Welcome to Olamama's blog!!!: February 2020

Saturday 29 February 2020

Coronavirus: Bombshell as 14% of patients who recovered test positive again in China

China has discovered that roughly 14% of patients who recovered from coronavirus test positive for the killer disease again, with the mechanism behind the virus' apparent ability to re-infect a complete mystery. This comes after Japan reported that a female tour-bus guide aged in her 40s had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus for a second time in Osaka.

The vice president of Iran is understood to have been infected with coronavirus a day after the country’s health minister confirmed he had tested positive. state-owned newspaper said vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar has contracted the deadly infection. Iran has emerged as a major hotspot in the region, with 26 fatalities – the highest death toll outside China.
A day before, the country announced deputy health minister Iraj Hairichi is one of those infected in Iran. He had given a news conference on Tuesday seeking to play down the danger posed by the virus. He stopped at one point to wipe away sweat from his forehead.

King Paul Akpan Udoh tested positive for Coronavirus

The US Pianese, a soccer club in the Italian region of Tuscany, has confirmed that three of its players plus one of its staff members have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement. The club has not released the names for the four patients. The first case, a football player, was assisted by the team’s doctor after showing symptoms such as fever and headache on Saturday, and was later transferred to Siena’s Hospital, the statement says.

Mobile phones belonging to South Africa’s intelligence minister Ayanda Dlodlo and her deputy, Zizi Kodwa, have been cloned. High-profile investigators were looking into how the phones and that of several other intelligence officials, had been cloned, the security ministry said.
Cloning involves the transferring of data from one mobile phone to another. It was not unclear who was responsible or if any sensitive information had been compromised, the ministry said.
Ms Dlodlo’s spokesman told the Reuters news agency that the cloning was discovered when several individuals received text messages purportedly from Mr Kodwa.
The embarrassing admission comes a few weeks after a break-in at the State Security Agency’s headquarters in the capital, Pretoria.
Robbers walked into a safe at the office and left with classified documents and an undisclosed amount of money in local and foreign currency, according to South Africa’s IOL news website.

Update: Tottenham star Dele Alli charged with misconduct after making joke about the coronavirus while mocking an Asian man

Tottenham and England football star, Dele Alli has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following an investigation into his social media post that made an insensitive joke about coronavirus outbreak as he mocked an Asian man. Earlier this month, the 23-year-old midfielder posted a video on Snapchat, where he appeared to film a man of Asian descent, along with the caption 'Corona whatttttt, please listen with ¬volume.'

Fedex has named its newest CEO and she's Ramon Hood, a woman who began as a receptionist at the same company. Today, Hood is the first Black woman to become CEO in the company’s history. The company announced Wednesday, February 26, that former VP of operations, strategy, and planning is now CEO, bringing more than 28 years of company experience to her role. She will be overseeing the Custom Critical division.

Prince Harry has disclosed that he now wants to be simply addressed as "Harry", weeks after he and his wife, Meghan Markle announced that they will be taking a step back from their positions as senior members of the royal family. Ayesha Hazarika who hosted Harry's sustainable travel initiative, Travalyst in Edinburgh, Scotland on Wednesday February 26, made the announcement while introducing the father of one on stage.
She said;

A man who was left unable to have s.e.x after his p3nis was bitten by a rat inside a New York jail is reopening his lawsuit against city authorities. Vietnam war veteran Peter Solomon, 63, made headlines in 2011 when a judge granted him permission to launch a lawsuit. He claimed to have suffered severe injuries and mental distress when the rodent latched onto his genitals while he was in a cell at Nassau County Correctional Center in 2007, pending trial on charges he had menaced his first wife.

Braian Toledo has tragically died after being involved in a bike crash in his native Argentina just months before the Olympic javelin thrower was due to compete at the Games in Tokyo. The 26-year-old was preparing to go for gold in Japan this summer but his hopes of bringing home a medal have sadly been dashed.
Toledo’s first Olympics came at London 2012 when he was just 18, and the rising star finished in 30th place. Four years later in Brazil, the South American came 10th as he stepped up his game for the Rio Olympics. Toledo had a huge future ahead of him in javelin, having won many medals at youth level.

Bullied Quaden Bayles' family reject the $700k raised from a fundraiser set up by US comedian for a trip to Disneyland

Bullied Quaden Bayles' family have rejected the $700,000 raised from a fundraiser set up by a US comedian, and want the money to be donated to charity instead. Last week, an online fundraiser, 'Let's send a wonderful kid to Disneyland', was set up by US comedian Brad Williams, who also has dwarfism after the boy's mother shared an emotional video of him crying and saying he wanted to die after he was bullied at school.

