Coronavirus
NDDC HQ shut over ‘coronavirus outbreak’
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has ordered the immediate shutdown of the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Port Harcourt following the sudden death of the Commission’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Etang. Chief Etang, whose death occurred in the early hours of Thursday at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Port Harcourt, was suspected to have died from complications arising from coronavirus disease. To this ends, Senator Akpabio has directed all staff of the Commission currently exhibiting symptoms not to panic but to report to the nearest NCDC centre in Port Harcourt for evaluation. The ministry in a statement by its Director, Press & PR, Mrs Deworitshe Patricia said the “Minister of N...
How We Work Now: NMPA President/CEO David Israelite
In a series amid the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard is asking individuals from all sectors of the music business to share stories of how they work now, with much of the world quarantined at home and unable to take in-person meetings, attend conferences or even go into the office. Submissions for the series can be sent to HowWeWorkNow@Billboard.com. Read the full series here. This installment is with David Israelite, the president/CEO of music publishing trade association NMPA. David Israelite: We’ve just been in a kind of holding pattern. We have a lot of of pending issues [for which] we’re waiting for decisions from government bodies or legal bodies. Right before the shutdown, on March 10, we had our oral arguments regarding the appeal of the copyright royalty board rates by Spotif...
Cattle Decapitation’s “2020 Sucks” Face Mask Puts Your Mouth on a Butthole
Cattle Decapitation have captured the “cacophonous dumpster” of a year it’s been so far with a new “2020 Sucks” face mask. What’s more, the “back” side adds to the ridiculousness by placing a butthole against your mouth. The front of the mask offers a hastily designed collage that features the band’s logo set against a coronavirus sphere alongside images of hand sanitizer, toilet paper, a torn ticket to “Literally All Shows”, Tiger King star Joe Exotic, and a “Karen”. Also included is a picture of televangelist Kenneth Copeland, who recently claimed to have destroyed coronavirus and ended the pandemic. But wait, there’s more! The mask is two-sided, with the back showing an actual photo of a human butthole. Yes, if you choose to wear the mask as directed, you’ll have to do so with the ...
Disney World to Reopen in July with Reduced Capacity, Increased Safety Measures
Disney World’s Orlando theme parks and resorts are set to reopen in mid-July, albeit at a reduced capacity and with increased safety measures. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney formally presented its plan for re-opening to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force on Wednesday. As it stands now, the plan is for a phased re-opening, beginning with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11th. The rest of the park — including Epcot — will be accessible beginning July 15th. Even then, however, Disney World will reopen at a lower capacity to ensure ample room for social distancing. Additionally, guests will be required to wear face masks at all times and have their temperature checked upon entering the park. Hand sanitizer stations will be readily available, and “cast memb...
Kogi gives conditions for coronavirus test
The Kogi State government has insisted the State is still free from the rampaging Coronavirus disease even as it has given condition for recognizing any Covid-19 test conducted outside it’s boundaries by it’s citizens. This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Dr. Saka Haruna Audu, Commissioner for Health. He said the major interest of the government is to secure lives and not in politics. “Kogi State till this very moment is Covid-19 free. We have developed full testing capacity and have conducted hundreds of tests so far which have come back negative. “We have also continued to insist that we will not be a party to any fictitious Covid-19 claims which is why we do not recognise any Covid-19 test conducted by any Kogite outside the boundaries of the State except those initia...
Pearl Jam, Brandi Carlile, Ben Gibbard to Play All in WA COVID-19 Relief Concert
Brandie Carlile and Ben Gibbard, photos by Ben Kaye; Pearl Jam, photo by Lior Phillips Washington’s finest are coming together for a livestream benefit event dubbed “All in WA: A Concert for COVID-19 Relief”. Set to take place Wednesday, June 10th at 10:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. PDT, the concert will feature a number of local musicians and personalities. Among the confirmed talent are Pearl Jam, Brandi Carlile, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Mackelmore, comedian Joel McHale, Allen Stone, Mary Lambert, and The Black Tones, all Washington state natives. Some famous transplanted residents will also appear, including Dave Matthews, Ciara and her husband/Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. More guests will be announced soon. The concert w...
