All posts by AIB

Prisoners

Nairobi, April 2, 2020 (Xinhua/NAN) Kenya’s Judiciary said on Thursday it has released 4,800 prisoners, who are serving sentences for petty offences to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

David Maraga, Chief Justice, said the prisoners, who were serving jail terms of less than six months, have been released by the High Court in the last two weeks after review of their files.

“New inmates are being isolated to reduce the risk of infection and movement of inmates has been highly restricted.

“Prison visits have been suspended, including visits to the staff quarters.

“Prison labour has also been reduced to a bare minimum,’’ Maraga said in a statement issued on Thursday in Nairobi.

He said the move to isolate the inmates is in strict adherence to the safety measures put in place by the Health Ministry on coronavirus as regards to social distancing and hygiene standards.

The chief justice said the decision was also informed by the need to decongest Kenyan prisons in light of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

“The justice sector actors will embrace technology and plans are underway to enable inmates to participate in virtual trials as the prisoners are no longer being produced in open court,’’ said Maraga.

Kenya has so far confirmed 81 COVID-19 cases, three recoveries and one death amid stringent measures, including a night curfew and ban on international flights to help contain the spread of the virus. (Xinhua/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Investigation

Moscow, April 2, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Russia said on Thursday it was investigating a coronavirus outbreak in a remote northern region to check if more than 50 people in a hospital had been infected by a doctor.

Russia’s Komi Republic, 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) northeast of Moscow, has reported 56 cases of the virus, more than any other region outside Moscow, its surrounding region and St. Petersburg.

Fifty-five of those cases were related to a single hospital in the district of Ezhva in Komi’s regional capital, Syktyvkar, according to a statement by the regional administration.

A coronavirus outbreak could be difficult to control in a region with a less well-equipped health service than western Russia.

Russian media have reported that a surgeon could have been the source of the infection and the Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes, said on Thursday it was investigating.

“Preliminary checks were arranged, following media reports that one of the medical workers of Ezhva’s district hospital could have infected a large number of people,’’ the regional branch of the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

Russia has reported 3,548 coronavirus cases, 80 per cent of which are in Moscow, its suburbs and St. Petersburg, the most populated areas that have access to more advanced healthcare than the rest of the country.

The checks could take up to 30 days, Svetlana Korovchenko, a spokeswoman for the local investigative committee said.

“I think healthcare infrastructure in Komi is absolutely unprepared for an explosive outbreak of COVID-19,’’ said Ernest Mezak, a lawyer at the Public Verdict human rights group who is conducting his own investigation into the outbreak.

“Neither officials nor regular people were taking COVID-19 as a serious threat in Syktyvkar just a week ago.’’

Last week, Russia opened a criminal investigation into a senior infections specialist in the southern city of Stavropol, who failed to self-isolate after a trip to Spain and allegedly infected several people. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Curfew

Riyadh, April 2, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina on Thursday, extending measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 1,700 people in the kingdom and killed 16.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement there were some exceptions, including for essential workers and in order for residents to buy food and access medical care.

Cars in those cities’ residential districts may only carry one passenger to limit the virus’ transmission, it said.

The country of 30 million has taken drastic steps to contain the disease, halting international flights, closing most public places and suspending the year-round Umrah Pilgrimage.

On Tuesday, it asked Muslims to put plans for the annual hajj pilgrimage on hold pending more clarity about the pandemic.

Restrictions on movement have tightened, with entry and exit to Riyadh, Mecca, Medina and Jeddah heavily restricted.

Some neighbourhoods in Mecca and Medina were already under full lockdown, but in the rest of those cities, the curfew was previously from 1500 to 0600.

The eastern oil-producing province of Qatif, where the kingdom’s first coronavirus cases were reported last month among Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iran, has been on lockdown for nearly four weeks.

Saudi Arabia has the most infections and deaths among the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.

But public health officials say past experience combating the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) helped prepare the kingdom for the new coronavirus outbreak. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Death

Jakarta, April 2, 2020 (Xinhua/NAN) The Indonesian government said, on Thursday, the death toll from the coronavirus in the country climbed to 170, the highest in Southeast Asia.

