The economy of South Africa, the continent’s most advanced, shrunk by two percent in the first quarter of this year, its third consecutive quarterly decline, official statistics showed Tuesday. StatsSA said mining and manufacturing were the biggest drags on overall economic activity — with the mining and quarrying sectors shrinking by 21.5 percent. The manufacturing industry contracted by 8.5 percent. Overall, the economy is projected to shrink by 7.2 percent in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the deepest slump in 90 years, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said last week. The latest figures do not reflect the impact…
Author: ACNN TV
Britain on Monday reimposed lockdown measures on a city hit by an outbreak of coronavirus, in the first big test of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “whack-a-mole” strategy to control the disease while getting the economy moving again. Ministers ordered schools and non-essential shops to be closed and postponed the planned reopening of pubs in the central English city of Leicester after an alarming spike in cases of COVID-19. Britain has suffered the deadliest outbreak of the virus in Europe, with more than 43,000 deaths, but Johnson last month began easing nationwide stay-at-home orders imposed in late March. Amid warnings he…
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said Monday he would “immediately resign” if a special court in The Hague confirms war crimes charges levied against him last week over his role in Kosovo’s 1990s war. The charges, which include murder, enforced disappearances, persecution and torture, were filed by special prosecutors investigating crimes from Kosovo’s uprising against Serbia two decades ago. Thaci, 52, was the political leader of the ethnic Albanian rebels who waged the separatist conflict that paved the path for Kosovo’s independence. “If the accusation is confirmed, I will immediately resign as your President and face the accusations,” Thaci, considered Kosovo’s…
The details of payment of life pensions to former governors across the 36 states in the country, and the names and details of such ex-governors and other government officials collecting pensions, may soon be disclosed to Nigerians. This is because the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has won the latest round in the legal battle to compel the 36 state governors to disclose those details. Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, Abuja has granted leave to the applicant to advance its case to compel the 36 state governors to disclose details of payment of billions of naira…
The Federal Government on Monday said it would strictly enforce the use of face masks in public, especially in government and commercial premises. Anyone not wearing a facemask will be denied entry and service; state governments are to drive enforcement, National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said. Speaking during a briefing in Abuja, he said the second phase of the lockdown easing would be extended for four weeks from Wednesday. He said: “The use of face mask remains mandatory and we will be enforcing this at all levels, including linking up with the state…
The Lagos State Government has presented a N5 million cheque to the family of the late Moshood Ayeni, an official of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), who died while on duty on May 23, 2017. Speaking during the presentation at the Command Centre, Oshodi, Permanent Secretary, Office of Chief of Staff, Mr. Olawale Musa said the gesture was in line with the philosophy of the administration to support families of its officials who die in active service to the state. Musa said care for the families of any worker of the state who died in active service is of utmost importance…
The Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo has been deserted, following an alleged increase in the number of workers infected with the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. No fewer than 16 Government House Press Corps members, who allegedly showed symptoms of COVID-19, are quarantined at the Ibom Multispecialty Hospital, Uyo. Also, some correspondents of national dailies, who had contacts with members of the press corps, have been placed on self-isolation for a period of two weeks. Rumours of the COVID-19 in the State Government House first arose early in May, when a state-based reporter claimed that some aides of Governor Udom Emmanuel…
A new strain of swine flu that can infect humans and has the potential to cause a future pandemic has been discovered by Chinese researchers, this is according to a study released in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)on Monday. The disease, which researchers called the G4 virus, is genetically descended from the H1N1 swine flu that caused a global pandemic in 2009. G4 now shows “all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus,” said the study. Researchers discovered G4 during a pig surveillance program that ran from 2011 to 2018, in which they…
Except something else occurs that grabs the headlines and dominates Nigerian social media, the big news of the past week would probably be the death of Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the political drama that it has generated. Senator Ajimobi served as a Senator between 2003 -2007. He was Governor of Oyo State between 2011 – 2015, 2015- 2019. He achieved the distinction of being the first Governor in that state to be elected for a second term in office. He broke the jinx. His tenure as Governor was quite controversial with mixed results and divided opinions. He was a very…
Nigeria and Lille forward, Victor Osimhen, 21, has emulated his compatriot Vincent Enyeama, emerging the best African player in the French Ligue 1. The 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winner with the Golden Eaglets was yesterday voted the winner of the 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe award instituted in memory of late Indomitable Lions of Cameroon player, Marc-Vivien Foe who slumped and died in France during a Confederation Cup tournament in 2003. Interestingly, Osimhen who succeeded 2019 winner Nicolas Pepe at Lille is also the second Nigerian to win the top honour after Enyeama emerged African Best player in France in 2014.…