US President, Donald Trump's 2020 campaign has filed a libel lawsuit against The New York Times alleging the newspaper "knowingly published false and defamatory statements" connecting Trump to Russia in a March 2019 opinion piece, taking his war with the media to different heights. Opinion pieces by The New York Times are published in The Times' opinion section, which is separate from the organization's newsroom and has a different leadership and control.

The body camera footage showing the arrest of a 6-year-old Florida schoolgirl has been released, eliciting outrage from viewers. In 2019, an Orlando school resource officer arrested two 6-year-old children as a result of an in-school tantrum. One of the kids arrested and placed in handcuffs is Kaia Rolle. At the time, Kaia's grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland said she was shocked when she got a call saying a school resource officer at Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy has arrested her 6-year-old grandchild

Zambian authorities have seized a $2.8m Bugatti Veyron which arrived the country through Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on Monday February 24. In a statement released by Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission on Wednesday February 26, it was gathered that the agency is investigating the owner of the luxury car's source of income to ensure there is no breach of its money laundering laws.

Youssef El-Arabi scored in the last minute of extra-time to give Olympiakos a 2-1 victory at Arsenal on Thursday and knock the Londoners out of the Europa League. Arsenal, last year’s losing finalists, had won the first leg of the round of 32 tie 1-0 in Greece. Defender Pape Abou Cisse cancelled out that advantage after 53 minutes.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put Arsenal back in front with a spectacular goal 23 minutes into extra-time, but El Arabi dramatically put Olympiakos through on away goals.

Lagos confirms Coronavirus, first case in West Africa

The Ministry of Health in Lagos State has confirmed its first case of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) -- the first in Nigeria and in West Africa since the outbreak in China in January 2020. This was contained in a statement released this morning by the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi. It is the second confirmed case in Africa following one recently recorded in Algeria in North Africa.

Coronavirus: At least 700 people in New York placed under voluntary quarantine after returning from China

At least 700 people who returned to New York from China have been placed under voluntary quarantines over the deadly coronavirus which broke out from Wuhan in China. Jill Montag, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health, confirmed an estimated 700 travellers had voluntarily agreed to take part in the 14-day self-isolation period after having returned from trips to China.

Inter Milan face Ludogorets in the Europa League last-32 on Thursday and ahead of the match, Ludogorets players have arrived in Milan wearing protective face masks and gloves amid the spread of coronavirus disease in northern Italy. All the squad and staff of the Bulgarian club wore protective face masks as they left the team bus on Wednesday evening to enter their hotel rooms in Milan.
After the killer virus spread into Italy this week, major Serie A matches were postponed by the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte, while five other matches this weekend will also take place behind-closed-doors in order to protect public health as directed by the Italian government.

The United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan have reached a truce, the US State Department announced Friday. The truce, which will be a major foreign policy win for Trump if kept to, was brokered between the US, the Afghan Government and the Taliban and starts with a seven-day reduction in violence in Afghanistan. The seven day violence reduction will begin Friday night local time, the US State Department announced.

Disgraced Hollywood film producer, Harvey Weinstein's adult children have all disowned him days after he was found guilty of criminal sexual assault and rape. His older children, Lily, 25, Emma, 22, and Ruth, 17, who were born during his 20-year marriage to Eve Chilton are reportedly not in contact with their father. Weinstein's defence lawyer, Donna Rotunno confirmed the eldest three are not in contact with him, but gushed about his relationship with his youngest children India, nine, and six-year-old Dashiell.

One of Hong Kong's most high-profile entrepreneurs, pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai, has been charged with illegal assembly and intimidation. The illegal assembly charge relates to a banned anti-government march on 31 August, which Mr Lai is accused of attending. The intimidation charge relates to a clash with a journalist in 2017.
The newspaper Mr Lai founded, Apple Daily, is frequently critical of Hong Kong and Chinese leadership. Two other pro-democracy figures, politicians Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum, were also arrested on Friday.
They have also been charged with one count of illegal assembly in relation to the same protest.
Senior Superintendent Wong Tung-kwong said all three men would be called to the Eastern Magistrate Court on 5 May.

Canada to stop paying Harry and Meghan's security

Canada will soon stop providing security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the federal government has confirmed. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been providing assistance to the couple since their arrival in Canada "intermittently since November 2019".
It had not been clear whether Canadians would be paying for their security following their move. The couple will formally step down as senior royals from 31 March.

