Tag: Covid pandemic

  • First international trip by North Korean airline since Covid

    First international trip by North Korean airline since Covid

    North Korea‘s main airline has completed its first flight to another country since the covid pandemic began.

    The plane called JS151 from Air Koryo took off from Pyongyang on Tuesday morning and landed at Beijing Capital Airport at 09:16 local time (01:16 GMT), according to information from the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

    We do not know who was on the JS151 flight or how many passengers were on board.

    The travel agency, Koryo Tours, mentioned that the route between Pyongyang and Beijing has been reopened so that North Koreans can return home.

    Flightradar24 says that flight JS151 was flown on a Tupolev Tu-204 plane that can hold up to 210 people.

    It is not clear how many people were on the plane that was supposed to leave for Pyongyang from the Chinese capital at 13:05.

    However, Kyodo News stated that the check-in counter of Air Koryo at Beijing airport was very crowded with passengers who were wearing pins of the North Korean flag on their clothes and were pushing trolleys filled with bags.

    The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Monday that they have given permission for Air Koryo flights to Beijing to start again. These flights were stopped over three and a half years ago because of Covid border closures.

    Pyongyang has recently started allowing a small number of people to travel internationally again.

    A few North Korean athletes went to China last week. They were on their way to the Taekwondo world championships in Kazakhstan.

    Russian and Chinese representatives also traveled to North Korea’s capital in July to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire. They were the first foreign groups known to have been invited to the country since 2020.

  • Tensions intensify as Sierra Leone gets ready for crucial elections

    Tensions intensify as Sierra Leone gets ready for crucial elections

    In the midst of rising unhappiness and calls for change from its citizenry, Sierra Leone is preparing for Saturday’s vital presidential elections.

    Since the violent civil war that lasted for 21 years in the nation’s past has come to an end, there have been five elections.

    Devastating illnesses like the Covid pandemic and Ebola in 2014 have also affected Sierra Leone.

    In the general election, Maada Bio, 59, is being challenged by twelve individuals, including Samura Kamara, the leader of the opposition “All People Congress” (APC) party.

    Kamara, a former cabinet minister, 72, is facing trial on corruption charges which he denies. The case has been adjourned until after the general election.

    The mood in the country is tense as the country prepares for the high-stakes elections.

    Earlier in the week, police officers fired rubber bullets and teargas at supporters of the opposition party, All People’s Congress (APC), during a protest in the capital Freetown calling for the Chief electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, to step down after allegations of electoral fraud.

    The United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Germany, France, and the European Union issued a joint statement urging all parties to remain peaceful.

    Sierra Leoneans are concerned about several issues, including economic management, food shortages, healthcare services, infrastructure development, and education.

    Many citizens say they are frustrated with high inflation rates and unemployment levels, as well as political violence and corruption.

    ” …We are not seeing any prospect that the prices are coming down because the dollar inflation is very high. Everything is very high,” said Aminata Fanta Koroma, an APC party member.

    While Samura supporter Kadira Rodhe Kamara said: “We are tired with the austerity, we’re tired with the problems, the killings, the brutality, tribalism, nepotism, all kinds of things. You know, no democracy, no freedom of speech. The people are tired.”

    President Bio has promised to tackle these problems by feeding the nation and creating half a million jobs for young people if re-elected.

    However, Sierra Leoneans remain uncertain about their future as the country remains one of the poorest in the world despite its abundant diamond resources and other minerals.

    The illicit trade in these gems, commonly referred to as “blood diamonds” due to their association with conflict financing, exacerbated the civil war.

    Sierra Leone has a population of around 8.8 million, but less than half (3.3 million) are registered to vote in this election.

    The country has been facing a number of issues, including a soaring cost of living and massive unemployment.

    Inflation rates in April were recorded at around 37% according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The outcome of the elections is expected to depend largely on the younger demographic as people under the age of 35 make up around 60% of the voting-age population.

    A significant proportion of this group belongs to the post-war generation, who have grown up in a country grappling with poverty, unemployment, and political instability.

    However, Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier and author, turned human rights activist told CNN the youth are not hopeful of change.

    “The general mood of the country is it’s not hopeful at all because… the security situation has gotten tense in the way that you have more presence of armed police, armed military that are basically patrolling the streets as if going to an election is also going to war.”

    Beah added that the two political parties have not “presented any policies or any ideas of what they are going to do and that are credible. There was no presidential debate to talk about policy,” he said.