2 Chainz Restaurant Shut Down For COVID-19 Guidelines Violations
Source: Prince Williams / Getty 2 Chainz needs to holla at his restaurant’s management. The Atlanta rapper’s local establishment, Escobar Restaurant & Tapas, got shut down by the police due to violations of COVID-19 guidelines. TMZ reports that on Monday night, the cops drove by and noticed the restaurant looked particularly busy. The Georgia State Police took a closer look and according to the police report, they “noticed that the location was rather loud, busy, and occupied to be operating as a restaurant at that time of night.” And just like that, the party was over. All those people assembled, besides showing a stunning lack of common sense, meant the restaurant was in violation of COVID-19 guidelines. Georgia’s guidelines reportedly call for 10 customers max per table on onl...
Flo Rida Teams With His Medical Doctor To Set Up COVID-19 Mobile Testing Site
Source: DJDM/WENN.com / WENN Once again, our culture celebrities continue to come to the aid of their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic while Trump’s administration allows America to burn to the ground. The latest rapper to take it upon himself to do what our government should be doing is Miami’s own Flo Rida as TMZ is reporting that the “My House” rapper teamed up with his personal doctor to open up a mobile coronavirus testing center to help people take tests to learn if they have the deadly virus. Investing his own cash to build the project, the $1.5 million healthcare venture dubbed The Asktabs Mobile Wellness Center has already begun to make the rounds and test Floridians as the state begins to re-open at a time when The Rona is still running rampant across the nation. From TMZ...
Rammstein Officially Postpone North American Tour Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Rammstein fans in North America will have to wait until next year to see the German band’s electrifying stage show. The industrial metal act has just postponed the late-summer outing until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The North American run was set to be the first time that Rammstein brought their full-scale stadium production to the continent. As the band stated in the initial tour press release, “Rock ‘n’ roll’s most ambitious pyro-theatrical experience will be on display for a series of 10 open-air dates.” Now, that will have to wait until 2021, with rescheduled dates yet to be announced. The news of the postponement comes just a few weeks after Rammstein called off their early summer European tour. The North American run would have kicked off August 20th in Montreal, Canada, hitt...
Martin Scorsese Made a New Short Film in Isolation
Hollywood may be largely shut down, but director Martin Scorsese still found a way to make a new short film. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the acclaimed filmmaker’s film about life in isolation will air on the BBC tomorrow, May 28th, as the finale of the series Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard. Shot by Scorsese himself, the short reportedly involves a kind of dialogue with the past. Scorsese interprets the lockdown through beloved films like Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man, testing us to look at the classic works and our current situation through a new lens. Talking about his experience in isolation, the Hollywood icon said, “What I look forward to in the future is carrying with me what I have been forced to learn in these circumstances. It is the essential. The people you love. Being able t...
Scottsdale Mayor Furious After Pictures From A Mask Free Party Hosted By Floyd Mayweather Leak
Source: Bill Tompkins / Getty It seems social distancing goes out the window when The Money Team is in town. One government official is not feeling the vibes to say the very least. As reported by TMZ, Floyd Mayweather made a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona to party. According to the celebrity gossip site, he turned up at two locations in the Grand Canyon State this past Saturday (May 22. While the scene looked lit, the photographs from the festivities at the International Boutique Nightclub event made it clear the distance rule was not in effect. Naturally, the visuals did not sit well with many people; specifically Mayor Jim Lane. In an exclusive interview, he voiced his frustration to Thirty Mile Zone. “The images from Old Town Scottsdale this weekend are disturbing, and frankly s...
Cashless and Contactless Payments Beyond COVID-19
The emergence of COVID-19 has made the need for digitising payments more critical than ever before and for this to be a success, electronic payments need to offer similar benefits to those afforded by cash. Globally, economies are in various stages of development having either started developing, replaced or are busy replacing daily batch payment systems with real-time systems that execute payments in seconds with the flexibility to meet the needs of the future digital economy. The drive towards digital payments and lowering the reliance on cash is not new to South Africa’s payments market. There are several mechanisms already in place to enable this and banks, card companies, fintechs and retailers are all involved in rolling out digital, non-touch payment mechanisms. Contactless cards us...
