Nigerian pastor spreads COVID-19 conspiracies and disinformation

'Oyakhilome has been all kinds of messy this COVID-19 season'

Posted 15 May 2020


The Cathedral Church of Christ Marina, Lagos, is the oldest Anglican Cathedral in Nigeria. Image by dotun55, March 25, 2015, via CC BY-SA 2.0.

Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.

When it comes to spurious information and the coronavirus, it has been an open season with some Nigerian evangelical pastors. As purveyors of disinformation, several pastors have pushed back against government lockdowns that would impact church closures.

As of May 13, Nigeria has 4,971 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 164 deaths and 1,070 recoveries.
Conspiracy theories and disinformation

Screenshot of a YouTube video of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of LoveWorld Incorporated (also known as Christ Embassy), in Lagos, Nigeria,​ has made some wild comments since the pandemic began in the country.

The flamboyant prosperity pastor preaches from the prosperity theology or gospel — a belief held by some evangelical Christians that financial blessings are manifestations of God’s purpose for them. Oyakhilome is worth $30–50 million United States dollars and his church has about 13 million members within and outside Nigeria.

On April 8, Oyakhilome delivered a sermon with over 12,000 views on YouTube in which he claimed that the introduction of 5G technology was responsible for the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. He also alleged that the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine will be used as a ruse to enthrone a “new world order” led by the anti-Christ.

The 5G is a fifth-generation wireless communications technology supporting cellular data networks.

Two other Nigerian pastors, Sam Adeyemi and Matthew Ashimolowo, debunked Oyakhilome’s claims.

Ashimolowo dismissed the claims as “conspiracy theories that had nothing to do with the anti-Christ,” reports the Premium Times, Nigeria’s online newspaper. “It has always been the nature of Christian leaders to plant fear in their members” in the face of “major world occurrence,” Ashimolowo said.


Pastor Sam Adeyemi killing ignorance and powerpoints and misinformation in just over 2 minutes with a simple internet search and reading about a previous pandemic. If only people did their own research before jumping on conspiracy theories… 💭 pic.twitter.com/9Aq88IlaeX

— ✨👑 DaddyMO👑✨ (@therealdaddymo1) April 8, 2020

Adeyemi, the senior pastor of the Daystar Christian Centre, noted that the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic also adversely affected Nigeria, and resulted in the shutting down of churches, mosques, schools and markets.

A week later, Oyakhilome backtracked, claiming that he was only opposed to the “health risks” of the 5G network.

The public health implication of peddling these conspiracy theories has great ramifications. Already, the Nigerian senate has started an investigation on the status of 5G and its potential health impact on citizens.

Sadly, like most of the 5G-related COVID-19 theories, there is simply “no hierarchy of plausibility,” writes journalist Amy Davidson Sorkin of the New Yorker. Coronavirus is a virus transmitted from human to human through droplets like saliva.

Radio waves used in 5G are non-ionizing radiation, which, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency has “enough energy to move atoms and cause them to vibrate,” but does not have the amount of energy “to remove the electrons from the atoms.”

Consequently, the 5G radio waves are incapable of generating enough energy to heat up the human body or weaken the immune system. “The idea that 5G lowers your immune system doesn't stand up to scrutiny,” Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told the BBC.

But fanatics like Oyakhilome keep recycling these fallacies.


Chris Oyakhilome has been all kinds of messy this Covid-19 season. Irresponsible to the point of deranged. A train wreck. An absolute disgrace. For those still programmed or deluded enough to worship his talcumed face, his affected accent, we present to you – the demystification. https://t.co/tlXn5rsM6b

— Molara Wood (@molarawood) May 7, 2020

Apparently, the coronavirus, 5G and anti-Christ conspiracy did not discourage Oyakhilome from amplifying more disinformation.

In the video above, Oyakhilome described wearing face masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as “embracing to science.” At the beginning of the outbreak, he reminded followers that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that “masks will not work.” He believes that “Wearing [masks] is politics, it’s okay. But no one should lie to us [that] it's science… In fact, scientifically, it's dangerous to health. This is the truth.”

At first, there was confusion about the advantages of wearing face masks in public. However, that period was short-lived.

Several leading scientists including Camilla Rothe and associates from the University Hospital LMU Munich, Germany and Lirong Zou and others from Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China, all recommend the wearing of masks or face cloths to limit the spread of the virus.

Based on this scientific evidence, on April 13, the CDC recommended wearing masks or “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), — especially in areas of significant community-based transmission” [emphasis by the CDC].

Similarly in Nigeria, the NCDC encouraged the wearing of cloth masks “as an additional layer” of prevention against the transmission of coronavirus.

Oyakhilome omitted all of this advice from his narrative.

In addition, he contradicts himself by asserting that, “If [mask wearing] is science, then it’s open to debate.” A rather irresponsible inference — as though scientific evidence are mere opinions and therefore debatable.

Not entirely surprising — his unsubstantiated claims are nothing new.

