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South Africa’s GDP Falls by 2% During First Quarter of 2020
Sourced from Finance Monthly. According to Statistics South Africa, the country’s economy decreased by 2.0% in the first quarter of 2020. Extending the technical recession the country found itself in in the last quarter of 2019. Stats SA’s latest quarterly GDP figures come only a week after SA’s finance minister Tito Mboweni tabled a supplementary budget in part of the country’s response against the COVID-19 pandemic. South Africa is the worst affected country in the continent. Treasury now expects the country’s GDP to contract by a record 7.2% by the end of the year, while tax revenues are expected to fall over R300 billion shorter then what was estimated in February’s budget. Fin24 reports that the global economy is likewise looking dour. The UK is reporting a 2.2% contraction between Ja...
Christians, Muslims declare fasting, prayer against coronavirus
File Photo President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, in conjunction with the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar Mohammadu III, have called for a three-day fasting and prayer (tagged NINEVEH) from July 3 to 5 throughout the country. The prayer is to seek total defeat of COVID-19 in Nigeria and all over the world. The Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) has been calling on all Christians and Muslims to take part in the national weekly prayer conducted online every Thursday in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (OSGF) and other stakeholders. According to a statement issued by the General Secretary of CAN, Mr. Joseph Daramola: “The NIREC leadership appreciates the efforts of the Presidential Task Force on COVID...
10 Customs officers contracted coronavirus at Lagos ports – comptroller
File Photo The Controller of the Apapa Customs Command of the Nigerian Customs Service, Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura, on Thursday, said ten of his officers contracted the COVID-19 disease and were treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). This is even as the Controller stated that any vessel Red-Flagged for issues with health or safety concern will not be boarded by his officers until cleared by relevant government agencies. Addressing maritime journalists in his office, on Thursday, Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura explained that there is no way the Command can stop physical examination of cargoes for now because of the fear of COVID-19, that rather, it is important for individuals to observe physical hygiene while carrying out port activities. According to Abba-Kura, “Whe...
Real Madrid officially announce transfer of Achraf Hakimi to Inter for reported €40 million fee
Real Madrid have announced the sale of Achraf Hakimi to Inter, with reports suggesting the Milanese club spent around €40 million to secure the services of the youngster until 2025. It is also said that Madrid have included a buy-back clause in the wing-back’s five-year deal. A statement on Los Blancos’ official website reads: “Real Madrid CF and Inter Milan have agreed to transfer Achraf Hakimi. “The club wants to thank Achraf for all these years of dedication, professionalism and exemplary behavior since he came to our academy in 2006 and wishes him good luck in his new phase.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful peo...
Novak Djokovic, wife recover from coronavirus
Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena, who last week both tested positive for coronavirus following his exhibition tournament in the Balkans, have now tested negative, his press service said Thursday. Neither the 33-year-old player nor his partner felt any symptoms, the statement said. The couple had been self-isolating since returning to Belgrade from Zadar in Croatia, the town which hosted the second leg of Djokovic’s ill-fated Adria Tour. Four players — Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki — tested positive for the virus after the event which saw little social distancing and packed stands. The world number one’s coach Goran Ivanisevic also contracted COVID-19. Players had embraced across the net, played basketball and even danced in a nightclub during the week of the f...
INTERVIEW: How IBM and WITS are Enabling Data-Driven Decisions to Flatten the COVID-19 Curve
With the ongoing battle against the spread of COVID-19, it’s said that timely and accurate data could help governments stay ahead of new transmissions and ultimately flatten the curve. With this in mind, IBM Research Africa, WITS University and the Gauteng provincial government have joined forces to develop a powerful data-driven dashboard to help make data-driven decisions when it comes to halting the spread of the virus. ITNA’s Jenna Delport spoke to Sibusisiwe Makhanya, Data Scientist at IBM Research Africa, about this pioneering tool and how it’s aiding the government during this pandemic. Here’s is what transpired: With the ongoing battle against the spread of COVID-19 in mind, how does timely and accurate data assist government to stay ahead of new transmissions and flatten the curve...
