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US unemployment results hit 33.3 million amidst virus
A further 3.2 million Americans search for unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to ascend.
The new applications brought the toll of jobless claims since mid-March to 33.3 million- or about 20% of the US workforce.
The toll of new claims confirmed each week by the Department of Labor has moderated since hitting a peak of 6.9 million in March.
But they remain extraordinarily high.
And the number of people having benefits has continued to rise, in spite recent moves to start re-opening in some parts of the country.
“The significant rise in continuing claims … is a little disappointing since it suggests few people are being recalled to work,” said Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics.
The impact has been felt through out the economy, disturbing medical practices, restaurants and administrative workers among many others.
Source___BBC News
Japan Consent to Remdesivir For COVID-19 Treatment
Japan on Thursday sanction the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients, the government said, with an eye to approve another medication Avigan this month.
This makes Japan the second country to US on approving the drug after US authorised it on Friday for emergency use against severe cases of COVID-19.
“Remdesivir was approved under exceptional measures,” a health, labour and welfare ministry official said.
“It was our country’s first such approval for the treatment of coronavirus patients,” the official told AFP.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last week the government was getting ready to give a welcome to the experimental drug developed by US firm Gilead Sciences.
“The US go-ahead came after a major clinical trial showed remdesivir — originally developed to treat Ebola — shortened the time to recovery in some patients by a third.”
Remdesivir, which is administered by injection, was already made available to some patients who are in clinical trials around the world.
Credit___Channels TV
Sweden Confirms Not Less Than 3,000 Coronavirus Deaths
Sweden on Thursday confirmed not less than 3,000 coronavirus deaths, after getting international attention for putting forward softer lockdown procedures than many of its hard-hit European neighbours.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden said it had confirmed 3,040 deaths and 24,623 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country of some 10.3 million residents.
But officials safeguarded their master plan of not imposing strict stay-at-home measures, saying Sweden’s healthcare system still had spare capacity.
“The curves show that we have, to a large extent, been successful in keeping (the outbreak) within the limits of what the healthcare system can manage,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told reporters.
Sweden has not put forward the kind of extraordinary lockdown measures seen elsewhere in Europe, oppositely opting for an approach based on the “principle of responsibility”.
“The Scandinavian country has kept schools open for children under the age of 16, along with cafes, bars, restaurants and businesses, while urging people to respect social distancing guidelines.”
Source___Channels TV
Nigeria Confirms 381 New COVID-19 Cases, Toll of Infections Now 3,526
Nigeria has confirmed 381 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the Toll of the country’s infections to 3,526.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control(NCDC), confirmed this in a tweet on Thursday. This happen to be the highest number of cases confirmed in a single day in the country.
Of the new cases, 183 are in Lagos, 55 are in Kano, 44 in Jigawa while 19 each are in Zamfara and Bauchi.
11 are in Katsina, nine in Borno, eight in Kwara, seven in Kaduna, six in Gombe, five in Ogun, four in Sokoto, three in Oyo and in Rivers, two in Niger and one each in Akwa-Ibom, Enugu and Plateau states.
The recent figures come amidst distress about the level of conformity with the steps put forward by the Federal Government for easing the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory.
Source___Channels TV
‘Barrow Must Not Drag Feet On Constitution’
An establishing member of the opposition Citizens’ Alliance has urged civil society organisations and politicians to put coercion on President Adama Barrow to speed up the draft constitution to the National Assembly.
Dr Ismaila Ceesay, a political science lecturer at the University of The Gambia said the president cannot joke with the draft constitution as aversed to the 1997 draft constitution.
Dr Ceesay’s comment is the most recent among many Gambians who said they have a suspicion President Barrow may use the Covid-19 pandemic to hold up passing the draft to the assembly and then later to a public vote.
Many others suggest that the President may not be happy with the arrangement which states that the term of the coming into force of the constitution should count as the first term of the current president under the two term-limit provision.
“So, this means that the current president can only serve for a maximum of ten years. He can’t serve more than ten years. In other countries this clause has been left open leading to much controversy. We made a lot of research in this very carefully and listened to what the people have said to us and we have consulted our experts on this subject and there was unanimity at the research and the consultation stage that this is something we needed to address,” Justice Cherno Jallow, the chairman of the Constitutional Review Commission had said when the draft was ready sometime back.
However, speaking to The Standard yesterday, Dr Ceesay further commented: “This draft was sent to the public at the same time it was to the president. So we know what is in the Constitution. The concerns that they might come up with tactics to delay the process might be well founded but one thing we expect the Barrow government to do as soon as possible is to take the necessary actions needed to expedite this to the National Assembly and also come up with a comprehensive timetable from here to 2021.”
Source___Standard News
Banjul Breweries in close proximity tabled at Assembly
The Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority has said government has no authority to reverse a verdict made by the shareholders of the Banjul Breweries Limited to stop their operations in the country.
Yankuba Darboe was among important government officials and members of the National Assembly choosing committee who met the BBL officials on the announced decision to leave.
He also added that one thing government can do is to hope and commit “other interested buyers to take over the company, if discussions to encourage current owners to stay in the market fail.