In 2004, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation banned the airing of “unverified” miracles on national networks. Two years later, Oyakhilome reframed the ban as “a plot by the Almighty God and his angels” who blocked his efforts to get his miracles verified.
Push back on church lockdowns

The Nigerian government issued stay-at-home orders for 14 days in two key states, Lagos and Ogun, and in Abuja, the capital, on March 30 — which was later extended to April 13, for an additional two weeks. In addition, there was also a restriction on large religious and social gatherings in Nigeria.

On May 4, President Buhari announced a relaxation of lockdowns in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja. However, places of worship remain closed.

On April 30, Oyakhilome kicked against the continual lockdown because the church is “a place of healing:”


So, those of you who love to run around government officials to get your validation, come and get COVID-19 compliant registration for your church. That is the last day Jesus will be in that church. But that is coming.

However, Oyakhilome is not alone. David Oyedepo, presiding bishop of Living Faith Worldwide, also questioned why markets were opened while churches have remained closed.


Bishop Oyedepo sharing some thoughts on the recent partial relaxation of the Lockdown.

What say you? pic.twitter.com/UdZNfX1mxI

— Naija (@Naija_PR) May 6, 2020

In the video, Oyedepo described how the continued lockdown on churches is a demonic attack: “I can smell a rat. The forces of darkness are influencing people at various levels because the growth of the church is the greatest headache of the devil,” he said.

Oyedepo’s Winners Chapel has branches in over 300 cities in the country. The church’s headquarters in Otta, Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, hosts a 50,000-seat auditorium, reputed to be one of the largest church auditoriums in the world.

Reputed to be one of Nigeria’s wealthiest pastors, Oyedepo is the founder of he faith-based Convent University.

Read more: Nigeria: Online Furore Over #DominionAir

It is significant to note that not all economic activities have been restored.

Also, the claim that the lockdown is targeted at churches is not exactly true. Social gatherings and schools — which equally attract a lot of people — remain suspended.

Meanwhile, many Christians in Nigeria have been able to fulfill their spiritual needs through online services. It is only reasonable — rather than exposing people to unnecessary risk.


Preachers that should be working with the local, state and federal governments to make sure people are complying with government orders are moving mad? What is their problem?

— Jola (@Jollz) May 7, 2020

It seems these pastors need this wise counsel from their colleague, Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, who emphasised that pastors should lead their flock to heaven “whether coronavirus is active or not.”

Elsewhere, church leaders have expressed Christian love for the most vulnerable and dying in different ways. For example, the Catholic Church donated 425 hospitals and a Lagos-based evangelical church donated its auditorium to the government to be used as isolation centers.

This is more worthy of emulation than peddling conspiracy theories, disinformation and confusion during a global health crisis.


Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike

In Afghanistan, the war does not spare newborn babies inside maternity wards

Posted 14 May 2020

Afghan Security Forces stand guard on the site of the attack on newborn babies and new mothers in Kabul, Afghanistan on May 12. Photo by Ezzatullah Mehrdad, used with permission.

When Afghans woke up on the morning of May 12, and found out about two new terrorist attacks, they were reminded that the ongoing war had reached new levels of brutality: this time, not even newborn babies and their mothers were spared.
Kabul maternity under attack

That day, three militants stormed a maternity ward run by the Doctors without Borders NGO in Kabul's western neighborhood of Barchi. Global Voices was able to speak to several witnesses of the events, including the family of Soraya Ibrahimi, a 31-year-old pregnant woman, who had been taken to the clinic on May 11 at 11 PM. Soraya gave birth to a baby at 1 AM, and as her family was waiting for her return, a neighbor informed them the clinic was under attack.

The family rushed to the clinic where the militants had entered the premise and started killing babies, some who had not even seen their mother. Her baby survived, but Soraya was killed.

“The guards of the clinic were unarmed and the militants entered without trouble,” Habibullah Amiry, an eyewitness, told Global Voices. “It took 30 minutes before the police arrived at the scene. They went on killing for 30 minutes without resistance.”

As many of the doctors and nurses knew about safe rooms in the clinic, they were able to escape, but newborn babies, pregnant women, and other female patients could not hide from the bullets. Three women and one kid were shot in the hallway; seven women were killed in their beds; two women were fallen on the floor of the surgery room; one woman who had her baby in her arm was fallen and a nurse was burned, according to journalist Anisa Shaheed.

“Why we could not take all those mothers to safe rooms,” Wahida Mukhtar, a staff of the clinic, wrote in her Facebook post, “This sorrow will kill me.” One woman who was brought to a safe room gave birth inside the safe room while militants were killing people outside.

The militants exchanged fire with the Afghan security forces for four hours, leaving hundreds of people outside of the clinic worrying about the fate of their loved once trapped inside. The Afghan Health Ministry reported 24 women and newborns were killed in the assault.
Even the dead are under attack in this escalation of violence

Elsewhere in the eastern Nangarhar province of the country, a suicide bomber walked among 500 people who attended the funeral of a local police commander, Sheikh Akram. The imam had asked people to line up and just announced the beginning of the prayer when the blast tore apart the crowds, killing nearly 30 and wounded 70 others.