All countries need to prepare to combat the deadly coronavirus, the World Health Organization has said, as authorities raced to contain the epidemic’s rapid global spread. With new infections reported around the world now surpassing those in mainland China, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said even rich nations should prepare.
“No country should assume it won’t get cases, that would be a fatal mistake, quite literally,” Tedros said, pointing to Italy, where 17 people have died in Europe’s worst outbreak.

Harvey Weinstein was rushed to hospital by ambulance on Monday, shortly after being found guilty of r.a.p.i.n.g and s3xual assaulting two women. The disgraced Hollywood producer, 67, was said to have been redirected to Bellevue Hospital Center after suffering chest pains. A rep later confirmed he was suffering from high blood pressure and having heart palpitations. Judge James Burke had initially ordered Weinstein to be taken to Rikers Island prison immediately, until his sentencing on March 11.

Man City engineer comeback as Guardiola's tactical masterclass reveals Madrid's crown is slipping

On Tuesday, Pep Guardiola hailed Real Madrid as "the kings" of the Champions League, and though the dethroning has not yet been confirmed, Manchester City landed a significant blow at the Santiago Bernabeu. They came from behind to win their round-of-16 first leg 2-1 and head to the Etihad Stadium in two weeks' time as favourites to progress at the expense of the 13-time winners. It is nights such as this when City fans will concede that they quite like the Champions League after all. This was their first win over Real Madrid and their most significant Champions League result.

A Polish model has gone completely blind in one eye and rapidly failing sight in the other after a tattoo artist made an attempt to dye her eyeballs black. 25-year-old Aleksandra Sadowska from the city of Wroclaw in the west of Poland reportedly went to the tattooist to dye her eyeballs black so that she can look like rap artist Popek, who also had his eyes dyed black.
After the bungled procedure, Aleksandra started complaining of pains in her eyes with the tattooist telling her there was no cause of alarm and then instructed her to take painkillers as it was normal.

Saudi Arabia has suspended pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina for people outside the country over novel coronavirus fears. The kingdom, which bills itself as the custodian of Islam’s two holiest sites, will open religious rituals to residents and nationals only. In recent years, diplomatic rifts in the region restricted travel for pilgrims from Qatar and Iran, prompting an outcry. But a wholesale temporary ban on foreign visits to the holy sites is a first in living memory.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday asked all elementary, junior high and high schools to close from Monday until the end of March, when their spring vacation concludes. The move comes amid fears over the spread of coronavirus in Japan, and after criticisms of how authorities there dealt with the quarantine of a cruise ship earlier this month.
A top Japanese government adviser has admitted that the quarantine measures enacted on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama may have allowed additional infections to spread among the ship's crew and passengers.
The number of confirmed cases in Japan has risen to more than 800 -- nearly 700 of which were reported on the cruise liner -- and seven people have died.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry snub Kris Jenner as A-list celebrities reach out to be a part of their post-royal life

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reported to have snubbed Kris Jenner and the Kardashian clan from their celebrity A-list squad as they begin their new post-palace life. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently choosing who they'd like in their close circle of friends as they embark on their new life in Vancouver Island, Canada. A number of TV hosts, filmmakers and actors have reached out to them, including Kris Jenner. However, they are said to have snubbed the momager's efforts to get into their close circle.

An infectious disease specialist has warned that France should brace itself for a coronavirus outbreak comparable to what Italy is currently facing. Authorities in Italy are struggling to contain the virus, which has infected more than 370 people and left 12 dead there. There are just 16 confirmed cases in France, but Professor of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Pitié-Salpêtrièr hospital in Paris, Eric Caumes says he expects the situation to worsen given the “many channels of transmission” already circulating in the population.

Serena Williams shared a new photo of her cradling her sleeping daughter as she opened up about how hard it is balancing motherhood with a career.
The professional tennis player wrote: "I am not sure who took this picture but Working and being a mom is not easy. I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match. We keep going. I am so proud and inspired by the women who do it day in and day out. I’m proud to be this baby’s mama @olympiaohanian. #nofilter#nomakeup #nohairbursh lol #justme."
This comes after Serena's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou said Serena's team might have to change their strategy because she hasn't won a Grand Slam title since returning to tennis after childbirth.

The city of Qianjiang, in China's Hubei province, is awarding residents who proactively report symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus. Any resident who reports symptoms and is confirmed to have the novel coronavirus will be awarded 10,000 yuan — or about $1,426 — according to a Qianjiang government press release.
Meanwhile, patients who come forward and are classified as "suspected cases" will be rewarded 2,000 yuan (or $285). Those that are not immediately confirmed to have the illness upon first diagnosis will be rewarded 1,000 yuan ($142).