“Banjul Breweries is one of the tax compliant companies, paying a lot of taxes and also contributing in terms of employment. In any case, you can only take a horse to the river but you cannot force it to drink”, Darboe said during the interface with the management of BBL who appeared before the assembly committee on trade yesterday to explain their decision to close down operations in The Gambia.
The GRA boss added: “Government can do all kind of encouragement to them, but if they want to withdraw, there is nothing we can do other than hoping for the best that there may be other interested buyers and then we will work with those people.”
Banjul Breweries make it known that their closure of operations in The Gambia citing “technical and economic reasons informed by an increase of excise tax” by the government last year but the increase was later amended from 75 to 35%.
Commissioner Darboe said the company has be fond of a lot of tax incentives from the pass and the current governments, claiming that their closure is far away from tax trek as stated.
“I think the shareholders wanted to give up because otherwise they would not have closed the company while negotiation is ongoing with government and until I see some magic happening, I am not hopeful that they are coming back.” Darboe said.
Source__Standard News
Gambia drivers and roadside vendors complain over open gutters
Many commercial drivers and roadside vendors along the Westfield Junction and its satellite areas have disgruntly lodge a complain over the open gutters beside the road.
The gutters around Westfield –Jeshwang highway are uncovered and dirty. Similar gutters alongside Westfield -Kairaba Avenue are also uncovered causing difficulties for drivers, commuters and roadside vendors.
Speaking to The Point in a series of exclusive interviews about the uncovered gutters, Ebrima Jallow, a roadside vendor along the Westfield- Kairaba Avenue Highway expressed his disheartening concern on the uncovered gutters, saying the gutters are “very dirty and evolving bad odor” to the people within that area.
He said the situation becomes worst in raining season and causes water stagnation in the gutters making people to accidentally fall in the gutters.
“We (vendors) have been rescuing people in the gutters during the rainy season on several occasions,” he said.
However, he pleaded that the Kanifing Municipal Council should cover the open gutters in order to prevent accidents as well maintain hygiene of people.
Source___Point Newspaper
Africa’s Covid-19 cases Surpass 50,000 with over 2,000 deaths
Africa surpassed the 50,000 recorded cases mark today according to results by the John Hopkins University tracker. As of 19:00 GMT number of cases stood at 50,000.
The number shows a vault over 30,000 cases in exactly 18 days. The 20,000 mark was set foot on April 18.
The barb in infections in recent weeks had threatened the WHO Africa office and the African Union’s Centers for Disease Control, Africa CDC.
Meanwhile, the number of death has passed 2,000 mark as of May 7, 2020. Recoveries also passed the 17,000 mark even as more government double up testing efforts.
Source___Africa News
India gas leak: No less than eight dead after Visakhapatnam accident
Eight instant death, with hundreds of others taken ill, after a gas leak in south India.
The leak, in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, has been traced to the LG Polymers plant.
“Doctors say “hundreds” of people have been taken to hospital – many complaining of a burning sensation in the eyes and difficulties breathing.”
The occurrence, which took place around 03:00 local time (21:30 GMT), may have been due to carelessness, officials say.
The leak crop up when the plant was being re-opened for the first time since 24 March when India went into lockdown to restraint the spread of coronavirus.
The state Industries Minister Goutam Reddy told BBC Telugu that it looked as though proper measures and guidelines were not considered when the plant was being re-opened.
As the gas escalate, inhabitants of the place ran out of their homes in panic.
“Distressing visuals of people fainting and dropping unconscious on the streets are being shared on social media.”
Source___BBC News
Professor Liu’s Assassination Provocates Wild Theories
Bing Liu, a 37-year-old Chinese assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was discovered dead in his house on Saturday.
Close friends said he was near to making “significant findings” on his studies of Covid-19, tracing online opinion it was an assassination.
But police say it was a murder-suicide.
The Chinese Professor was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck, torso and extremities at his home in the Pittsburgh suburbs, as said by the local police department.The gunman was later identified as 46-year-old software engineer Hao Gu. Authorities say he took his own life after returning to his car.
“Liu and Gu knew each other,” homicide detectives said.
The findings has determined it was a murder-suicide resulting from “a lengthy dispute regarding an intimate partner”.
They said there was “zero prove” the case was anything close to Liu’s research work and the current public health crisis.
In a statement, Liu’s colleagues eulogies him as an outstanding researcher who “was on the verge of making very significant findings” towards improving the cellular mechanisms of Covid-19 escalation.
According Liu’ online CV, he had joined with biologists and clinicians to study human immunity.
What are the conspiracy theorists saying?
“Oh my god,” a user on the Chinese social media platform Weibo wrote. “This seems like coming straight out of Mission Impossible. Perhaps he found out that the virus originated from an American lab.”
Many similar comments suggested Liu was killed because he was seemingly about to straighten out the mystery of coronavirus’ origin.
Chinese officials and state media had earlier on promoted an unfounded claim that the virus originated in the US and was brought to Wuhan by Americans.
Source___BBC News
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