“The body of Sheikh Akram was close to the explosion,” Naeem Jan Naeem, an eyewitness, told The New York Times. “His body was wounded after he had died.”
U.S.-Taliban deal under fire

The attacks have taken place in the context of a fragile peace process involving the Taliban and the United States who signed a deal on February 29, with the hope of bringing the war closer to an end. The deal was expected to reduce violence in the country and promote talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Yet the deal faced a major deadlock over the issue of release from prison of 5,000 Taliban prisoners. The Afghan government refused to release such a large number, eventually, only a small number was released.

Despite international calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, the Taliban have continued to wage a war in rural areas. The Afghan government has blamed the Taliban for attacks on the hospital in Kabul and the suicide bombing in Nangarhar. President Ashraf Ghani has now ordered Afghan forces to leave their previous “active defense” and go on the offensive against the Taliban.

In response, the Taliban said in a statement that the government was derailing the peace talks and blamed the government for the attacks on the hospital. The Taliban said that they were ready for a war against the government.
Repeated attacks on Hazara Shiites


As Deborah Lyons, head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan wonders:


Who attacks newborn babies and new mothers? Who does this? The most innocent of innocents, a baby! Why? Cruelty has no followers from the humanity. https://t.co/ebsGl4bY5p
— Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsUN) May 12, 2020

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing in Nangarhar, but no group has claimed responsibility for the shooting of mothers and newborn babies in Kabul's Barchi neighborhood, an area predominantly inhabited by the Hazara- Shiite community that has been a target of high profile attacks against civilians since 2015, when it had claimed responsibility.

Previous attacks against the community included suicide bombs inside a mosque, educational center, sports venue, and wedding hall. The suicide bombing killed each score of civilians that gathered to celebrate, mourn, and learn.

“The incident is beyond painful; it is a catastrophe,” local resident Amiry told Global Voices. “Our teenagers are massacred in the education center; we are killed in the wedding hall, no mosque is left safe and this time a hospital. We are the most helpless people. Our hands are cut from the sky and our legs are cut from the ground.”


Written byEzzatullah Mehrdad

Government of Canada supports over 500 women's shelters and sexual assault centres during the COVID-19 pandemic

NEWS PROVIDED BYWomen and Gender Equality Canada
May 16, 2020,


OTTAWA, May 16, 2020 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is supporting Canada's most vulnerable people during these times of uncertainty. This includes taking critical measures and making new investments to support shelters that provide a safe space for women fleeing violence and their families, and to ensure the continuing resilience of organizations assisting survivors of sexual assault. On April 4, 2020 the Government of Canada announced up to $40 million through Women and Gender Equality Canada for women fleeing gender-based violence.

Today, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced that this funding has been disbursed to over 500 women's shelters and sexual assault centres from coast to coast to coast.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, women's shelters and sexual assault centres across the country required support to manage demand, and these needs have increased significantly over the last few weeks. During these exceptional times, additional resources are needed so that organizations can continue to provide desperately needed support to some of Canada's most vulnerable.

To meet these needs, the Government of Canada provided $20.54 million to Women's Shelters Canada which has, to date, distributed funding to 422 violence against women shelters across Canada. Another $3 million was provided to the Canadian Women's Foundation, which has, to date, provided funding to 89 sexual assault centres across the country. An additional $6.46 million was given directly to the Government of Quebec and is flowing to women's shelters and sexual assault centres in the province.

The Government of Canada's emergency funding ensures the continuity and sustainability of services provided by these organizations, supporting their efforts to adjust to the evolving needs of survivors, while facing sudden and unexpected changes to everyday operations. The many dedicated organizations supported by these investments include Inasmuch House in Hamilton, Ontario, which will keep crisis lines and emergency shelter services open to survivors, Miramichi Emergency Centre for Women in Miramichi, New Brunswick, which will adapt their shelter to accommodate self-isolation procedures, Saskatoon Interval House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which will continue ensuring safe accommodations for families, and South Okanagan Women in Need Society in Penticton, British Columbia, which will purchase new equipment to connect remotely with survivors.

These and many other inspiring organizations supported by the Government of Canada have shown outstanding dedication, perseverance and creativity in their work of supporting survivors of violence in a difficult and unpredictable time. For a full list of organizations receiving funding, click here.

Quotes

"If home isn't a safe place for you to be, help is available. Organizations that provide a safe place for survivors of violence are open and ready to provide support and we are deeply grateful for their tireless work at this challenging time. The quick flow of these emergency funds will help ensure that these organizations have the resources they need to continue their lifesaving work. Our first phase of emergency COVID-19 measures has enabled over 420 shelters and 89 sexual assault organizations to stay open and operate with new COVID-safe measures in place. The next phase of our supports is underway."

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

"Women and girls facing violence and poverty have been uniquely affected by the pandemic, and we must not overlook the fact that many of the existing inequalities and hardships have become magnified. The Government of Canada's investments are not only helping shelters and sexual assault centres keep their doors open, but are also empowering creative solutions in a time of uncertainty. Thanks to this funding, women and girls in need can continue relying on timely services which will save lives."

Paulette Senior, President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Women's Foundation

"A number of shelters and transition homes were struggling prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the numerous adaptations required to continue to provide services while meeting health and safety standards, they have demonstrated commitment and creativity. Having access to the federal emergency funds in a quick and efficient manner made a huge difference to shelters and transition houses, allowing them to continue to support the women and children fleeing violence. This funding, along with the dedicated work of counsellors and support workers, is making a real difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in Canada."

Lise Martin, Executive Director
Women's Shelters Canada

Quick Facts
The Government of Canada is investing $157.5 million to address the needs of Canadians experiencing homelessness through the Reaching Home program. The funding will cover a variety of needs that can range from purchasing beds and physical barriers for social distancing and securing accommodation to reduce overcrowding in shelters.
Indigenous Services Canada is currently distributing $10 million to its existing network of 46 shelters on First Nations reserves and in Yukon to support Indigenous women and children fleeing violence through the Family Violence Prevention Program.
Visit the Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre (KC) for access to timely and relevant information, evidence, resources and research in a single platform. The KC also provides a searchable database, which brings together existing data and evidence on content related to gender-based violence.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Shelter Enhancement Program On-Reserve offers financial assistance for repairs, rehabilitation, and improvements of existing shelters on-reserve for victims of domestic violence. It also provides for the acquisition or construction of new shelters and second-stage housing where needed.
In June 2017, Women and Gender Equality Canada announced the first-ever federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $200 million to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors and their families, and create more responsive legal and justice systems.

Associated Links
Prime Minister announces further support to help Canadians in need
Ministers Monsef and Charest announce support for women's shelters and centres for victims of sexual and domestic violence in Quebec during COVID-19
Canada announces supports to those experiencing homelessness and women fleeing gender-based violence during COVID-19
Canadian Women's Foundation
It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre
Gender-Based Violence Program
Miramichi Emergency Centre for Women
Saskatoon Interval House
South Okanagan Women in Need Society
Women's Shelters Canada

Follow the Women and Gender Equality Canada:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube

SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada

For further information: Marie-Pier Baril, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, 613-295-8123; Media Relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada, 1-855-969-9922
Related Links

http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/

Yorkville Sound Partners With StarFish Medical To Produce Canadian-Made Ventilators During COVID-19 Pandemic


NEWS PROVIDED BY Yorkville Sound

May 14, 2020

TORONTO, May 13, 2020 /CNW/ - Yorkville Sound, a leading manufacturer and distributor of pro audio systems and musical instruments, is now dedicating their engineering and manufacturing expertise to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In conjunction with StarFish Medical, Yorkville's design team is engaged in an open-source ventilator design project, with a goal of increasing the availability of ventilators in Canada.

Yorkville's Pickering production facility (CNW Group/Yorkville Sound)


"Our design and manufacturing team is very excited to be part of the solution during this unprecedented time." says Steve Long, Yorkville Sound's President. "We're providing circuit-board design and layout, as well as the assembly of the control panel for the ventilator project. Our capable facility is quite nimble, and we are able to produce finished results quickly and with accuracy. We are dedicated to help flatten the curve and provide much needed equipment for our country's healthcare professionals."


John Walmsley, EVP of Strategic Relationships at StarFish Medical added; "What better contributor to a Canadian emergency ventilator program than Yorkville Sound, whose manufacturing and production ingenuity established them at the top of the music and professional sound industry. Like other industrial contributors, Yorkville stepped in and got us the parts we needed fast."

Yorkville Sound's collaboration with StarFish Medical is an answer to the Government of Canada's call to action to Canadian businesses and manufacturers to help deliver critical health supplies to fight the COVID‑19 pandemic. This particular ventilator project is inspired by The Winnipeg Ventilator, a project designed for ICU use and among the easiest in the world to bring into high volume production. 

 More information on this ventilator design can be found here: https://thewinnipegventilator.com

For more information about Yorkville Sound visit yorkville.com

ABOUT YORKVILLE SOUND – Yorkville Sound has been a manufacturer of PA systems and loudspeakers, Traynor instrument amplifiers, installed audio systems and accessories since its inception in 1963. The company now employs over 220 people in a 150,000 sq ft facility in Pickering Ontario, Canada (a suburb of Toronto). In addition to its manufacturing capability, Yorkville Sound is an importer and distributor of musical and pro audio products..

ABOUT STARFISH MEDICAL - StarFish Medical is a full service Medical Device Design company offering design, development, and manufacturing services based in Toronto and Victoria. We use our Pathfinder™ process to reduce wasted effort and increase success for medical device product definition, technical engineering, and product development. Prototype and volume production are delivered within an ISO 13485 certified Quality Management System and an FDA registered manufacturing and clean room facility.

SOURCE Yorkville Sound

 

Making tracks: ancient footprints shed light on early humans

COURTESY OF WILLIAM HARCOURT-SMITH/AFP / William HARCOURT-SMITHA human footprint dated to between 19,100 and 5,760 years ago at the Engare Sero site, south of Tanzania's Lake Natron

Thousands of years ago, a group of people took a walk in what is now Tanzania. The footprints they left behind are now offering insights into ancient human life.

The group of more than 400 footprints was made sometime between 5,000 and 19,000 years ago at a site called Engare Sero, south of Tanzania's Lake Natron.

It's the largest group of human footprints ever found in Africa, and offers a glimpse at what humans in the so-called Late Pleistocene period looked like, as well as how they may have gathered food.

"Sites like Engare Sero form over very short time intervals, and so they capture snapshots in time of ancient humans moving across their landscapes," said Kevin Hatala, assistant professor of biology at Chatham University, who led the research.

"Given the rarity and value of this variety of fossil evidence, part of what makes our discovery exciting is its magnitude, with over 400 footprints preserved on the same volcanic ash surface," he told AFP.

"However, we have also been able to learn some really interesting things from these direct windows to the behaviour of the group that walked across the footprint surface."

COURTESY OF CINTHYA LIUTKUS-PIERCE/AFP / Cynthia LIUTKUS-PIERCEThe largest group of human footprints ever found in Africa - discovered at a site called Engare Sero, south of Tanzania's Lake Natron - offers a glimpse at what humans in the so-called Late Pleistocene period looked like

Analysing the footprints was a complex process. In 2009, when the research team first visited the site -- discovered by a local Maasai community -- just 56 footprints were visible, exposed by natural erosion.

Three years of additional excavations revealed hundreds more prints, made by humans but also animals such as zebra and buffalo.

- Analysing tracks -

The prints were made in wet volcanic mudflow, which would have dried quickly into a hard surface, said Hatala.

That, combined with other evidence including the lack of overlap on footprints, strongly suggests the impressions were made by a group travelling together at the same time, rather than by individuals moving across the same area at different times.

The research team focused on "distinct trackways" where they could clearly discern stride distances and footprint length, looking for more clues.

Based on the size of the prints and the stride lengths, they determined the group included four adult men, 19 adult women and two younger boys.

There is some room for error, they acknowledge, with the possibility that the smaller feet and shorter strides they attributed to women could in some cases belong to children or adolescents of either gender.

The trackways also allowed the researchers to extrapolate the height of the people who made them, revealing some comparatively tall men among the group, including one standing an estimated 1.83 metres.

Skeletons from around the period in east Africa "have suggested generally tall and long-limbed body builds," said the study published Thursday in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

"However, skeletal material from this time period and region is generally scarce, underscoring the value of the relatively large sample of anatomical data that is preserved on the Engare Sero footprint surface."

- 'Direct snapshot' -

The make-up of the travelling group also offers clues about their lifestyle.

In modern-day hunter-gatherer communities, large numbers of women rarely move in a group, unaccompanied by children or a similar number of adult men, except when foraging for food.

The make-up of the ancient group implied by analysis of the footprints led the team to theorise that is what the group of women may have been doing.

"The behaviour itself isn't surprising to see in a human group from this time period," said Hatala.

"But the opportunity to witness the behaviour through this direct snapshot is exceptional."

Hatala acknowledged the theory remains just that for now, and more may eventually be revealed by further excavations at the site.

Some tracks exposed by erosion on one part of the site lead to areas still covered by sediment, offering the promise of further prints.

Excavation is on hold for the moment though, because the site is vulnerable to erosion and researchers are hoping to come up with a conservation plan before continuing work.

15MAY2020

 

   

Fears mount over migrants dying 'out of sight' in Mediterranean

AFP / PABLO GARCIA

Members of the Spanish NGO Mayday terraneo prepare to sail back to the Aita Mari rescue boat with around 90 migrants in February

More and more migrants are crossing, Europe is closing its ports and no humanitarian ships are carrying out rescues. As the coronavirus pandemic dominates headlines, activists fear the Mediterranean is the scene of an overlooked "tragedy".

A handful of migrant landings have taken place in recent weeks, including 79 people who arrived last weekend in Italy -- a country under fire even before the outbreak for refusing to allow private vessels carrying migrants to dock.

International organisations and NGOs say the situation is bleak, as all rescue operations were ceased as of last week.

"If there is no help at sea and countries drag their feet to rescue and allow people to disembark, we're going to end up with a fairly serious humanitarian situation," said Vincent Cochetel, special envoy for the central Mediterranean with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

He estimates that 179 people have died in the area since January.

Italy and Malta closed their ports at the beginning of April as the pandemic hit Europe hard. At that time, only two rescue boats were in operation -- the Alan Kurdi vessel run by the German NGO Sea-Eye, and Aita Mari chartered by the Spanish organisation Maydayterraneo.

Both have now been grounded by the Italian coastguard for "technical" problems, a move denounced as unjustified by campaign groups.

Meanwhile Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela said last month that he was under investigation for his role in the death of at least five migrants who tried to sail from Libya to Italy. A Maltese patrol boat allegedly cut the cables of the migrant dinghy's motor.

- More departures -

sea-eye.org/AFP / Cedric FETTOUCHE

A picture released by German migrant rescue NGO Sea-Eye shows an operation to rescue people in distress off the Libyan coast in April


The situation is all the more dire, Cochetel said, as departures from the Libyan coast have nearly quadrupled compared with the same period a year ago, with 6,629 attempts to reach Europe between January and the end of April.

The number of departures from Tunisia had more than doubled, Cochetel said.

"Whether or not there are (rescue) boats at sea, it has no influence on departures -- this period of coronavirus has amply proven that," he said.

He said that "75 percent of migrants in Libya have lost their jobs since the lockdown measures, which can lead to despair".

Sophie Beau, general director of SOS Mediterranee, a French-based NGO that charters a rescue boat called the Ocean Viking, questions the motives behind the withdrawal of the two vessels.

"Two boats one after the other, it really raises questions about why they were seized," she said.

The Ocean Viking will return to sea "as soon as possible" despite the "criminalisation" of aid groups, Beau said.

"It's very dramatic... and counter to international maritime law, which requires us to help anyone in distress as quickly as possible," Beau said.

"Now, as there are no witnesses, we don't know the extent of the possible tragedy taking place" in the Mediterranean, she added.

- 'Invisible shipwrecks' -

The central Mediterranean "remains the most dangerous maritime migration route on Earth," the International Organization for Migration warned.

"In the current context, risks that invisible shipwrecks are occurring out of sight of the international community have grown," it said.

Beau warned that "managing the epidemic, closing ports and borders... in addition to these constraints, there is also the lack of a coordinated mechanism," referring to the agreement on the distribution of migrants between European countries after they have disembarked.

AFP / Pablo Garcia

Two migrants are pictured on board the Aita Mari vessel in February after their rescue in international waters

The agreement was drawn up in Malta at the end of 2019 but has been slow to materialise.

In a joint letter sent to the European Commission and reviewed by AFP, the French, Italian, Spanish and German interior ministers called for the establishment of a "solidarity mechanism" for "search and rescue" at sea.

"Currently, a handful of member states carry an excessive burden, which shows a lack of solidarity and risks making the whole system dysfunctional," they said in the letter.

Pending a European agreement, and in the absence of humanitarian vessels, 162 migrants are currently stranded at sea on two tourist vessels.

Last-ditch bid to save Oslo building with Picasso murals

AFP / Pierre-Henry DESHAYESProtesters are bidding to save a government building adorned with Picasso murals in Oslo

Face masks are rare and social distances vary but the human chain spreads out, braving the risk of infection, as activists in Oslo make a last-ditch bid to save a building adorned with artwork designed by Spanish master painter Pablo Picasso.

Damaged in rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik's July 2011 attacks, the "Y Block", a government building complex named for its shape and completed in 1969, is due to be demolished any day now.

On its grey cement walls are two Picasso drawings, sandblasted by Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, who collaborated with the Spaniard.

On the facade facing the street, "The Fishermen" depicts three men hauling their oversized catch on board their boat. In the lobby, "The Seagull" shows the bird, its wings spread wide, devouring a fish.

Etched in the Spanish painter's childlike strokes, the two works will be cut out and relocated to new government buildings due to be built in the central Oslo neighbourhood.

But not everyone is okay with that plan.

AFP / Pierre-Henry DESHAYES

Activists form a human chain during a demonstration in a last-ditch effort to try to save Y block


"We're going to be kicking ourselves for years," blasts Erik Lie, one of the 200 or so Norwegians who have come to protest against the demolition on this freezing May morning, one link in the human chain in front of the building.

"I hope it's not too late," he says, his orange woolly hat reading "Let Y Stand", before adding fatalistically: "But this will probably be a pile of rubble soon."

- Symbol of democracy -

Because of the new coronavirus, protesters are linked by metre-long ribbons in a bid to keep them at a safe distance from one another.

Energised by their despair, they still harbour dreams of ripping the building from the bulldozers' claws.

But behind them, beyond the high fences, the sound of metal saws suggests the preparations are well underway.

According to Statsbygg, the public agency in charge of overseeing the demolition, the murals are to be dismantled before the end of spring.

SCANPIX NORWAY/AFP/File / STORLØKKEN, AAGENorwegian artist Carl Nesjar sandblasted the Pablo Picasso works into the concrete during the construction of the government building in Oslo, Norway in June 1958

The nearby "H Block" building, built in the late 1950s and which has three other Picasso murals, was home to the prime minister's offices until Breivik blew up a van loaded with 950 kilos (2,100 pounds) of explosives at its base.

"H Block" will be renovated and will continue to tower over the new ministry buildings.

For some, the symbolism is inevitable: these buildings remain standing, despite Breivik's attempts to bring them -- and democracy -- down.

"Y Block is an iconic building in Oslo that has survived a terrorist attack and now the government wants to tear it down. And nobody can actually give a good argument for why they should," says Tone Dalen, one of the figurehead of the protests.

The government meanwhile insists that the demolition of "Y Block" to make space for new buildings was a difficult but necessary decision.

"It will improve security and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians, and will provide a more open and greener space, as well as offices suited to the future ministries," said Modernisation Minister Nikolai Astrup.

- Too late -

"The Fishermen" and "The Seagull" -- whose existence many Norwegians were unaware of until the question of their relocation arose -- are supposed to be made more visible to the public in their future location.

"A lot of people think that it's Picasso that deserves to be preserved but it's also the architecture and the interaction between 'Y Block' and 'H Block', the history that it represents," insists Erik Lie.

"These are monuments that illustrate the rebuilding of Norway after the war, and everything that I associate with the development of modern society," he says.

AFP/File / Odd ANDERSEN

Y Block was damaged in rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik's July 2011 attacks and is now set for demolition

With their drab appearance, the buildings' aesthetic qualities may be debated but supporters insist that you cannot destroy everything you don't like.

