COVID-19
Lyon return empty-handed with prospect of losing key players
Had Olympique Lyonnais’ Memphis Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi found the back of the net in the opening 16 minutes against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the Champions League may have had its first ever all-French final. Instead, Paris St Germain will now face the German champions while Lyon return home empty-handed and without the opportunity of righting those wrongs next season after they failed to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition. Ligue 1 was the only top-flight league from the ‘Big Five’ to prematurely end its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Lyon in seventh place on a points-per-game basis — thereby missing out on the Europa League as well. The 3-0 scoreline flatters Bayern as Lyon had their chances but playing in only their second semi-final on the big stage, their ...
Plateau leads with 186 coronavirus cases as NCDC announces fresh 593
Plateau recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with 186 new infections, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 593 new cases in the country. The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle. The health agency noted that four deaths were recorded in the country. The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities across the country. According to the centre, 50,488 cases have been confirmed, with 37,304 cases discharged, while 985 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) till date. It noted that the 593 new cases were reported from 16 states – Plateau (186), Lagos (172), FCT (62), Oyo (27), Delta (25), Rivers (...
Edo guber: Betsy Obaseki expresses concern over desperation of candidates
Wife of Edo state governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has expressed concern over what she called “deception, desperation and the total lack of self respect displayed by some politicians who are willing to do anything to gain power and have made themselves a laughing stock among the people.” She stated this on Tuesday in Benin, during an interactive session with wives of Enigies (Dukes in Benin Kingdom), over the September 19 gubernatorial election in the state. Mrs. Obaseki said she expected governorship candidates “to campaign and sell their manifesto, rather than tell lies and employ the services of thugs to unleash violence on the people, all because they have nothing to offer.” She charged the women “to judge as mothers whether it is in the best interest of the people to mortgage the future ...
NFF management, staff to undergo coronavirus tests
Management and other officials of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will undergo coronavirus tests at the federation’s secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, an official said on Wednesday. Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Communications, disclosed in a statement that the federation’s General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, announced this on Wednesday. According to Olajire, Sanusi said the test would take place at the federation’s Sunday Dankaro House secretariat, located within the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Complex in Abuja. “Sanusi, while addressing management officials and other staff on Wednesday informed them that the test had become necessary after a positive test by a member of the NFF management. “Apart from this person testing positive, Sanusi said he also had issues and has had to ...
20 OOUTH staff, family of four test positive for coronavirus
Tension has enveloped the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, in Ogun State as no fewer than 20 medical laboratory staff of the hospital and another family of four have contracted coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The family of four was said to have contracted the viral disease from their father who happened to be one of the staff working in the hospital’s main laboratory. A dependable source in the hospital said that the staff of the laboratory started going for the COVID-19 test last week Friday, August 13 following the death of staff from the department while some were already ill and manifesting symptoms associated with Covid-19. The results of the test were said to have started trickling in from last week Saturday to yesterday, Tuesday confirming that 20 out o...
Geofenced Streams Could Lead to Virtual Concert Tours
Haitian DJ Michael Brun is experimenting with a way to help artists earn additional revenue during the worldwide live music shutdown. Rather than perform as a part of a large livestreamed festival, he’s exploring a new method for artists to limit their audience to fans in a particular area—geofencing. By hosting geofenced livestreams, artists can host shows specifically in one city and justify admission based on the fact that it’s an exclusive performance. When speaking with the Deccan Chronicle, Brun stated that he will be treating each city on his experimental virtual tour to exclusive setlists and stage production. This opens the door for other artists to follow in his footsteps and embark on virtual concert tours from the comfort and safety of their homes or studi...
LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy Joins Senator Chuck Schumer to Save Independent Venues: Watch
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, and Grace Blake of Iridium, photo via NIVA The pandemic has proven especially dire for the live music scene, as the National Independent Venue Association found that 90% of independent music venues could close without financial aid. That’s why NIVA is fighting hard to get the bipartisan Save Our Stages Act passed. To promote their efforts, the organization gathered LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, New York’s Senator Chuck Schumer, and a number of New York-area venue owners for a press conference outside of Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right on Tuesday. After being introduced by Baby’s co-owner/music director Billy Jones, Senator Schumer stepped to the mic first. “Our live venues are the pulse, the heart, and t...
UNC-Chapel Hill Switches Back To Remote Classes After COVID-19 Spike
Source: The Washington Post / Getty The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is among the many college campuses that moved to return to normal opening amid the pandemic. Now, officials at the institution are reversing course after a massive spike in COVID-19 cases were reported. Local publication The News & The Observer reports that UNC-Chapel Hill reported 130 new cases this week, bringing the total count to 324 positive cases since last February. Starting Wednesday (August 19), all undergraduate classes will move to a remote platform after clusters of cases appeared in dorm rooms, an apartment, and a fraternity house on campus. “As of this morning, we have tested 954 students (last week) and have 177 in isolation and 349 in quarantine, both on and off campus,” both Chancellor ...
Untold and Neversea Music Festivals Offer Festival Tickets In Exchange for Blood Plasma
The organizers behind Romania’s biggest music festivals, Untold Festival and Neversea, are offering an attractive incentive for donating blood plasma—free festival tickets. The donation campaign, titled Blood Network, is a partnership between the festival and supermarket chain Kaufland Romania. The limited time offer is being extended specifically to recently recovered COVID-19 patients. Plasma from patients cured of the virus is highly sought after due to the presence of antibodies, which could help sick patients find the path to recovery. Donors through Blood Network will be rewarded with a free one-day pass to the 2021 edition of either Untold or Neversea. Donors will also receive a supermarket voucher of 100 lei for their efforts. “The medical system is curre...
Ultra Music Festival and iHeartRaves Join Forces to Donate 12,000 Masks to Miami Communities in Need
During times of economic and financial strife, the music industry has stepped up to the plate time and again to support its community. That notion rings especially true during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which decimated the live music landscape and left innumerable artists, sound engineers, venue operators, security staff, and more fighting for their livelihoods. Enter Ultra Music Festival and iHeartRaves, two influential organizations in the EDM zeitgeist that teamed up to deliver masks to Miami’s underserved communities this summer. After the organizers of Ultra were forced to reschedule the fest’s 2020 edition due to the impact of COVID-19, they joined forces with iHeartRaves, a popular rave fashion brand, to donate 12,000 surgical masks to marginalized communitie...
Wuhan, China Pool Rave Attracts Thousands in City Where COVID-19 Was First Identified
Wuhan, China, the purported fountainhead of COVID-19, hosted a massive pool party over the weekend as the city tries to go back to normal following a period of stringent lockdown. According to a report by Complex, the rave took place at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park over the weekend. Footage widely circulated on social media shows thousands of revelers floating on inflatable tubes, flouting social distancing measures and partying in close proximity in the water with virtually no masks in sight. It’s important to note that the city of Wuhan hasn’t reported any new coronavirus cases in three months. Considering Wuhan’s notoriety as the city where COVID-19 reportedly first originated, though, the concert’s timing is dubious as many other nations, including Italy...
NIMASA assures dockworkers of improved welfare
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured stakeholders of its commitment to the protection of the rights and welfare of dockworkers as guaranteed in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Agenda. The Agency’s Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Victor Ochei, gave the assurance in Lagos during a meeting of the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC). The meeting discussed a revised minimum wage and improved living standard for dockworkers through the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) initiative endorsed by NIMASA and NJIC in 2018. Ochei stated, “Dockworkers are integral to efficient and effective stevedoring operation and the NJIC has remained resolute in ensuring harmonious working relationships through the ...
