TheNewsGuru

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  • [Video] My husband deserves better, Ajimobi’s wife tackles Gov. Makinde

    Florence, widow of ex- Oyo Governor Abiola Ajimobi, has lashed out at Governor Seyi Makinde for how his government treated her husband in the last one month of his illness.

    The visibly angry widow denied ever contacting Makinde or anybody in government for any kind of support during the illness of her husband, which eventually resulted in his death.

    She also denied claim by the Governor the family to sent a proxy.

    She spoke while receiving a delegation of Governors who were at the Oluyole residence to commiserate with the family and pay their last respects.

    The delegation was led by the Oyo Deputy Governor, Mr Rauf Olaniyan.

    The former first lady, who acknowledged she was not supposed to talk, said she decided to break her silence since his husband fell ill about a month ago and died last Thursday because of misgivings emanating from the government.

    While appealing to the govenrment to stop what she described as dirty politics, she said her late husband was for peace and served the state for eight years making him deserve better treatment even in death.

    She said: “Although I should not be the one speaking but I just want to clear the air on a lot of misgivings that has been spreading.

    “On behalf of my late husband, children and the entire Ajimobi’s family, I want to sincerely thank you for all your support at this very crucial point of our lives.

    “My husband is not a very difficult man but thank God we are here today. For me, when things like this happen, I want to pick up something. It is a time for everyone of us to reflect on our lives because death is a necessary end. It will come when it will come. We don’t know who is next and we don’t know when our time will come.

    “Either you are a Christian or a Muslim, both religions teach love and peace and I am glad that the deputy Governor of Oyo State is here because I need to put some records straight. It is the first time I’m going to make any public announcement or statement since my husband actually died.

    “I opened the papers a couple of days ago and I saw the Oyo State Government writing a lot of things.

    “Your Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, for the avoidance of misinformation to the public and damage to the image of my husband because my husband is a peace- loving person. He lived for peace passionately.

    “My husband took ill on the 22nd of May and he was hospitalised and I was reading in the papers that the Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Seyi Makinde, claimed he called me. But he didnt.”

    Referring to the Deputy Governor, she said “I don’t have your number and I have never spoken with you on phone. But it’s important we put the records straight because this is a family of politicians and I don’t want anybody to tarnish my husband’s name and well my husband is gone. It could be me or anyone else tomorrow.

    “Life in itself is vanity upon vanity. Either you are PDP or APC, the man is dead and he has been buried.

    “But the Governor didn’t call me. Even if he had called me and I didn’t pick his calls, I don’t have his number and I have never spoken with him on the phone. He could have sent me a text message for record purposes.

    “And then today again, I read in the papers and saw how the Ajimobi’s family was lying about something again

    “Mr Deputy, my husband never had anything against the Governor or anyone else. We were in different parties but he was an elder stateman and he slept on the ground.

    “The Governor of Oyo State never called me nor sent a condolence message, my husband was hospitalised for one month. What politics are we playing, please?

    “Life is short, I’m a Christian and my husband is a Muslim, we all should let the fear of God guide us in whatever we are doing. Ajimobi is gone today. Whatever he does doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter to me as his wife and his widow. I’m going to mourn and respect my husband’s wishes and that was what I did today, laid him to rest peacefully.

    “I don’t want any controversy. Everything I read in the papers, I just swallowed them all and let it go. So, please, the press are here, we never had any rift with the Governor with the state government. I never dialogued with them. I never contacted them nor sent them a word because I didn’t know it was necessary for me to send official messages that my husband was hospitalised.

    “I didn’t send messages to Governor Fayemi. I didn’t send to Governor Ganduje. I didn’t send to Lagos State Governor, I didn’t send messages to anybody because it was all over the social media and they knew that my husband was ill.

    “I think the least anybody can do as a God- fearing person was at least to send me a word of encouragement at that time. And even after he died. Not even you Mr Deputy Governor called. If you had called me as you claimed and I didn’t pick, you could have at least sent me a message Sir.

    “I don’t have your number, I am the wife of a politician, I don’t pick numbers that I don’t know Sir. You can send a message. Everybody is going to die. My husband is dead and he served this state for eight good years.

    “Are you saying he didn’t contribute anything to this state and you could not honour him for a second? The man is dead and I need to put the record straight. I don’t want anybody, any government to tarnish my husband’s image. He was a peace loving man. And he played his role and he’s gone.”

    “Nobody can be on the stage for so long. You come, play your roles and you leave. Somebody else comes. I pray for Governor Seyi Makinde to succeed because that is the only time I would say that my husband succeeded.

    “So, please let’s put the record straight. I never had any interactions with Governor Seyi Makinde, he did not contact the family and that is the fact. His deputy Governor is here, he did not even send me a text message and I don’t have your number and I don’t pick calls from numbers that I don’t know. So, please let’s stop dirty politics.”

    The quick intervention of Kano Governor Umar Ganduje, who quickly called for prayers for the repose of the soul of the late Governor, put the matter to rest.

  • Guardiola opens up on Man City giving Liverpool guard of honour

    Guardiola opens up on Man City giving Liverpool guard of honour

    Manchester City will give newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool a guard of honour when the teams meet at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, manager Pep Guardiola has said.

    Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a top-flight title when last season’s champions City were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea last week, handing the Merseyside club an unassailable 23-point lead at the top of the table.

    Liverpool’s first match since being confirmed as champions is at City’s stadium and Guardiola said his players would pay tribute to Juergen Klopp’s title-winning side.

    “We are going to do the guard of honour of course. We will greet Liverpool when they come to our house, in an incredible way. We are going to do it because they deserve it,” Guardiola said.

    The 49-year-old added that he was already looking forward to helping City come back stronger next season, saying “In sport, you have to live in the future”.

    He said: “Never can you have one-eye on what you have done. Never forget that we are an incredible club and organisation, and what you have to do is learn.

    “I think we know the reason why we suffered this season and we are going to try to solve it for next season”.

  • PPPRA explains ambiguity in deregulation of petrol pump price

    PPPRA explains ambiguity in deregulation of petrol pump price

    The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) says it is no longer fixing the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol for marketers.

    PPRA Executive Secretary, Mr Saidu Abdulkadir made this known in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.

    Abdulkadir, however, said the agency would constantly, on a monthly basis, develop a guiding price for the commodity, with which it would advise marketers.

    He noted that the deregulation of the downstream sector was dependent on the enforcement of appropriate laws by strong regulatory agencies, hence its continued intervention.

    “For the purpose of emphasis, let me reiterate that different sectors of the polity operate under the guidance of national regulators.

    “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulates the banks and the financial sector; Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) regulates telecommunications; National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) regulates the insurance sector and the same exists for operators in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.

    “To this end, it is not out of place for the Agency to provide a guiding price band with the aim to protect consumers against price gouging.

    “It is important to also state that there is no where in the world that deregulation means total lack of control, supervision or oversight.

    “While the Market-Based Pricing Regime is a policy introduced to free the market of all encumbrances to investment and growth, it should not be misconstrued to mean a total abdication of government’s responsibility to the sector and citizenry,” he said.

    Abdulkadir said that the PPPRA no longer fix prices, but rather provide a guiding price band by monitoring petroleum products prices daily.

    This, he said was being done using the average price of the previous month to determine prices for the following month, for appropriate cost-reflective pricing that ensures reasonable returns to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

    “This methodology is in line with international best practices which range from bi-monthly to monthly price reviews.

    “Nigeria adopted the monthly review model considering the average duration for the importation of petroleum products into Nigeria from the closest spot market; North West Europe (NWE) to West Africa (WAF) is about 30 days.

    “This period encompasses the Import Financing Process to delivery at retail outlets,” he added

    He further said that the new pricing regime would encourage oil marketers to resume supply of PMS, leading to further value creation in the downstream; foster job creation and ensure reasonable returns for investors.

    According to him, it will create healthy competition among marketers, enhance value for consumers and make funding available for other important infrastructure.

    He said that the PPPRA would continue to regulate the downstream petroleum industry, irrespective of the deregulation of the sector.

    Abdulkadir said this would also prevent petroleum products marketers from exploiting consumers and help to enforce the appropriate laws guiding the industry.

    On code of conduct for oil marketers, he said that although crude oil price and petroleum products prices were positively correlated, the prices of petroleum products do not increase or reduce correspondingly with changes in crude oil price.

    He noted that the pump price will be a reflection of the international market prices of petroleum products that were also rising.

    Abdulkadir further stated that in line with its laws, the PPPRA developed Guidelines for Petroleum Products Commercial Framework and was drawing up Code of Conducts for Operators in the new pricing regime.

    He also added that the PPPRA was finalising the review of cost elements and profit margins on the pricing template for marketers, to reflect the current market-driven pricing regime which was last reviewed in 2016.

  • Presidency defends why APC NEC meeting held inside Council Chamber

    Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity has finally come out to defend why the ruling political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in the “hallowed” chamber of the federal executive council.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Shehu on Sunday presented the defence in a statement, in which, he attacked critics who argued that holding a political meeting in the hallowed chamber of the federal executive council was an aberration of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as lacking in understanding.

    He queried: “Since the President lives in the Villa, no one can, legally speaking, choose or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings. So, what is wrong in the President presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the Villa?”

    He went further to say in the statement that the APC NEC meeting was not convened at the Council Chamber, but that it was virtual, and not a physical meeting, stressing in the statement that there was no law barring the President from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa.

    The statement reads: “It is necessary that we put records in their correct perspective concerning the recent meeting held by the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which has, unfortunately drawn criticism due to lack of understanding.

    “The stubborn opinion held by the critics of the administration is that President Muhammadu Buhari had called a political meeting in the “hallowed” chamber of the Federal Executive Council, as if there is a law that says the President is barred from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa.

    “Since the President lives in the Villa, no one can, legally speaking, choose or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings. So, what is wrong in the President presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the Villa?

    “Just for the sake of the argument, this meeting, we say emphatically, was not convened at the Council Chamber. It was virtual, not a physical meeting.

    “Why was it a virtual meeting? The idea was to observe social distancing in view of health concerns. Knowing how small the conference hall of the party is, social distancing would only have been observed in the breach.

    “President Buhari was billed to address the meeting from his office (just any of his offices) and chose the Council Chamber where the digital facilities are located, and other members, including the bulk of National Executive Committee members, state party leaders and members of the National Assembly were all linked using video conference calls. You saw them all on TV.

    “Yes, it is true that Governors and leaders of the National Assembly joined the President from the Chamber from where he spoke. But the larger body of the members in attendance were all connected via video calls.

    “Do not forget that these are not the normal times in view of the COVID-19 circumstances in which we have found ourselves. President Buhari placed health and safety above courtesy to the party by not going to its headquarters.

    “In the end, a wise thing had been done because the President wants to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus disease”.

  • APC NWC saga: No law stops Buhari from holding political meetings in Aso Villa – Presidency

    APC NWC saga: No law stops Buhari from holding political meetings in Aso Villa – Presidency

    The Presidency on Sunday said there is no law stopping President Muhammadu Buhari from holding political meetings in any part of the Presidential Villa since he lives at the place.

    The Presidency also said that the virtual emergency National Executive Committee, NEC, a meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, that held on Thursday at the Council Chamber, observed all the necessary COVID-19 protocols of social distancing.

    There have been allegations that President Buhari desecrated the sanctity of the State House by taking the partisan political meetings to the seat of power and that the gathering breached the guidelines put in place by the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on the mass gathering.

    Reacting to the allegations, the Presidency in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, noted that though a handful number of the party leaders including governors elected on the platform of the APC were at the Council Chamber for the emergency NEC, some members joined the meeting virtually in adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

    The statement read, “It is necessary that we put records in their correct perspective concerning the recent meeting held by the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which has, unfortunately, drawn criticism due to lack of understanding. “The stubborn opinion held by the critics of the administration is that President Muhammadu Buhari had called a political meeting in the “hallowed” chamber of the Federal Executive Council as if there is a law that says the President is barred from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa.

    “Since the President lives in the Villa, no one can legally speak, choose, or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings. So, what is wrong in the President presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the Villa?

    “Just for the sake of the argument, this meeting, we say emphatically, was not convened at the Council Chamber. It was virtual, not a physical meeting.” The Presidency further explained that the virtual APC NEC meeting was taken to the Council Chamber because of the facilities there.

    It said, “Why was it a virtual meeting? The idea was to observe social distancing in view of health concerns. Knowing how small the conference hall of the party is, social distancing would only have been observed in the breach.