GirlCode to Host Virtual Hackathon Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
GirlCode has announced that its inaugural hackathon will be taking place – this time as a virtual event held in August to coincide with the Women’s Month celebration. The organisation says that COVID-19 has presented a unique opportunity to provide innovative solutions to bridge the digital divide, hence the seventh instalment of the annual hackathon is dubbed “Hack from Home”. GirlCode notes that the global pandemic’s impact on the vulnerable populations of South Africa is unprecedented but with various lockdown restrictions imposed, technology was and still is relevant to allow us to work, transact and to keep us connected. The hackathon’s objective is to entrench and elevate interest in coding and in turn, afford tertiary students eager to join the software industry with an opportunity ...
Microsoft and LinkedIn to Bring Digital Skills to 25 million People Worldwide
Microsoft has announced a new global skills initiative aimed at bringing more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by the end of the year. The announcement comes in response to the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanded access to digital skills is an important step in accelerating economic recovery, especially for the people hardest hit by job losses. This initiative, detailed on the Official Microsoft Blog, includes immediate steps to help those looking to reskill and pursue an in-demand job and brings together every part of the company, combining existing and new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub and Microsoft. This includes: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d1c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d1c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The use of data to ...
LEAKED: Images of Samsung’s 5G Galaxy Z Flip
Image sourced from TENAA Images said to be showing Samsung’s newest 5G device – the Galaxy Z Flip 5G – have made their home online, reports The Verge. The pictures, first listed by China’s TENAA certification centre, confirm some key design specs including a new silver colour scheme. The images suggest that the 5G foldable device could be powered by the Snapdragon 865+ as opposed to the Snapdragon 855+ fitted to the original LTE Z Flip – “there’s still 8GB of RAM, but the batteries are listed with capacities of 2,500mAh and 704mAh, compared to the total capacity of 3,300mAh the phone had previously,” writes The Verge. MySmartPrice reports that the 5G device’s camera setup could instead sport a 10mp ultrawide lens rather than the 12mp lens on the LTE device. It’s also worth noting...
Frank Lampard: West Ham loss shows why we aren’t contenders
Frank Lampard has said Wednesday’s loss to West Ham United is emblematic of Chelsea’s season. The Blues were downed 3-2 by the Premier League relegation battlers, a defeat which meant they missed the chance to moved into third. And speaking after the game, Lampard said the result was indicative of why his team were not challenging for the title. “It happens, it is the Premier League and if you make mistakes like we did, we dominated the game in terms of possession, but make mistakes and teams will hurt you,” said Lampard. “I’m not happy with any of the goals. You don’t get given victories for scoring two goals, you have to be better than that. “There were moments they counter-attacked, which we knew they would. There were details in the game which we knew but we lost because we didn’t get ...
Family indicts vigilance group over missing man in Rivers
Family members of a missing 22-year-old man, Arinze Obiukwu, are asking the Rivers State Police Command to put pressure on a local vigilance group popularly known as OSPAC in Elele Ikwerre Local Government Area to produce him dead or alive. The elder brother of the missing man, Ifeanyi Obiukwu, said Arinze was arrested on the 27th of April 2020 by members of the vigilance group and efforts to reach him or secure his bail has proved abortive since then. He claimed the family is being threatened by some OSPAC members while some policemen have been inviting and intimidating them while asking for ‘settlement’ over their missing brother. On how his brother was arrested, he said, ‘’On the 27th of April, 2020, along Elele roundabout, my brother Mr. Arinze Obiukwu was arrested by OSPAC operatives ...
Sunday Adeleye reacts as court reinstates Ibrahim Gusau as AFN president
Sunday Adeleye, the Technical Director of AFN has reacted to the court verdict that sacked Hon Olamide George and reinstated Ibrahim Gusau as the AFN President. The Federal High Court Abuja has affirmed that Engr. Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau remains the president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) while sacking the board led by Olamide George. In his ruling on Wednesday, July 1, Hon. Justice A. I. Chikere said that only the President of the athletics federation had the powers to call a congress and appoint a Technical Director. The court, therefore, nullified the purported suspension and subsequent impeachment of Gusau as well as all other actions and resolutions taken by the Olamide George’s led AFN. The court also reinstated Sunday Adeleye as the Technical Director while declaring that...