"Maybe we don't find it beautiful today, but perhaps in 30 years we'll think the opposite," notes Cecilie Geelmuyden, a 50-year-old civil servant and protest supporter.

Despite a growing number of protests in recent weeks, the demolition process now appear irreversible.

At the end of August, the Oslo district court is to consider a request to have the demolition declared illegal.

But that will be too late, in all likelihood.

As Lie predicts, by then, "Y Block" will probably be nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Awful data show US economy is in deep trouble



AFP/File / Paul RatjeOil and gas production posted its largest-ever decline in the Federal Reserve's April industrial production survey

Newly released economic data showed the US economy is in a terrible state and may not rebound quickly even when the devastating lockdowns imposed to stop the coronavirus pandemic are lifted.

Data tracking industrial production and the vital retail sector released Friday showed record declines in April, the first full month of lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19 virus that has killed nearly 86,000 people and caused around 36.5 million people to lose their jobs in the world's largest economy.


With millions of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits every week since the lockdowns began in mid-March, analysts fear the US faces a months-long slog out of the downturn, with no shortage of possible setbacks.

The consumer pullback was "truly staggering," Oxford Economics said in an analysis of the retail sales data.

"The combination of elevated unemployment, depressed income, frail consumer confidence will continue to weigh on consumer's appetite for spending."

- Record plunges -

Consumer spending has been a crucial part of the US economy, and the Commerce Department reported retail sales sunk by 16.4 percent in April, the largest one-month fall on record.

The decline reversed years of growth and brought the index back to approximately where it was in August 2012.


AFP/File / Angela WeissBusinesses built around getting shoppers to visit their stores were among the hardest hit in April retail sales data

The hardest-hit businesses were those that relied on shoppers at brick-and-mortar stores, like clothing, which collapsed 78.8 percent, electronics and appliances, which plunged 60.6 percent, and furniture, down 58.7 percent.

Non-store retailers, such as those doing business online, were one of the only bright spots, growing by 8.4 percent.

"Overall this is a dire set of numbers," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. "May will not be a month of celebration. Nor will June. Nor July. Nor probably the rest of this year."

"Retail's recovery will be slow and, in our view, it won't be until 2021 before trade starts to return to more normal patterns," he said.

On the other end of the supply chain, the Federal Reserve's industrial production index dropped a record 11.2 percent in April, the largest monthly fall in its 101-year history.

The auto sector took the biggest hit, plunging more than 70 percent, according to the report, while overall manufacturing output fell 13.8 percent in the month, putting it 18 percent below April of last year.

Oil and gas well drilling fell 28 percent, its largest drop on record dating back to 1972 as demand for energy collapsed, while decreases of around 20 percent were recorded in primary metal products, aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment, and furniture and related products.

- Scant optimism -
A New York Federal Reserve Bank survey of manufacturers in the New York region, home to one of the worst outbreaks of COVID-19, showed the index recovered by 30 points in May compared to April, but was still deep underwater at -48.5 percent.

Meanwhile, a nationwide industry poll showed majority of US manufacturing and services firms expect revenues to decline sharply this year amid the lockdowns, pushing any recovery back to 2021.

And many more companies in both sectors anticipate cutting employment this year than in the December survey, according to the Semiannual Economic Forecast by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

"It won't be a V-shaped recovery by any stretch," Timothy Fiore, head of ISM's manufacturing survey told reporters.



The changing nature of business, given social-distancing requirements, uncertain consumer sentiment and jobs outlook, all will weigh on the sector, he said.

One bright spot in the data was that consumers who have been central to the US economy were slightly more upbeat this month. The University of Michigan monthly survey released Friday showed sentiment improved slightly, ticking up to 73.7 percent from 71.8 percent in April.

The report said money paid directly to individuals and families by the massive $2.2 trillion CARES act passed by Congress in March improved consumers' situations.

But the survey's chief economist Richard Curtin warned personal financial prospects had fallen to their lowest level in six years, with higher-income households reporting significant drops.

In a separate survey, the Bureau of Labor statistics reported collapsing job openings and surging layoffs in March, the month during which lockdowns became widespread.

The number of people who were laid off, fired or forced out of employment jumped by a record 9.5 million that month, while job openings fell by 813,000. The largest share of the declines in both metrics was in the accommodation and food services sector.



Virus could cut up to 9.7 percent off global economy: ADB

]

AFP/File / Roslan RAHMANUp to 242 million jobs will be lost due to the virus that has battered the world economy, the Asian Development Bank said

The coronavirus pandemic could cut up to 9.7 percent off the global economy, the Asian Development Bank said Friday, doubling its previous estimate as the virus stifles trade and leaves millions jobless.

The estimated impact would cost as much as $8.8 trillion based on a range of scenarios, but ADB said government interventions could help offset the losses inflicted by the crisis.

Up to 242 million jobs will be lost due to the virus, more than seven times higher than the employment losses seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago. Foregone labour income could top $1.8 trillion.

"These will be difficult to recoup," the Manila-based lender said, warning it could not discount the possibility of a financial crisis if the pandemic was not contained quickly enough to prevent defaults and bankruptcies.

The coronavirus has killed 300,140 people worldwide, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

The World Health Organization has said the virus may become just another endemic virus in communities and populations will have to learn to live with it.

Over 4.4 million cases have been officially recorded in 196 countries and territories, with the United States recording the most deaths at 85,906.

To stem the economic losses, governments have announced a range of stimulus measures such as payroll support to keep jobs, cash transfers and tax breaks.

"These helped counteract some of the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," ADB said.

The bank noted the United States stands to lose up to $2.2 trillion or a tenth of its GDP while losses in China, where the virus first surfaced, could top $1.6 trillion or 11 percent of its economy.

Among industries, tourism and aviation were hit hard as countries closed borders and enforced lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus.

Many airlines have either retrenched staff or told their employees to take unpaid leave.

"The impact on employment was severe. Unskilled workers normally working on a casual or 'per piece; basis were hardest hit," ADB said.

Travel restrictions will cut global trade by up to $2.6 trillion, which is already reeling from trade tensions between the United States and China, a global growth slowdown and weaker business confidence.

FEMICIDE
Afghan hospital attackers 'came to kill mothers': MSF

AFP/File / STR

Two newborn babies who lost their mothers in an attack on a maternity ward in the Afghanistan capital Kabul

Gunmen who stormed a hospital in the Afghan capital this week had come to "kill the mothers" at the maternity ward, medical charity Doctors Without Borders has said.

At least 24 people were killed -- including newborns, mothers and nurses -- when three armed men rampaged through the maternity ward of the hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, in an attack that sparked international outrage.

The United States later said the deadly assault was carried out by the Islamic State group.

"What I saw in the maternity hospital demonstrates it was a systematic shooting of the mothers," said Frederic Bonnot on Thursday, the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) head in Afghanistan, who visited the facility a day after the attack.

"They went through the rooms in the maternity, shooting women in their beds. It was methodical.

"Walls sprayed with bullets, blood on the floors in the rooms, vehicles burnt out and windows shot through," he said in a statement.

MSF, which runs the maternity ward, said at the time of the attack 26 mothers were being cared for at the Barchi National Hospital in west Kabul.

Eleven were killed, including three in the delivery room with their newborn babies while five others were wounded.

Ten others found shelter in safe rooms.

The assailants who entered the facility through the main gate moved straight to the maternity ward, MSF said.

When the attack began, shooting and explosions could be heard from the safe room where several had taken refuge, said Bonnot.

"They came to kill the mothers," he said.

"This country is sadly used to seeing horrific events. But what happened Tuesday is beyond words."

Officials said there were three attackers who were eventually killed in a lengthy clearance operation.

Heavily armed security forces were seen carrying infants -- at least one wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket.

IS has not claimed the attack but US Special Representative to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said it was carried out by the Islamic State in Khorasan, the Afghan branch of IS.

The Islamic State group "opposes a peace agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, and seeks to encourage sectarian war as in Iraq and Syria," Khalilzad wrote on Twitter.

The Taliban has denied any involvement in the onslaught.

In another attack on Tuesday in the country's east, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral, killing at least 32 mourners, with IS later claiming responsibility.

Leaders 'aren't even pretending to be in charge': Obama

AS CHEF EMERIL USED TO SAY "BAM"

AFP/File / Christof STACHE

Former US President Barack Obama has kept a low profile since leaving office in January 2017 and rarely speaks out publicly

Barack Obama indirectly criticized his successor Donald Trump during a virtual graduation ceremony Saturday, in rare public judgment from the former US president during the coronavirus pandemic.

"More than anything this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing," Obama told graduates from several dozen historically black colleges and universities.

"A lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge," he said as he discussed the implications of the pandemic during the online event, without naming any specific leaders.

Obama has kept a low profile since leaving office in January 2017 and rarely speaks out publicly.

On Saturday he also highlighted how the health crisis has underscored racial inequality in America, and expressed outrage at the shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, killed on February 23 while out for a jog in Georgia.

"A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country," he said.

"We see it in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our communities. Just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question, and shoot him, if he doesn't submit to their question," he continued, without naming Arbery.

Obama will speak at a second ceremony later Saturday, this one a star-studded prime-time event for high school students who are missing out on graduation pomp because of the coronavirus.

The commencement will feature an array of artists, athletes and musicians, and is being carried by major American TV networks.

Because of the global health crisis, traditional American high school and university graduation ceremonies, a popular rite of passage, are out of the question.

So virtual ceremonies are taking their place.

"I've always loved joining commencements -- the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice," Obama wrote on Twitter earlier this month.

In keeping with tradition, America's first black president has up until now avoided publicly criticizing his successor, despite frequently being attacked by Trump.

But earlier this month, in remarks leaked from a web call with people who worked in his administration, he called Trump's handling of the pandemic a catastrophe. 

"It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset -- of 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else' -- when that mindset is operationalized in our government," he said in that call.

 The US leads the world with coronavirus cases and deaths, at 1.4 million and nearly 90,000, respectively.

As this year's graduates enter a new chapter in life, they face a grim reality: the US unemployment rate has suddenly shot up to nearly 15 percent and more than 36 million people have filed for unemployment benefits as America grapples with the fallout from months of lockdown and business closings.