A new case of the Ebola virus has been detected in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo near the city of Butembo, and the infected person has died.
The woman was found with symptoms of the deadly Ebola virus in the town of Biena on Feb. 1 and died in hospital in Butembo on Feb. 3. She was married to a man who had contracted the virus in a previous outbreak.
According to Health Ministry Statement on Sunday, a provincial response team is already hard at work and will be supported by the national response team set to visit Butembo shortly.
The announcement potentially marks the start of Congo’s 12th Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered near the Ebola River in 1976, more than double any other country.
It comes nearly three months after Congo announced the end to its 11th outbreak hundreds of miles away in the west, which infected 130 people and killed 55. That outbreak overlapped with an earlier one in the east that killed more than 2,200 people, the second-most in the disease’s history.
The emergence of more cases could complicate efforts to eradicate COVID-19, which has infected 23,600 people and killed 681 in Democratic Republic of Congo.
A vaccination campaign is expected to start in the first half of this year.
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has reacted to the comments, doubts and criticisms trailing its recent directive to Deposit Money Banks, DMBS, to desists from transacting in and with entities dealing in cryptocurrencies.
In a statement on Sunday, CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications Osita Nwanisobi said the directive was to remind the DMBS to enforce an old directive to ensure oversight, enforce transparency and regulation for a volatile currency that is issued by largely anonymous entities and secured by cryptography that prevents due process.
The statement noted that the CBN’s position on cryptocurrencies is not an outlier as many countries, central banks, international financial institutions, and distinguished investors and economists have also warned against its use.
Nwajei said the CBN directive was not an isolated case considering trend global trend among many countries, international finance and banks finance and investors to take appropriate safeguards based of the significant risks that transacting in cryptocurrencies portend- risk of loss of investments, money laundering, terrorism financing, illicit fund flows and criminal activities.
Explaining further, the CBN said that “in light of the fact that they are issued by unregulated and unlicensed entities, their use in Nigeria goes against the key mandates of the CBN, as enshrined in the CBN Act (2007), as the issuer of legal tender in Nigeria.
In effect, the use of cryptocurrencies in Nigeria are a direct contravention of existing law.
South Africa has put its roll-out of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on hold after a study showed “disappointing” results against its new Covid variant.
Scientists say the strain accounts for 90% of new Covid cases in South Africa.
The study, involving around 2,000 people, found the vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of Covid-19.
South Africa has received 1m doses of the AstraZeneca jab and was due to start vaccinating people next week.
Speaking at an online news conference on Sunday, South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said his government would wait for further advice on how best to proceed with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in light of the findings. The trial was carried out by the University of the Witwatersrand but has not yet been peer reviewed.
In the meantime, he said, the government will offer vaccines produced by Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer in the coming weeks.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, Oxford’s lead vaccine developer, said vaccines should still protect against severe disease.
She said developers were likely to have a modified version of the injection against the South Africa variant, also known as 501.V2 or B.1.351, later this year.
Experts say vaccines could be redesigned and tweaked to be a better match for new variants in a matter of weeks or months if necessary.
Morocco became the first team to successfully defend the African Nations Championship (CHAN) trophy with a 2-0 win over Mali in Cameroon on Sunday.
The Moroccans were made to work hard for their win and both of their goals came from second-half corners in front of around 6,700 fans at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde.
Soufiane Bouftini headed home the first and that was followed up by another from Ayoub El Kaabi, who scored nine goals in 2018 to help Morocco win the title on home soil.
To make matters worse for Mali they finished the game with 10 men after the dismissal of Issaka Samake for a second yellow card, as the game went into injury time.
Initially Kenyan referee Peter Waweru had cautioned and Morocco’s Mohammed Ali Bemammer before the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) recommended he looked at the pitch-side monitor and after a lengthy review he reversed his decision and showed Samake a second yellow card.
Mali had started the match on the front foot and seemed to surprise the Moroccans as they pushed forward and disrupted their passing game.
There were some clumsy challenges from both sides in the opening 20 minutes and one of the resulting free kicks saw the first good chance of the match.
Recently reinstated Confederation or African Football president Ahmad was part of the presentation ceremony at the end of the match alongside former Cameroon players Samuel Eto’o, Patrick Mboma and Jacques Songo’o.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 23rd goal of the season as Juventus beat Roma to move ahead of them in the pursuit of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Ronaldo ended a run of three games without a goal with a low finish into the bottom corner from 18 yards.
The win was sealed when Roger Ibanez steered a Dejan Kulusevski cross into his own net in the second half.
