’s biggest hits Search For The Hero, saying: “I am going to continue that diet, because you’ve got to search for the hero inside yourself in the hope that that individual is considerably slimmer.”
As you can imagine this comment left many on social media bemused.
One half of the award went to the American mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose who had in 1965 shown that Einstein’s theory of relativity led to the formation of black holes that engulf everything, including light because of the massive gravitational pull. Not even Albert Einstein thought that black holes could actually exist.
One half of the award went to the American mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose. The other half of the prize was shared by the German astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel and American astronomer Andrea M Ghez whose groups have been focussing at a region called Sagittarius A* at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. (AGENCIES.)
One half of the award went to the American mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose who had in 1965 shown that Einstein’s theory of relativity led to the formation of black holes that engulf everything, including light because of the massive gravitational pull. Not even Albert Einstein thought that black holes could actually exist.
To prove that black hole formation is a stable process, Penrose needed to expand the methods used to study the theory of relativity with new mathematical concepts. It is still regarded as the most important contribution to the general theory of relativity since Einstein.
Earlier this year, researchers from Glasgow University used a ring of speakers and a sound-absorbing disk to practically demonstrate how energy can be obtained from a black hole as predicted by Penrose in 1969.
The other half of the prize was shared by the German astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel and American astronomer Andrea M Ghez whose groups have been focussing at a region called Sagittarius A* at the centre of Milky Way galaxy.
With this, Ghez became the fourth woman to have received the award since 1901 when it was first given out. The other three are Donna Strickland who got it in 2018, Maria Geopperts-Mayer in 1963, and Marie Curie in 1903. Curie is also the only woman and one of four people to have received a second Nobel Prize; she received the Chemistry prize in 1911.
By mapping the orbits of the brightest stars in the region, both the groups observed that there was something both invisible and heavy forcing the stars to swirl around. This object has a mass of four million suns squeezed in a region not larger than our solar system. According to the current theory of gravity, there is only one candidate fitting the description – a supermassive black hole.
“The discoveries of this year’s Laureates have broken new ground in the study of compact and supermassive objects. But these exotic objects still pose many questions that beg for answers and motivate future research. Not only questions about their inner structure, but also questions about how to test our theory of gravity under the extreme conditions in the immediate vicinity of a black hole”, said David Haviland, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics in a release.
Mikhail Mishustin PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA contracted the virus in late April, forcing him to step down and hand over power to his deputy at the peak of coronavirus infections in Russia. Mr Mishustin, 54, had only been appointed four months previously and had been overseeing Moscow’s handling of the pandemic at the time of his positive test. His sickness — alongside a handful of other cabinet members and president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman — came as Russia’s virus cases grew at the fastest rate outside the US, undercutting Kremlin assurances that the situation was under control.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has recovered from coronavirus, a week after testing positive for the infection. Pashinyan on June 1 said that he and his family members have been tested for COVID-19.
The Armenian leader, in a Facebook post, said he and his family members’ test results have come negative.
“We have just received the results of repeated tests on members of my family. The results of all of our tests were negative.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