At a press conference, the government’s spokesperson for the COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto, said that the number of confirmed cases jumped to 1,790 and 112 patients recovered.

Capital city Jakarta, home to some 10 million people, suffers the highest number of deaths totalling 90, followed by West Java – 25, Banten – 14, East Java – 11, Central Java – seven, and the rest recorded in other areas.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has declared a national public health emergency status over the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities have been conducting rapid tests in areas where cases were detected.

The government has turned the Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, the apartment towers in central Jakarta, which were used to billet athletes competing in the 2018 Asian Games, into an emergency hospital intended to treat as many as 24,000 COVID-19 patients. (Xinhua/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Prisoners

Mogadishu, April 2, 2020 (Xinhua/NAN) Somali President Mohamed Farmajo, on Thursday, pardoned 148 prisoners as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Farmajo said the release of the prisoners with petty crimes follows a report submitted to him by the country’s attorney general on the conditions of the prisoners in the wake of COVID-19.

The president also directed prison authorities and the Ministry of Health to take adequate measures to prevent health risks for the remaining inmates.

Farmajo said he invoked Article 90 of the Provisional Constitution, which grants him powers to pardon prisoners who are not serving sentences for serious crimes.

The Horn of Africa nation has so far confirmed five coronavirus cases involving three Somali nationals and two foreigners.

Somalia has banned both domestic and international flights and public gatherings, among other measures, to contain the spread of the pandemic. (Xinhua/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Scheme

Brussels, April 2, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) The European Commission will propose, on Thursday, a package of measures to help the EU economy, hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

The measures include a short-time work scheme, easier access to funds for farmers and fishermen as well as financing for development projects.

The Commission expects the EU to go into a deep recession this year as the coronavirus outbreak has slowed economic activity to a crawl across the 27 member-states.

“The depth and the breadth of this crisis requires a response unprecedented in scale, speed and solidarity,’’ the EU executive said in a document to be published later on Thursday and seen by Reuters in advance of the official release.

To prevent firms from laying off workers, when there is not enough work, the Commission proposed that all EU countries adopt the German “Kurzarbeit” scheme under which employers cut working hours, not jobs, and the government would pay for the difference in salaries so that workers retain their spending power.

To finance that, the Commission would borrow 100 billion euros on the markets against EU governments’ guarantees, using its triple-A rating and then lend the money on cheaply to the member states, many of which have lower credit ratings.

The document said the Commission would also propose to increase cash advances to farmers under the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy and give them more time to apply for support as well as more time for the claims to be processed.

The EU executive will propose exceptional flexibility in the use of its maritime and fisheries fund to provide support to fishermen for a temporary cessation of fishing.

The document said the Commission would also propose to remove any national co-financing normally needed when countries get EU money to build infrastructure projects such as motorways, sewage plants and bridges, making the projects fully paid for by the bloc.

Money can also be moved between regions, it said.

“This is an unprecedented move, which reflects the need for member states to use all available means to support their citizens at this moment,’’ the document said of the decision to waive the co-financing rule.

The proposals must still be approved by the 27 member states, which are feuding over how far to go in supporting their economies.

Southern nations such as Italy, particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus emergency, have called for far-reaching measures such as issuing joint debt but the fiscally conservative north has urged more restraint in rolling out targeted aid schemes. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Salary

Phnom Penh, April 1, 2020 (Xinhua/NAN) Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, said on Wednesday that he will donate his seven months’ salary to fight the COVID-19.

In a letter sent to Economy and Finance Minister, Aun Pornmoniroth and Health Minister, Mam Bunheng, Hun Sen told Pornmoniroth to transfer his salary from March to September to the account of the National Committee for Combating the COVID-19.

“Because the evolving situation of the COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Cambodia has shown no sign of slowing down yet, I’d like to express my sympathy by donating my seven months’ salary, as the prime minister, to the National Committee for Combating the COVID-19, starting from March to September 2020,’’ he said in the letter.