Reigning champions Juve move above Roma and into third, five points behind Inter and with a game in hand.
It is a sixth consecutive win in all competitions for Andrea Pirlo’s team.
Paulo Fonseca’s Roma could have taken something from the game had they shown the same cutting edge as their opponent.
However, despite plenty of possession, leading to numerous goalscoring chances, they too often missed the target or gave Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny too easy a job.
Ronaldo remains a cut above
To most strikers, three games without hitting the net is nothing out of the ordinary but for Ronaldo it represents a mini drought, even at the age of 36.
It took him 13 minutes to end that run, using very little backlift but still generating enough power to drive his low shot accurately into the corner from just outside the box after being set up by Alvaro Morata.
He was inches away from a second before the break as his deflected strike from inside the box struck the underside of the bar and bounced down just the wrong side of the goalline.
He was also the man waiting to poke the ball in had Ibanez not got to substitute Kulusevski’s cross first for the second goal.
Ronaldo’s strike extends his lead at the top of the Serie A scoring charts, taking him to 16 from 17 games, two more than Inter’s Romelu Lukaku.
Thousands Join A Third Day Of Protests Against Coup In Myanmar
Thousands of people joined anti-coup protests across Myanmar on Monday as workers went on a nationwide strike, demanding the release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the return of democracy.
In the commercial capital, Yangon, more than 1,000 people gathered at a park by mid-morning, helping to kick off a third straight day of rallies following last week’s coup.
In Myanmar’s second largest city, Mandalay, more than a thousand had also gathered by mid morning.
And hundreds were seen turning out in the capital of Naypyidaw, riding around on motorbikes and honking car horns, while major rallies were also reported in other towns.
Over the weekend tens of thousands of people massed on the streets across Myanmar in the biggest protests since the coup.
Myanmar’s generals staged their putsch by detaining Suu Kyi and dozens of members of her National League for Democracy in pre-dawn raids on Monday last week.
The generals justified the coup by claiming fraud in last November’s elections, which the NLD won in a landslide.
The junta has proclaimed a one-year state of emergency, and promised to then hold fresh elections, without offering any precise timeframe.
The coup has triggered widespread international condemnation, although neighbouring China has declined to criticise the generals.
US President Joe Biden has leading the calls for the generals to relinquish power.
Super Eagles skipper Ahmed Musa has described as fantastic his relationship with family-both immediate and extended. “Family comes first to me and I cherish every moment that I have to be with my wife and children. We’ve been enjoying that very well since I stopped playing for Al Nassr,” Musa noted while talking about how he spends his time without weekend matches.
My family means everything to me
Musa, 28, cherishes family connection hence he often take to his twitter handle to celebrate members of his family, especially his wife and likes to post pictures of his children during a family outing.
“I love family. Family means the world to me. I leant that from my father and mother and the fact that I assumed head of my family, as the only male in the family, also built in me that commitment to family life.”
Celebrating his wife Juliet during his birthday, Musa wrote on his twitter handle: “That I’m blessed to have you in my life is an understatement. You have been the source of my strength and the one who keeps me going especially when I have no clue sometimes. You are a dream come true and I won’t change you for anything in the world. Happy Anniversary Wifey”
He recalled a moment late last year when he had to come out in the open when fake news hit the airwaves about members of his family contacting Coronavirus. Musa wrote: “It has come to my notice that certain individuals have decided to post false news about me testing positive to Covid 19. We are perfectly okay and have not tested positive to the virus. Please don’t fall for the malicious messages circulating about me or my family.”
Musa also treasures his children, a girl and three boys informing that he comes from a family that loves children and likes them around.
His philanthropic gesture has endeared him to the people of Jos, where he grew up and Kano, where he horn his skill professionally, and the entire Northern region, a gesture he attributed to strong family ties.
In 2017, he commissioned a multi million Naira sports facility in Kano.
According to Musa: “People like football in Kano and they pay money to train in different places, so I thought that it would be good to have a standard place where all these people could have a good place to train, play football and relax.”
On the same day his sports centre was unveiled, Ahmed Musa was turbaned as the ‘Jagaban Matasan Arewa’ by the northern youths and the association of the northern Nigerian students.
The title which translates as champion of women in Northern Nigeria was conferred on the 24 year old (at the time) in recognition and appreciation of his support for youths and contribution to communal development.
The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including the chairman of Kano state sports commission, Ibrahim Galadima.