    There have been concerns of unrest in the run-up to the poll, similar to deadly anti-government protests that broke out last August, over the rising cost of living.

    Following August’s protests, President Bio ordered a crackdown as he believed the protests were part of an attempt to overthrow his government.

    “This was not a protest against the high cost of living occasioned by the ongoing global economic crisis. The chant of the insurrectionists was for a violent overthrow of the democratically elected government,” he said at the time.

    To be declared winner, a presidential candidate must secure 55 percent of the total votes. If this is not achieved in the first round of voting, a run-off election will be held between the two candidates with the highest votes — as was the case in the 2018 election.

  • Mumbai measles: 12 children have died as a result of the India outbreak

    Authorities say measles has killed 12 children in the western Indian city of Mumbai and its surrounding areas.

    The first death was reported between October 26-27, when three children died within 48 hours.

    Until Wednesday, the city had 233 confirmed cases this year, a threefold increase from the 92 cases and two deaths reported last year.

    Authorities say the slow vaccination campaign during the Covid pandemic has contributed to the increase in infections.

    The latest reported death, on Tuesday, was of an eight-month-old baby who was partially immunised, the local municipal body said in a press note.

    Measles is highly contagious – even more than Covid – and can cause serious complications, especially in children less than five years.

    The disease, which causes coughing, rashes and fever, can be prevented by two doses of the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

    There have been several large outbreaks in countries across Europe where MMR vaccine uptake has been low.

    Nine in every 10 people can catch it if they are unvaccinated and exposed.

    As well as causing a distinctive rash, measles can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia and brain inflammation, and can sometimes be fatal.

    Vaccination can remove almost all of these risks.

    Two doses of the MMR vaccine give 99% protection against measles and rubella and about 88% protection against mumps.

    When a high percentage of the population is protected through vaccination, it becomes harder for the disease to pass between people.

    But since the start of the Covid pandemic, there has been a concerning drop in the number of children receiving these vaccines on time.

    In 2020, 23 million children missed out on all basic childhood vaccines. That’s the highest number seen since 2009 and 3.7 million more than in 2019, according to Unicef.

    Authorities in Mumbai say that around 20,000 children did not get their measles vaccine on time because of the pandemic.

    “Now, we are tracking all these children and holding vaccination camps on priority,” Dr Mangala Gomare, Mumbai’s executive health officer, told The Indian Express newspaper.

    Health officials say other issues such as vaccine hesitancy are also hobbling the drive.

    “After vaccination, some children develop mild fever and pain in the injected area, so parents don’t let them get vaccinated,” Shreya Salvi, a health volunteer, told the newspaper.

  • Swindon Borough Council sorry over ‘poorly executed’, error-riddled COVID tribute plaque

    The wording on the Swindon Borough Council plaque included a spelling mistake, errant capital letters and a full stop in the wrong place amongst other errors.

    A council has been criticised for an error-strewn plaque that was supposed to pay tribute to key workers during the COVID pandemic.

    The sign was installed on Monday at Coate Water, Swindon, next to a tulip tree to mark the “selflessness and dedication” of those who worked during the pandemic.

    It read: “This tree has been planted in appreciation of Our Key Workers and Volunteers by the borough. to honor Their Selflessness and Dedication given to the residents and the vulnerable During the Covid Pandemic March 2019.”

    But the wording on the Swindon Borough Council plaque included a spelling mistake, errant capital letters, and a full stop in the wrong place.

    It also had the wrong date for the pandemic – a year before it was recognised in the UK.

    After the gaffes were spotted, Labour parish councillor for Eldene in East Swindon Mike Davies tweeted: “Nice idea by Swindon Council, but very poorly executed.

    “Random capitalisation, American spelling and mistakes…”

    A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council told the Swindon Advertiser: “We have removed the plaque and a new one will be installed as soon as possible.”

    Source: Skynews.com 

     

  • Vaccine confidence is ‘another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic,’ according to a new study

    Researchers found a fall in confidence in nearly one in four participants since 2020, regardless of their age, gender, religious belief, education or ethnicity.

    Confidence in vaccines has declined “significantly” since the start of the COVID pandemic, according to a new study.

    Researchers from the University of Portsmouth carried out two anonymous surveys in the winters of 2019 and 2022 to gauge people’s attitudes to vaccinations and to look at what factors cause hesitancy and refusal.