The Southeast Asian country has so far recorded 109 confirmed cases of the COVID-19, with 25 patients cured.

Last month, the country set up the national committee for combating the COVID-19, which is led by Hun Sen and comprises key officials from various ministries, the army, the national police, the national military police, and governors of all cities and provinces.

Hun Sen said on Monday that since its establishment, the committee has received more than $10 million in donations. (Xinhua/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Entry

Tokyo, April 1, 2020 (Xinhua/NAN) Japan will expand its entry ban to 73 countries and regions including the Americas and Africa in an effort to curb the continued rise in COVID-19 infections.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced this while speaking at a meeting of a government task force on the country’s response to the disease on Wednesday.

Abe said the new ban will be imposed from Friday and remain effective until the end of the month.

Foreign nationals, who have been in the 73 countries and regions within 14 days of their arrival in Japan, will be refused entry.

The 49 newly added countries and regions include Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, China’s Taiwan, Morocco and the United States, along with most of the European countries and many countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Japan also plans to broaden its ban to the whole of China and South Korea from selected areas.

Japanese nationals, returning from the listed countries and regions, will be asked to undergo virus tests and all incoming travellers will be requested to self-quarantine and refrain from using public transportation for 14 days, Abe said.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry has already raised its travel advisory to Level four for the 49 countries and regions, suggesting Japanese nationals avoid all travel. (Xinhua/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Electrocution

Brazzaville, April 1, 2020 (Xinhua/NAN) At least 20 people were, on Wednesday, killed by electrocution after high-voltage cables came down due to lightning in Kintele on the outskirts of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, according to civil security sources.

In the rains that fell on Brazzaville at around 5.00 a.m., lightning would have broken up the high voltage cables of the nation’s energy firm, Energie electrique du Congo.

According to eyewitnesses, some of the victims had died in their homes while some others died on the street.

The injured have been transferred to the Talangai Reference Hospital.

The final death toll is feared to rise. (Xinhua/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Stimulus

Tokyo, April 1, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on Wednesday, promised support for domestic airlines hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Abe said a planned stimulus programme would be big enough to stave off a return to deflation.

The outbreak has further weakened an economy already on the cusp of recession as travel bans and social distancing policies deal a huge blow to sectors including transport, retail and tourism.

“The aviation industry is our country’s core infrastructure that must not be damaged.

“So, we’ll take steps to support it,’’ Abe told parliament.

He, however, did not specify what the support package might entail.

Many other developed countries are already rolling out support measures for their carriers as passenger air traffic worldwide falls to minimal levels to help slow the spread of the epidemic.

Abe also said the government would take “necessary and sufficient” stimulus measures to ensure the country did not return to deflation.

Price growth in Japan has been low or negative since 1998, though huge stimulus programmes, implemented by Abe since 2012, have boosted both the economy and inflation.

Core consumer inflation hit 0.6 per cent in February.

“We’re now laying out a bold stimulus package.

“This will, of course, involve issuing government bonds,’’ Abe said.

He urged the Bank of Japan to press on with large-scale bond purchases to keep borrowing costs low.

“It’s been proven that this does not trigger hyperinflation or a yen free fall as some had suggested,’’ Abe said.

Sources have told Reuters that Japan will boost bond issuance by 149 billion yen from July to fund its stimulus programme.

The owners of some of Japan’s biggest department stores on Wednesday reported an unprecedented slump in March sales after they cut operating hours over the outbreak.

Japan Airlines, meanwhile, has said it will cut flights on international routes from the country by almost two thirds in April.

Sources say ANA Holdings – the parent company of Japan’s largest carrier – All Nippon Airways – is considering a loan of around 100 billion yen to cushion the impact of the virus.

With Japan’s confirmed coronavirus cases surging to around 2,200 with 66 deaths, the pressure is growing for the government to order a lockdown, especially in Tokyo, where many of the new infections are appearing.

Ryutaro Kono, Chief Japan Economist at BNP Paribas, said he expected the economy to contract by 2.9 per cent in the fiscal year that began in April if the capital was locked down. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde