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Mutated COVID-19: Over 40 Countries Ban Travel From UK

Wednesday, 23 December 2020 04:35 Written by
 
In a bid to avoid the fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus, many countries have banned travel from the UK.
Coronavirus
Coronavirus
 
Many countries have taken strict  measures to avoid the fast-spreading mutated COVID-19 reaching its borders by placing travel ban from the UK.
 
More than 40 countries have now suspended travel from Britain in a bid to contain the fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus.
 
Among them are four African countries – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritius, with Nigeria also considering to suspend travel from the UK.
 
The chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, at a press briefing on Monday said, “A lot of discussions is still going on around the calls for the restriction of international travels due to the discovery of new strains of the virus in certain countries.
 
“The protection of Nigerians remains our primary concern and we reassure Nigerians of our resolve not to relent.”
 
According to reports, scientists at the Redeemer’s University, Nigeria, say they have found the United Kingdom’s ‘lineage B.1.1.7,’ a mutant variant of the COVID-19 global pandemic, in Nigeria.
 
Scotland had already closed its border with the rest of the United Kingdom.
 
Here are some of travel bans announced so far.
 
– France -
 
France has halted all travel from Britain for 48 hours, including anyone transporting goods by road, air, sea or rail.
 
Paris and London are in talks over testing at ports to reopen the border, British Home Secretary Priti Patel said.
 
– Germany -
 
Germany is extending a ban on all arrivals from the UK and South Africa – where the new strain has also appeared – until January 6.
 
– Spain and Portugal –
 
Spain and Portugal are suspending flights, with Madrid only allowing its nationals or residents to enter from Britain.
 
– India –
 
India has suspended all flights until December 31, with anyone arriving from Britain on transit flights to be tested.
 
Its financial capital Mumbai is being put under curfew over fears of the British strain.
 
– Poland –
 
Poland – which has a large ex-pat community in Britain – has banned all incoming UK flights.
 
– Hong Kong –
 
The former British colony has banned all incoming UK flights, and extended the quarantine of passengers who arrived from Britain in the last fortnight.
 
– Netherlands –
 
Passenger flights from Britain have been banned until January 1. One case of the new strain has been found in the country.
 
– Ireland –
 
Flights from Britain from Monday have been banned for at least 48 hours.
 
– Italy –
 
Italy has blocked flights from Britain and prohibited entry of people who have stayed there during the last 14 days.
 
The new strain has been found in one person who recently returned from the UK.
 
– Russia –
 
Moscow is suspending British flights for a week.
 
– Rest of Europe –
 
Finland is suspending flights for two weeks and Switzerland until further notice, with travellers who have arrived from Britain or South Africa ordered into quarantine.
 
Baltic nations Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as well as Belgium and Luxembourg have also halted flights, while in the Balkans, Croatia, Macedonia, and Albania followed suit with Bulgaria and suspended them until January 31.
 
Romania has banned all flights to and from the UK for two weeks, as has the Czech Republic.
 
Norway and Denmark suspended flights for 48 hours.
 
Denmark has detected nine cases of the new strain on its soil.
 
– Canada –
 
Canada has banned all UK flights for 72 hours, with those who had already arrived from Britain subject to screenings.
 
– Turkey –
 
Turkey has suspended flights from Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and South Africa.
 
– Middle East –
 
Saudi Arabia and Oman said they were closing their borders entirely for at least a week.
 
Israel said it was barring entry to foreign citizens travelling from Britain, Denmark and South Africa, while Jordan is banning UK flights for a fortnight, as is Iran.
 
Kuwait has added Britain to a list of “high-risk” nations and banned flights.
 
– Africa –
 
Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have all banned flights from Britain, with Algeria deciding to stop repatriating its nationals.
 
Mauritius, a former British colony, has also barred travel from the UK and South Africa.
 
– Latin America –
 
Anyone who had been in Britain or South Africa in the past 30 days will not be allowed to enter El Salvador.
 
Peru has gone further, banning all flights from Europe and any foreigner who had been in Britain in the last fortnight.
 
Chile and Argentina have banned flights from the UK, with anyone without a Chilean residence permit who had been in Britain in the past two weeks barred.
 

Prince Harry breaks his silence on probe into late mother Princess Diana’s Panorama interview

Saturday, 28 November 2020 13:24 Written by

LONDON - Britain's Prince Harry has joined his brother William in welcoming a new investigation into how the BBC secured a famous and controversial 1995 interview with their mother Princess Diana, with a source describing it as a "drive for truth".

A former Supreme Court justice is leading a new inquiry into how the broadcaster obtained the interview and whether executives covered up any wrongdoing after accusations that the late princess was tricked into taking part.

 

Prince William, the second in line to the throne, said earlier this week that the investigation was a step in the right direction and a source close to Harry said on Saturday that the prince was getting regular updates.

The person familiar with the situation also questioned some British media reports which asked why Harry, living in California with his wife Meghan and son Archie, had not joined his brother in welcoming the investigation earlier.

"Sadly, some people are not just seeing this as a drive for truth, but also trying to use this as an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between the brothers," the person said.