    After questioning more than 1,000 adults, they found that the post-pandemic group was considerably less confident in vaccines than the pre-pandemic group.

    The paper, published in the medical journal Vaccine, showed a fall in confidence in nearly one in four participants since 2020, regardless of their age, gender, religious belief, education or ethnicity.

    Dr Alessandro Siani, associate head of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, said: “While vaccine hesitancy is not a new phenomenon, COVID-19 vaccines have been met with particular hostility despite the overwhelming scientific evidence of their safety and effectiveness.

    Feb 2021: Why the vaccine hesitancy among BAME Britons?

    “This isn’t just among conspiracy theorists though, but also those who don’t consider themselves ‘anti-vaxxers’ and had supported other vaccination campaigns in the past.”

    Participants were asked how much they agreed with statements including “Vaccines are safe“, “I think vaccines should be a compulsory practice”, “I believe if I get vaccinated it would benefit the wellbeing of others” and “Vaccines are a necessity for our health and wellbeing”.

    In both surveys participants who held religious beliefs were significantly more vaccine-hesitant than atheist and agnostic ones, and individuals from black and Asian backgrounds were more hesitant than those of white ethnicities.

    However, the researchers say that gender showed no association with vaccine confidence.

    Disparity between young and old

    A university spokesman said: “While these overall trends remained largely similar between the two surveys, some noteworthy changes were observed in the post-pandemic survey.

    “For example, the analysis revealed that while in 2019 middle-aged participants were considerably more apprehensive about getting vaccinated than younger groups, this was not the case in the 2022 survey.”

    Dr Siani added: “This could be because COVID-19 infections notoriously lead to more severe outcomes in older patients.

    “Young people who are infected rarely experience severe symptoms that lead to hospitalisation and death, so it’s possible that many have become complacent and don’t feel the need to get vaccinated.

    “On the other hand, older people may have been more wary of the consequences of the infection, and more appreciative of the protection offered by the vaccine.”

    Study limitations

    Dr Siani said the analysis of the results was limited as different groups of people were sampled for the two surveys.

    He said: “We didn’t expect a worldwide pandemic to break out only a few months after carrying out the 2019 survey.

    “Because our findings don’t reflect the changing opinions of the same group of people over time, but rather a comparison of responses provided by two different cohorts, they should be interpreted with a grain of salt.

    “However, the study is consistent with other observations suggesting that vaccine confidence may be yet another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

  • Government borrowing soars, as retail sales fall far more than predicted

    Surging inflation means the cost of servicing government debt hit a record level last month, according to figures from the ONS, which also reported that consumers were now back buying less than they were before the COVID pandemic.

    The latest official data on the state of the public finances and consumer spending makes for grim reading as the country awaits its next leader.

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that public sector net borrowing came in at £20bn last month – £3bn more than economists had expected.

    The report pointed to a record debt interest payment total of £7.7bn for the month of September – much of which could be attributed to rising inflation as a quarter of payments on the £2.4trn debt mountain are linked to the RPI measure.

    Government spending increased by £5.8bn to £79.3bn as a result of the jump in interest, the ONS said.

    It separately revealed that retail sales volumes fell 1.4% on the previous month, meaning that “consumers were now buying less than before the pandemic”.

    It was likely to reflect not only the deteriorating cost of living crisis that has squeezed consumer budgets this year but also the impact of store closures for the funeral of the Queen.

    The Queen's funeral flanked by navy
    Image: Many retailers closed their stores out of respect for the Queen on the day of her state funeral on 19 September

    The borrowing figures cover the start of Kwasi Kwarteng’s short and turbulent tenure as chancellor.

    He was appointed on 6 September before being fired weeks later following the market chaos that followed the tax giveaway mini-budget on 23 September.

    While the contentious measures have now been largely overturned by the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, the backlash temporarily raised the interest rate demanded by investors to hold UK government debt.

    That has fed into fixed-rate mortgage costs.

    Kwasi Kwarteng waves to the media as he leaves 11 Downing Street after being sacked. Pic: AP
    Image: Much of the borrowing – the second-highest September total on record – came while Kwasi Kwarteng was chancellor

    It also led to the pound falling to a record low against the US dollar – with continued sterling weakness adding to the country’s import costs and therefore inflation.

    The chancellor’s medium-term fiscal plan, due on Halloween, will aim to restore market confidence in the UK’s public finances.

    But it will now fall under the oversight of a new PM following the resignation of the ill-fated mini-budget’s architect, Liz Truss.

    The Tories expect their new leader to be in place in a week’s time – days before Mr Hunt is due to outline how he plans to balance the books while also maintaining a measure of support for struggling households and businesses.

    A survey by the City watchdog found that almost 32 million people, or 60% of adults, were already finding it a heavy burden or somewhat of a burden to pay their bills because of the growing cost of living crisis.

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s financial lives survey, which was taken between February and June, said the total was up six million from 2020 when the economy went into lockdown to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Another closely watched survey, compiled by GfK, found that confidence among British consumers remained close to the lowest level on record last month.

    The chancellor said in the wake of the ONS data: “Strong public finances are the foundation of a strong economy.

    “To stabilise markets, I’ve been clear that protecting our public finances means difficult decisions lie ahead.

    “We will do whatever is necessary to get drive down debt in the medium term and to ensure that taxpayers’ money is well spent, putting the public finances on a sustainable path as we grow the economy.”

  • Stop! We are trying to put Ghana on the map – Jackline Mensah slams ‘fake news’

    Jackline Mensah rose to fame on Tik Tok during the COVID pandemic. She has become a permanent figure on the app, entertaining her audience whilst earning a sustainable income.

    She responded with a video saying, “It’s almost 3 am in the morning, and I haven’t slept. The main reason is that there’s fake news circulating that I said I wouldn’t date who uses public transport. Fine. Let’s even say I said that, what can you do about it? Nothing, because it’s my opinion.”

    She pointed out that the reason for the malicious lies was to post engagement on blogs and Twitter handles.

     

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    A post shared by Laasu (@jackline_mensah)

    “If you will quote me, quote me right. Why would you go around making fake headlines so people would come on your page and engage, throw shades and insult me? So picking on somebody who is relevant to society. Somebody who is trying to make it to the top, you just want to use a day to bring that person down. God is watching you all.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Laasu (@jackline_mensah)

    “Let me tell you something, you are not God. You didn’t make me. God knew the plans he had for me. That is why I’m where I’m today.”

    Jackline Mensah also challenged those who want to belittle her profession to join if they think it’s easy to attain her professionalism.

    “If it’s just Tik Tok star keke, do it and let’s see. You wish I was your sister. You even wish you were from my family. So do it, and let’s see. We are trying to put Ghana on the map. I don’t even know you all. You are so full of pain and hatred,” she concluded.

    Source:3news.com

     

  • Holbeach: Restaurant owner admits employing illegal workers

    An Indian restaurant owner in Lincolnshire has said he employed illegal workers to stay open after the Covid pandemic.

    Siddique Faud Rahman, from the Chameli Indian Tandoori restaurant in Holbeach, faced a licensing committee on Tuesday.

    Five of his workers were found without the correct permissions during an investigation in April.

    The committee said it was not satisfied the premises would not employ illegal staff again and revoked his licence.

    When he appeared before South Holland District Council’s licensing committee on Tuesday Mr Rahman, denied being involved in “modern slavery” but told councillors: “I’m going to put my hands up, yes, we employed illegal workers.”

    He said because of the Covid lockdown his business had struggled to pay overheads and after the furlough scheme a number of his workers had not returned.

    “I had to get some staff working, or I would have to close my business down,” he said.

    Mr Rahman added: “The workers were paid above minimum wage, plus accommodation and food … there was no modern day slavery. They were loved and cared for as my own family.”

    Saddique Faud Rahmann Left With Brother Abu RaselImage source, LDRS
    Image caption, South Holland District Council’s licensing committee said it “could not condone a deliberate decision to flout the law”

    The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Rahman told councillors: “If this license is revoked then we will probably have to close down the business because we cannot survive.”

    Sgt Lee Cotton from Lincolnshire Police, told the committee: “I appreciate the difficulties with the furlough scheme, but responsible businesses do not employ illegal workers.

    “They take the necessary steps to employ legal workers.”

    Revoking the licence, the committee said the “calculated risk” taken by the business meant they “could not be satisfied the premises would never resort to employing illegal workers again if it faced difficult conditions.”

    Councillor Paul Redgate said: “You keep saying you had no choice, everyone has a choice, you made the decision not to employ legal workers.”

    Source: BBC