In addition to promoting sports and ensuring youth support, Ahmed Musa is extremely involved in charity. It is customary for him to distribute money to widows and poor people in his community during the Ramadan festival.
He has also helped secure freedom for no fewer than 40 children including young adults that were remanded in at the Taurey, Goron Dutse Prison Yard, and Remands Home for Children and Kurmawa Prison all in Kano state. Not to mention distributing bag of rice to the needy.
Musa’s latest addition to his superlative acquisition was unveiled on Tuesday, February 1, 2021; a multimillion Naira sport facility located in Kaduna.
Similar to the Kano multi-purpose sport multifaceted, the complex has a gym, standard swimming pool, a five-a-side synthetic astro-turf pitch, and an event and seminal hall.
In 2020, Forbes put Musa’s net worth at an estimated $20 million which he made largely from being a professional footballer, endorsement and advertisement deals.
Musa also announced his plan to build a school in Jos, his hometown.
Shedding more light on his sudden disconnection with Al-Nassr in spite of his good record, Musa explained that he desires to return to top-flight competition in Europe.
Musa asked to leave the Riyadh club with two years remaining of the four-year contract he signed.
He told ESPN that the decision to leave was entirely his own but both parties had come to an amicable, mutual understanding.
“I met with the club and requested that they should terminate my contract, and they were kind enough to agree to let me go,” Musa told ESPN.
Al-Nassr announced Musa’s departure with a farewell message on the Riyadh club’s social media pages celebrated some of the goals scored by the Nigerian in his time in Saudi.
“Thank you Nigerian falcon, wishing you all the best in the future,” Al-Nassr posted on Twitter.
Musa, one of the highest-paid players in Saudi Arabia, said that he had always expressed a desire to return to Europe. I have enjoyed my time in the two years that I have been here, and the club have been great to me,” Musa told ESPN.
“But I have always wanted to return to Europe, and I feel that this is the best time for me to make that move.
“I want to get back to playing at the top level again against the best players in the world.
“I would like to thank everyone at Al-Nassr and all the fans for understanding and respecting my wishes, but especially for making me feel such a big part of the club and I will never forget them.”
The Nigerian is now a free agent, which means he can join a new club immediately, and he told ESPN that his agent was “talking with some clubs in Europe”.
“He knows what I want, so when there is something, I am sure he will let me know,” Musa said.
Musa’s wait may however be nearing a good end as he was reported to be on his way to put pen to pare for West Bromwich Albion, a Premiership side in England.
West Brom wants to offer the flying winger a short-term contract.
Musa has previous experience in the Premier League with Leicester City and he could be set for one with Albion if all goes well.
Musa is due to be given a full fitness check by the club’s sports scientists and then, should all go according to plan, concrete discussions will take place over a contract.
It’s expected that any deal will be until the end of the season, though of course an arrangement there isn’t restricted to the window, with Musa being a free agent.
It is reported that Boss Sam Allardyce is keen on pricing Musa to West Brom. “I have the hardest job between now and 11 because we have spent a considerable amount of our budget.
“If we can’t get a player in of the right quality, there won’t be much point in me bringing anyone else in. We’ll try and achieve it,” said Allardyce.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka withdrew from tuneup tournaments just days before the Australian Open is set to begin in Melbourne Park.
Williams on Friday pulled out of her semifinal match against top-ranked Ash Barty at the Yarra Valley Classic, citing a right shoulder injury.
“I feel pretty good,” Williams said Saturday. “I’ve gotten a lot of treatment already on my shoulder. But I’m super confident it’s going to be great. I’m feeling very confident, I think is a better word, and getting ready for hopefully the next two weeks.”
“It’s definitely something that I’m going to have to deal with for the fortnight,” she added. “Kind of knowing that going into a tournament definitely helps. Also knowing, okay, I’m going to have to probably pick up some different therapy exercises after each match. It’s going to be really important.”
No. 3-ranked Osaka pulled out of her Gippsland Trophy semifinal against Elise Mertens, citing a “niggling injury.” Azarenka withdrew from the Grampians Trophy quarterfinal match against Anett Kontaveit with a lower back problem.
Williams usually doesn’t play in a tournament in the week before a Grand Slam event, but she made an exception before last year’s US Open and for this Australian Open because of all the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 39-year-old American was playing her first tournament since withdrawing from the French Open before her second-round match because of an Achilles tendon injury in October. She, like all players traveling to Australia for the tournament, had to quarantine for 14 days and had limited practice during that time.
With the year’s first major scheduled to start Monday, Williams might be better off resting. She and Osaka are set to play on the same half of the draw at the Australian Open.
“Sorry to Tennis Australia and the fans to have to withdraw today,” Osaka said. “I have a niggling injury and in light of the [Australian Open] on the horizon, I need to be cautious. I look forward to competing next week.”
Osaka’s withdrawal gives Mertens a walkover into the final.
Williams had three wins at the Yarra Valley Classic — one of six tournaments at Melbourne Park this week — culminating with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 win in a match tiebreaker over Danielle Collins on Friday.
The withdrawal came after her postmatch news conference — when she made no reference to any issues — so no full explanation was offered.
It means Barty gets a walkover into the final and will also get some rest Saturday.
There were 70 matches on the order of play Friday, an expanded program a day after all matches in six tournaments were postponed so that 160 players and 507 people overall could isolate and undergo testing because a worker at a quarantine hotel returned a positive test. Tennis Australia said all tests were negative.
To speed things up a little at the back end of the tournament, 17 courts were being used and women’s matches were reduced to two regular sets with a 10-point match tiebreaker if required.
Williams and Barty both had to play the match tiebreaker — Barty beat Shelby Rogers 7-5, 2-6, 10-4.
Before withdrawing, Williams said she was looking forward to the semifinals.
“It’s definitely a good opportunity to see where I’m going against the current No. 1, that’s really important for me,” Williams said. “Obviously, I think for her, as well, to see where she’s going against my game.
“It’s been a long 12 months. Tennis has been played but not really, so … hopefully this is like a new year where things will be different.”
Garbine Muguruza beat defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals, reversing their result of their 2020 final at Melbourne Park. She will next play No. 8 Marketa Vondrousova.
One of Nigeria’s most influential prelates, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama has opened up about the spate of clergy kidnappings and murders plaguing the country, the coronavirus, and new US President Joe Biden’s move to increase funding for international abortions.
In an interview with Crux, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja said, “It is intriguing that one of Biden’s first official acts is to promote the destruction of human lives domestically and in developing nations.”
n addition to his comments on Biden, Kaigama also offered a detailed reflection on kidnappings in Nigeria, which he said are mainly rooted in unemployment and political schemes. He criticised what he said is the government’s inability to resolve the problem.
Major cryptocurrency companies with massive user base in Nigeria have announced the suspension of naira deposits following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive to financial institutions and fintech firms to close all cryptocurremcy related accounts.
Luno, Binance and Bundle are some of the cryptocurrency companies which have made this announcement in separate statements on Friday.
They said they were aware of the circular issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria advising financial institutions in the country to close bank accounts held by cryptocurrency service providers.
They however assured their customers that withdrawals could be made by those interested but could be delayed.
According to Luno, customers’ funds are safe and will keep updating them on all g developments as soon as they are received.
Luno with headquarters in London with regional hubs in Singapore and Cape Town, said, ““Luno will continue to operate as normal while we seek further clarity from the authorities. Some Nnira deposit methods are currently affected, please check the status page for updates. Withdrawals are unaffected and will continue to be processed, but may take longer than usual. All customer funds are completely safe.
“Luno has always worked closely with regulators in Africa and all regions in which we operate, and will continue to do so. Nigeria’s regulators have taken a pragmatic and forward-looking approach to cryptocurrency in the past and we’re confident that this issue can be resolved quickly, so Nigeria can continue to play a central role in the growth of cryptocurrency”, the statement reads.
Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange that provides a platform for trading various cryptocurrencies, has also suspended Nigerian Naira deposit.
Binance stated, “Please note all your funds on Binance.com remain safe and crypto services on Binance.com will continue as normal. However, our NGN payment partners are suspending deposit services until further notice.
“From 7PM (GMT+1) on Feb 5th 2021, Binance will temporarily suspend NGN deposits through our fiat partner channels. Withdrawal services remain normal and will continue to be processed but might take slightly longer time than usual.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We will continue to provide further updates as soon as they become available, and we are working closely with all relevant stakeholders. Binance remains committed to supporting the growth of the blockchain ecosystem in Africa.
Bundle said, “Due to the notice, our naira payment partners have decided to suspend crypto-related payments for now, so we have disabled naira deposits until this is resolved. we’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.”
The CBN, in a circular issued on Friday, February 5, warned and reminded local financial institutions against having any transactions in crypto or facilitating payments for crypto exchanges.
The apex bank advised the financial institutions to immediately close the accounts of such persons or entities transacting in or operating cryptocurrency exchanges.
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