 

Diana's Panorama interview with Martin Bashir was watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain and became one of the defining moments of her failed marriage to Prince Charles.

It included an admission of an affair and the line that there "were three of us in this marriage", referring to Charles'relationship with his now second wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

This month, Diana's brother Charles Spencer said the BBC had failed to apologise for what he said were forged documents and"other deceit" which led him to introduce Diana to Bashir.

 

The BBC has said the broadcaster is determined to get to the truth about Spencer's assertions and has appointed John Dyson,one of the country's most senior retired judges, to lead the inquiry.

Bashir has made no public comment on the situation and the corporation says the journalist, who gained global renown from the interview, is currently on sick leave, recovering from heart surgery and from contracting Covid-19.

Harry and Meghan moved to California after stepping back from royal duties in January and have signed a multi-year production deal with Netflix as part of their plans to be more financially independent.

The source added that the couple had decided to share their property in England, Frogmore Cottage, with his cousin Eugenie but would stay there when they visit the UK.

Lekki Shootings: We Must Stop Funding Corrupt Nigerian Security Agencies - UK Lawmaker Says (Video)

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 04:19 Written by
Kate Osamor has called for reconsideration of funding for some Nigerian security agencies which she described as “corrupt”.
 

 Kate

Kate Osamor

A member of the United Kingdom parliament,  Kate Osamor has joined her colleagues to debate on possible sanctions against the Nigerian government following the shootings at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20.

Osamor who kicked against UK-funded training for former operatives of the disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) which she said went on despite previous indictments of the squad, also called for reconsideration of funding for some Nigerian security agencies she described as “corrupt”.

She noted that the #EndSARS crisis was “regrettably serious”, and also called on the UK government to look beyond sanctions and pay closer attention into how development funding is spent in Nigeria.

 Osamor Said;

“Today, we need to consider how the government responds to both the movement itself and the violent actions of the Nigerian regime

“We must also take this opportunity to look beyond sanctions into how development funding is spent in Nigeria.

“Instead of funding corrupt security agencies and investing in projects which do not benefit ordinary Nigerians, we need a new focus on poverty relief and anti-corruption programmes.

“At the very moment in which Amnesty International had declared SARS units to have been involved in extra-judicial killings, corruption and torture, the government was using the budget to train and equip those units.”

See Video Below;

"Those Who Have Murdered Nigerians Will Not Trade Or Travel To The UK" - UK Lawmaker, Brown

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 03:43 Written by
Nigerian politicians oppressing citizens will be banned from traveling and trading in the UK.
 
 Lyn Brown
Lyn Brown
 
Nigerian politicians who in one way or the other were involved in the shooting of protesters during the EndSARS protest in Lekki on October 20 will not go scot-free.
 
This was the position of a member of UK parliament, Lyn Brown after she called for sanctions against those involved in the shooting.
 
Speaking during a debate in the house on Monday November 23, Lyn stated that the least they can do is to make sure that those who have "murdered" Nigerians and deprived them of their human rights are not able to benefit from trade or travel to the UK.
 
She added that these include government officials and the Nigerian army who are stopping a "transparent investigation and effecting of justice."
 
The lawmaker also averred that it was unfortunate that the Federal Government went ahead to not only accuse protesters of sponsoring terrorism and freeze their accounts, but also blamed them for the increase in food prices.
 
Watch video below:
 

COVID-19: Britain Announces New National Lockdown

Sunday, 01 November 2020 11:36 Written by

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister has announced a new month-long lockdown for England after being warned that a resurgent coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm hospitals in weeks without tough action.

This announcement was made by Boris Johnson in a televised news conference on Saturday.

According to Boris Johnson, the new measures will begin Thursday and last until December 2.

 

He said without them, “we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day.”

Bars and restaurants can only offer takeout, non-essential shops must close and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons, including exercise.

Unlike during the UK’s first lockdown earlier this year, schools, universities, construction sites and manufacturing businesses will stay open.


Foreign media report monitored on Saturday said the measures apply to England.Johnson had hoped a set of regional restrictions would be enough to contain the virus, but government scientific advisers predict that on the outbreak’s current trajectory, demand for hospital beds will soon exceed capacity.

Other parts of the U.K. set their own public health measures, with Wales and Northern Ireland already effectively in lockdown and Scotland under a set of tough regional restrictions.

London School of Hygiene epidemiologist, John Edmunds, a member of the government’s scientific advisory group, said yesterday that cases were running “significantly above” a reasonable worst-case scenario drawn up by modelers.

“It is really unthinkable now, unfortunately, that we don’t count our deaths in tens of thousands from this wave,” Edmunds told the BBC.

“The issue is, is that going to be low tens of thousands if we take radical action now or is that going to be the high tens of thousands if we don’t?”

Official figures announced yesterday recorded 21,915 new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing Britain’s total since the start of the pandemic to 1,011,660. Britain’s official death toll from the coronavirus is 46,555, the highest in Europe, with 326 new deaths announced Saturday.