Twenty-two people have now died from the novel coronavirus in Iran, the worst-hit country outside of China. The mortality rate from Covid-19 in Iran has soared to over 13% -- significantly higher than any other country experiencing an outbreak of the pathogen. Some suspect that may be down to an under-reporting of the total number of cases, which stand at more than 140. The death rate in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus, is around 2%.

Foxconn, a major electronics maker and supplier to Apple, has started making surgical face masks for all of its factory workers. The Taiwanese tech giant said in a statement today that it had ramped up production significantly to meet its internal requirements of making approximately a million masks per day for employees at its facilities.
“Having previously dealt with SARS, Foxconn has a good understanding of how to care for our employees’ health and how we will need to allocate resources in the manufacturing and production departments,” the company told CNN Business earlier this month.

A top Japanese government adviser has admitted that the quarantine measures enacted on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama may have allowed additional infections to spread among the ship's crew and passengers. At least 705 people contracted the virus during the quarantine, four of whom have died. For a time, the ship had the largest concentration of cases outside of mainland China, where the outbreak began.

Former food company executive Michelle Janavs was sentenced to five months in prison Tuesday for paying bribes in the college admissions scam, the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said.
Janavs, whose family invented Hot Pockets, paid the scheme's mastermind, Rick Singer, $100,000 to cheat on two of her daughters' ACTs, and agreed to pay $200,000 to have one of the daughters admitted to University of Southern California as a "fake beach volleyball recruit," according to a sentencing memorandum.

An 11-year-old girl appeared yesterday at a legislative hearing in Idaho, toting a loaded AR-15 assault weapon. Bailey Nielsen was with her grandfather, who is supporting a proposal that would allow visitors to Idaho who can legally possess firearms to carry a concealed handgun within city limits. Charles Nielsen addressed the committee that voted to send the legislation to the full House as his granddaughter stood at his side with the weapon slung over her right shoulder. She did not speak.

Tom Cruise 's latest Mission: Impossible movie has been halted over fears that the cast and crew could be hit with coronavirus. Filming of the seventh movie in the action franchise has been paused in Italy, producers have said. It was scheduled for a three-week shoot in Venice, but production has now been stopped after more than 200 people tested positive for the virus in Italy.
It is the largest number of confirmed cases of the disease outside Asia.
In a statement, Paramount Pictures said it was following the advice of the Venetian government and using an "abundance of caution" in halting production.

Thomas Markle slams daughter Meghan Markle, says she insulted The Queen and has "dumped every family"

Thomas Markle has slammed his daughter Meghan Markle again and accused her of treating Queen Elizabeth and the royal family shabbily. Thomas Markle Sr. was seen at an Office Depot in Rosarito, Mexico, and was asked if his daughter has the right to use the term "royal" as part of her brand. He replied by going off on his daughter. He said she has been disrespectful to The Queen and that she keeps dumping everyone in her life. He added that he's not surprised because it's her mode of operation.

Malaysia's Mahathir asked to stay as interim prime minister after his resignation

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has announced his resignation but was asked to stay on as interim leader by the country's monarch. Mahathir said in a two-line statement that he had informed the country's king of his resignation at on Monday.
Mahathir also reportedly resigned from his own party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, according to Reuters news agency, citing three sources. Mahathir's party also announced that it was quitting the ruling government coalition, Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), casting doubt on the future of the partnership.

Three schools in Cheshire, United Kingdom have been closed over fears of a coronavirus outbreak.
The schools are: Cransley School, in Northwich, Brine Leas Academy, in Nantwich, and Sandbach High School, in Sandbach. They were closed today after a number of pupils returned from trips to Italy over half-term.
Italy is now the greatest coronavirus-hit country in Europe, with over 200 infections and seven deaths. The country has locked down 11 towns, while upcoming football matches in its Serie A and the Europa League will be played behind closed doors.

Italy scrambles to contain coronavirus outbreak after admitting hospital mess-up

Italian authorities were on the defensive Tuesday as they faced tough questions over the country's handling of the novel coronavirus, which is rapidly spreading across the country's northern regions.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has tried to allay fears that the central government has no control over the affected regions after he was forced to admit that a hospital in the northern town of Codogno had mishandled the region's first coronavirus case and had contributed to the deadly virus' spread.