    “President Buhari was billed to address the meeting from his office (just any of his offices) and chose the Council Chamber where the digital facilities are located, and other members, including the bulk of National Executive Committee members, state party leaders and members of the National Assembly were all linked using video conference calls. You saw them all on TV.

    “Yes, it is true that Governors and leaders of the National Assembly joined the President from the Chamber from where he spoke. But the larger body of the members in attendance were all connected via video calls. “Do not forget that these are not the normal times in view of the COVID-19 circumstances in which we have found ourselves. President Buhari placed health and safety above courtesy to the party by not going to its headquarters. “In the end, a wise thing had been done because the President wants to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus disease.”

  • COVID-19 victims don’t fully recover – Scientists

    Scientists have warned that COVID-19 causes a far wider range of health problems than previously thought and that victims may never fully recover from its debilitating effects.

    According to them, COVID-19 does not just cause a wide range of symptoms, the symptoms last for a longer timespan.

    “We thought this was only a respiratory virus. Turns out, it goes after the pancreas. It goes after the heart. It goes after the liver, the brain, the kidney and other organs. We didn’t appreciate that in the beginning,” Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California told Reuters.

    COVID-19 patients can suffer from blood clotting disorders, leading to strokes, and extreme inflammation that attacks multiple organ systems, while also attacking the brain, with headaches, dizziness, and loss or taste and smell all symptoms of the virus in addition to respiratory problems.

    The recovery from all of these symptoms can be very slow and costly, incurring a huge impact on quality of life.

    “If you previously ran 5k three times a week and now feel breathless after a single flight of stairs, or if you cough incessantly and are too exhausted to return to work, then the fear that you may never regain your previous health is very real,” Dr. Helen Salisbury of the University of Oxford wrote in the British Medical Journal last week.

    The coronavirus was originally identified as primarily a respiratory disease that leaves patients struggling to breath, with ventilators becoming a crucial tool in keeping those alive.

    However, as COVID-19 has spread around the world, experts identified it attacks organs throughout the body, causing potentially catastrophic damage.

    The broad and diverse manifestations of COVID-19 are somewhat unique, said Dr. Sadiya Khan, a cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago told Reuters.

    With influenza, people with underlying heart conditions are also at higher risk of complications, Khan said. What is surprising about this virus is the extent of the complications occurring outside the lungs.

    Khan believes there will be a huge healthcare expenditure and burden for individuals who have survived COVID-19.

    Patients who were in the intensive care unit or on a ventilator for weeks will need to spend extensive time in rehab to regain mobility and strength, say doctors.

    “It can take up to seven days for every one day that you’re hospitalized to recover that type of strength,” Khan said. “It’s harder the older you are, and you may never get back to the same level of function.”

    While much of the focus has been on the minority of patients who experience severe disease, doctors increasingly are looking to help patients who were not sick enough to require hospitalisation, but are suffering months after first becoming infected.

    Studies are just getting underway to understand the long-term effects of infection, Jay Butler, deputy director of infectious diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters in a telephone briefing on Thursday.

    “We hear anecdotal reports of people who have persistent fatigue, shortness of breath,” Butler said.

    “How long that will last is hard to say.”

    While coronavirus symptoms typically resolve in two or three weeks, an estimated 1 in 10 experience prolonged symptoms, Helen Salisbury wrote last week.

    Dr. Igor Koralnik, chief of neuro-infectious diseases at Northwestern Medicine, reviewed current scientific literature and found about half of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 had neurological complications, such as dizziness, decreased alertness, difficulty concentrating, disorders of smell and taste, seizures, strokes, weakness and muscle pain.

    Koralnik, whose findings were published in the Annals of Neurology, has started an outpatient clinic for COVID-19 patients to study whether these neurological problems are temporary or permanent.

    Khan sees parallels with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Much of the early focus was on deaths.

    “In recent years, we’ve been very focused on the cardiovascular complications of HIV survivorship,” Khan said.

  • COVID-19: Gov Okowa places 7 LGAs in Delta on red alert

    COVID-19: Gov Okowa places 7 LGAs in Delta on red alert

    …Governor dishes out orders

    …Says Deltans must observe COVID-19 guidelines

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has placed 7 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of his State on red alert over rising cases of the dreadful Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Governor Okowa made this known in a statement he personally signed on Saturday, while deploying the rising cases of the virus in his State.

    He listed the LGAs to include Oshimili South, Warri South, Uvwie, Oshimili North, Ughelli North, Ethiope West, and Sapele.

    Okowa, whose daughter recently contracted the COVID-19, particularly advised residents of the LGAs that are most affected by the virus, to be on red alert.

    The Governor ordered that henceforth, banks, supermarkets, malls, stores, salons, and motorists MUST admit limited persons per time and strictly enforce the physical/social distancing rule.

    “My dear Deltans, this is a clarion call to arms. We must brace up and take responsibility for our collective health and safety NOW.

    “It is very worrisome that many of our people still walk the streets without wearing a face mask or even observing physical/social distancing.

    “In addition to providing hand wash stations/alcohol-based sanitizers, banks, salons, supermarkets, stores, and malls MUST deny entry to patrons without facemasks. Where there is more than one person, occupants of private vehicles MUST also wear face masks.

    “The number of guests at social events – weddings, funerals, traditional marriages – should not exceed 50 with appropriate physical distance set in place. People without face masks MUST be turned back. I also implore our religious houses to implement all the safety protocols as agreed.

    “Residents in the most affected local governments – Oshimili South, Warri South, Uvwie, Oshimili North, Ughelli North, Ethiope West, and Sapele – are particularly advised to be on red alert.

    “Let me emphasise once again that the coronavirus disease is real, and anybody can contact it. It is neither a rich man’s nor a poor man’s disease. Anybody can be affected.

    “I call on every resident in the State to act responsibly to protect yourself and others, and do not forget to continue praying for God’s merciful intervention to stop this raging pandemic. Together we shall beat this virus,” he stated.

    Deploying the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the State, Governor Okowa said it had become obvious that community transmission of the virus had reached an alarming and frightening proportion.

    The Governor said that it was regrettable that many persons still think that the Coronavirus disease was a hoax.

    “It cannot be a hoax when over 20 persons have died including some prominent citizens.

    “Therefore, I want to make a passionate appeal to all Deltans to please realise that the coronavirus disease is real,’’ he said, disclosing that as at Saturday, number of confirmed cases of the virus in the State was 781,’’ he said.

    The latest figure from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shows that on Saturday, Delta recorded 47 additional COVID-19 cases.

    This brings the total number of infected persons in the State so far to 828, with the LGAs mostly affected placed on red alert.

    Okowa explained that “the State Government allowed normal business activities to go on in essential sectors of the economy to enable citizens take care of their families. It does not in any way suggest that the danger is over.

    “We made this decision with all sense of responsibility while counting on your partnership with the Government to defeat this virus. Regrettably, it does appear our people have not taken this matter as seriously as they should.

    “Our isolation centres are currently overwhelmed with the number of cases and unless we proactively and collectively take drastic actions to reverse the trend, we stand the risk of becoming another epicentre for the pandemic.

    “In the absence of a specific curative drug, the only way to check the transmission of the virus is for all of us to adhere strictly to the NCDC-issued guidelines and safety protocols, which are as follows:

    “Stay at home as much as possible. Only go out if it is ESSENTIAL for you to do so.

    “If you must go out, please ensure that you maintain about six feet distance from other persons. This is because the virus is transmitted through droplets – either due to coughing, sneezing, or talking – of an infected person.

    “Wear face masks once you are outside your home. This will shield you from droplets from a carrier.

    “Avoid crowds and large gatherings as much as possible.

    “Wash your hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds as often as possible. If this is not readily available, make sure you have a potable alcohol-based hand sanitizer to rub your hands.

    “Refrain from touching your face with unwashed hands, especially outside your home. Avoid hugs and handshakes”.

  • America’s response to COVID-19 pandemic embarrassing – Bill Gates

    The U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is “embarrassing” compared to other countries, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said in an interview with CNN.

    He added that the outlook was “more bleak” than he would have expected.

    The U.S. has recorded in the last two days close to 90,000 cases of the virus to have a cumulative total of 2,593,477 cases.

    The death toll is now 128,132.

    America is matched only by Brazil in the grim statistics: about 80,000 cases in 48 hours, a cumulative total of 1,313,667 cases and death toll 57,070.

    The philanthropist and founder of Microsoft five years ago predicted that a virus would develop into a pandemic in a TED talk.

    In response to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, Gates has said his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was giving “total attention” to funding efforts to defeat the pandemic.

    However, Gates criticised the response of his native country, calling out the lack of tracing and the weakness of regulations in the US.

    “Because our behaviour and contact tracing isn’t working well we continue to have very large case spread, and it is embarrassing versus say Europe or other countries,” Gates said during his interview with CNN.

    Throughout the interview, Gates highlighted that the tepid response in the US to measures aimed to combat the coronavirus, such as mask-wearing, is one reason why the country has the most number of cases in the world.

    “The United States has had a tough time. We are not as tough on contact tracing or enforcing quarantine and compliance with mask-wearing is far less than particularly the countries in Asia,” he said.

    “The global picture and the US picture are both bleaker than I would have expected,” he added.

    Even though rates of infection have fallen in some parts of the world, Gates warned that part of this success is likely due to the effect that hotter temperature is having on the virus.

    He urged health authorities and citizens to remain vigilant.

    “The health experts and others like myself are saying, ‘Hey let’s not lose sight of this, even though the weather is helping us a bit’ … We know now we are benefiting from the summer and so force of infection will get worse in the fall,” he said.

    Companies and health authorities including the Gates Foundation around the world are currently in a global race to develop a vaccine.

  • Nigeria, US, South Africa citizens can’t enter Europe when airspace lockdown is lifted in July

    Nigeria, US, South Africa citizens can’t enter Europe when airspace lockdown is lifted in July

    The citizens of Nigeria, the United States, and South Africa won’t be able to join 54 world countries that will benefit from the reopening of the European Union external borders, which is scheduled beginning of July.

    According to sources of Euronews, EU officials failed to agree on a common list of the countries that would definitely be banned from entering the block upon the border reopening but managed to create a list of the countries with a better epidemiological situation, the citizens of which will be able to enter Europe by the end of next week.

    The same sources have also confirmed that citizens of Brazil, Qatar, the US and Russia will only be able to enter Europe at a later date when the epidemiological situation in these countries improves.

    Nationals of the following countries are listed in this draft list: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia

    “The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travellers,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said last Thursday, adding that its decisions are “based on health criteria.”

    On June 11, the Commission presented its recommendation on the reopening of internal Schengen borders on June 15, so that Europeans can travel within the borderless area freely, just as they did pre-pandemic.

    At the same time, the Commission recommended that the Member States should start allowing third-country nationals to enter the EU starting from July 1, gradually and partially, based on the epidemiological situation in each third-country.

    The Commission recommended the following objective criteria for the Member States, when drafting the list of countries, the citizens of which may visit the EU after July 1: epidemiological situation and coronavirus response in that country, the ability to apply containment measures during travel, and whether or not that country has lifted travel restrictions towards the EU. Based on these conditions, the Commission recommended that the nationals of the six Western Balkan countries should be the first to benefit from the abolishment of travel restrictions, all of which are in the above list.

  • Coca-Cola cleans $7 billion off Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune

    Coca-Cola cleans $7 billion off Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune

    Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and chief executive officer, has had $7 billion wiped off his fortune after Coca-Cola announced halting all social media advertising for 30 days.

    This follows #StopHateforProfit campaign launched on June 19 in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers and the subsequent worldwide protests.

    It was triggered by Facebook’s refusal to remove a post by President Donald Trump, which threatened the protesters with violence. Trump wrote in his post, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” and also called the demonstrators “thugs”.

    “There is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media. The Coca-Cola Company will pause paid advertising on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days.

    “We will take this time to reassess our advertising policies to determine whether revisions are needed. We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners,” James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company

    Zuckerberg’s net wealth is down by $7.21 billion as of Saturday, while Facebook’s share price dropped more than 8% at the close of Friday trading, as the ad boycott snowballs.

    Coca-Cola is the latest brand to back the #StopHateforProfit campaign by American civil rights groups.

    Big corporations, including Unilever, Verizon and many others have over the last week, either paused or halted their advertising with Facebook and other social media platforms as a result.

    Meanwhile, the pressure appears to be working as late on Friday, Zuckerberg announced the company will now label “newsworthy” posts from politicians that break its rules on hate speech or violent speech.