A mother filmed herself smacking her baby boy down to the floor during a video chat with the child's father, police and the child’s family said. Hanna Winch, 21, was arrested in Peru, Indiana, after police discovered a disturbing video that was posted on social media by the child’s grandparents.
The footage shows a woman, alleged to be Winch, smacking the ten-month-old boy down on the floor, sending him sprawling face-first across the floor. The camera then briefly pans up to show the face of a woman believed to be Winch.

A US airstrike in Somalia killed an al-Shabaab leader who had a role in "planning and directing terrorist operations," including a January attack on Manda Bay, Kenya, that killed three Americans, the US military said Tuesday.
"Post-strike assessments confirm the two terrorists killed in the Feb. 22 precision airstrikes were an individual associated with the attack on Manda Bay and his wife, who was also a known al-Shabaab member," US Africa Command said in a statement Tuesday.

Health officials in Hong Kong have confirmed four additional cases of the coronavirus, bringing the citywide total to 89. The new cases include two passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a man linked with a previously confirmed case, and a domestic helper who was linked to a previous case.
One of the suspected cases is a 49-year-old woman, said Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Center for Health Protection today. The woman volunteered at a Buddhist hall; since then, 202 people with links to the hall have been contacted by authorities, and 32 have been quarantined. The rest are still being monitored.
A total of 24 people have been discharged from hospital, said health officials today. One patient remains in critical condition, and another 64 are still being treated in hospital.

"I am innocent... The truth is the best defence" Jussie Smollett says he is willing to 'fight or die' to be cleared after pleading not guilty to renewed charges

Jussie Smollett has been re-charged for allegedly lying to cops about the hate crime he claims was perpetrated against him in Chicago a year ago, and he insists he's innocent and will keep saying his truth. TMZ caught up with the actor as he was leaving the Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, February 25.
Smollett, who has pled not guilty again, insisted that he's innocent when asked about being charged again. He was with his lawyer and introduced her to the photographer so that the questions could be directed to her. His lawyer said Jussie is a tough cookie and will pull through.

Saudi Arabia's royal family are set to bid an outrageous £400m to host Tyson Fury's next fight after members of the Royal Family were ringside in Las Vegas to watch the Gypsy King's ruthless win over Deontay Wilder at the weekend. Fury defeated Wilder on Sunday morning to claim the WBC Heavyweight belt and Wilder confirmed on Tuesday that he will re-activate his rematch clause in their contract within the next 28 days but fans are clamoring for a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to determine the undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world.

Gigi Becali, the owner of Romanian team, Bucharest football club FCSB has blamed his team's recent poor run of form on too much sex. The 1986 European Cup winners, who are Romania's most successful club with 26 league titles have failed to win their last three games. Commenting on the club's current poor form, Becali told local media the players are having too much sex their girlfriends.
'My players are making love with their girlfriends too often, that's why they aren't playing football so well lately,' he said after FCSB's 1-1 home draw against Chindia Targoviste over the weekend.
The 61-year-old Politician and businessman also went ahead to call out Romanian national team and FCSB striker Florinel Coman.

Forty Italians were blocked on Monday from disembarking their plane upon arrival in Mauritius due to surging coronavirus cases in Italy. An Alitalia flight from Rome to Mauritius arrived at its destination with 212 passengers, including 40 from Lombardy and Veneto, the Italian regions dealing with a coronavirus outbreak.
Mauritius authorities said the 40 could get off the plane only if they accepted to be quarantined. The airline, Alitalia, however, says it was not warned about this in advance.
The 40, who have not reported any symptoms of the disease, said they would rather go home and “Alitalia is arranging for their immediate return,” the company says.

Hollywood actor George Clooney 'planning' a £36m bid to buy Spanish football club Malaga

Hollywood actor and movie director, George Clooney is reportedly part of a group of US investors' planning a sensational bid to buy Spanish football club, Malaga, with hope to turn around the fortunes of the Andalusian side. With the club's president, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani already suspended over accusations of improper management, the team who are now 14th in Segunda Division could be forcibly relegated if they cannot fulfill certain financial commitments this season.

The Philippines has issued a ban on people traveling from South Korea's North Gyeongsang province, effective today, according to a statement by the Presidential Palace. North Gyeongsang province includes the southeastern city of Daegu, where the majority of South Korea's coronavirus cases are located.
Philippine citizens are still permitted to travel to the province for work or study. Philippine officials are conducting a risk assessment for travelers from other parts of South Korea.

Saturday 29 February 2020

Friday 28 February 2020

Thursday 27 February 2020

Wednesday 26 February 2020