The United States, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina and Colombia have also recorded more than 1 million cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Scientists say the true number of cases is much higher because not everyone with the virus is tested.

A new portrait of an enslaved Yoruba girl who became a gift to the Queen of England is on display

Thursday, 15 October 2020 01:00 Written by

Before becoming known as the goddaughter of Queen Victoria, Sarah Forbes Bonetta had a royal life of her own. She was the daughter of an African chief before being captured and presented to the Queen of England as a gift in 1850. Her story is presently being told by English Heritage, a charity that manages over 400 historical sites in England.

As part of its new project to highlight forgotten Black stories and figures in British history, English Heritage has unveiled a portrait of Bonetta, originally named Aina. The portrait, created by artist Hannah Uzor, was commissioned on Wednesday and is based on a photograph of Bonetta in her wedding dress, which is housed in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The painting will hang throughout October (Black History Month) in Osborne House — Queen Victoria’s home — where Bonetta spent some time with the monarch before her death.

 

“To see Sarah return to Osborne, her godmother’s home, is very satisfying, and I hope my portrait will mean more people discover her story,” Uzor said in a statement.

 

“What I find interesting about Sarah is that she challenges our assumptions about the status of Black women in Victorian Britain. I was also drawn to her because of the parallels with my own family and my children, who share Sarah’s Nigerian heritage.”

Sarah Forbes Bonetta
The portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Credit: English Heritage

Born into a royal West African dynasty, Bonetta was captured by King Gezo of Dahomey during a slave-hunt war in 1848. Her parents were killed in the war, and as a daughter of an African chief, Bonetta was kept in captivity as a state prisoner.

 

Being the princess of the Egbado clan of the Yoruba people, she was to be presented to an important visitor or sacrificed after the death of a minister or official to become their attendant in the outside world. In June 1850, when she was around eight years old, Bonetta was rescued by Captain Frederick E. Forbes of the Royal Navy whilst he was visiting Dahomey as an emissary of the British Government. Forbes asked the king for the little girl to be given to Queen Victoria as a gift.

“She would be a present from the King of the Blacks to the Queen of the Whites,” Forbes said. The king granted his request and she was brought to England. She was given the names Forbes Bonetta, after the Captain and the ship.

 

Bonetta initially stayed with Forbes’s family, before being taken to Windsor Castle on November 9, 1850. She was received by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Queen handed Bonetta over to the Church Missionary Society and paid for her education.

Bonetta, a year after, developed a cough believed to be caused by the climate of Britain. The Queen made arrangements for her to be sent to Sierra Leone for a better climate. There, Bonetta attended the Female Institution in Freetown. But at the age of 12, the Queen ordered Sarah to return to England, where she was placed under the charge of the Scheon family at Chatham.

Bonetta grew to be very intelligent and developed a particular talent for music. Her academic prowess won the Queen’s admiration to the extent that she gave her welfare allowance and allowed her to pay regular visits to Windsor Castle.

In 1862, Bonetta married James Pinson Labulo Davies, a 31-year-old Yoruba businessman who was living in Britain. The two came back to West Africa and settled in Lagos, where her husband became a member of the Legislative Council from 1872-74. Sarah also began teaching in a school in Freetown. She gave birth to a daughter and was granted permission by the Queen to name her Victoria. The Queen also became her Godmother.

In 1867, Sarah visited the Queen with her daughter and returned to Lagos, where she had two more children. Following the climate change between Africa and Britain, Sarah’s cough returned. She passed away in her 40s in 1880 after suffering from tuberculosis and was buried in Funchal, Madiera.
Her daughter, who was equally brilliant, was taken care of by the Queen and was still allowed to visit the royal household throughout her life.

In her lifetime, Bonetta was described by Captain Forbes as “far in advance of any white child of her age in aptness of learning, and strength of mind and affection.”

English Heritage’s project, apart from featuring Bonetta’s story, will also spotlight other Black figures who have been overlooked including Rome’s African-born emperor, Septimius Severus, and Dido Belle, the biracial great-niece of Lord Mansfield.

Most haunted village in Britain where 15 ghosts roam and chilling screams can be heard

Thursday, 08 October 2020 01:36 Written by

In honour of Halloween, we wanted to share with you Britain’s most haunted village, where 15 ghosts wander the streets, and chilling screams can be heard

 

The village is nestled in the Kent countryside, with just 1,000 residents who live in a mix of adorable cottages and picturesque country homes.
 

Pluckley

A woodland area in Pluckley nicknamed the Screaming Woods (Image: Ghosthuntevents.co.uk)

Pluckley in Kent looks like your typical, quaint English village in the daytime.

But don’t be fooled by its adorable exterior, because after dark the village turns into a very spooky place.

If you’re scared of ghosts, this may not be the place for you to visit this Halloween.

The village is nestled in the Kent countryside, with just 1,000 residents who live in a mix of adorable cottages and picturesque country homes.

But in addition to the living residents, the village is said to be home to 15 ghosts, according to the Mirror.

One of its many haunted sites is the Screaming Woods, which has attracted many brave tourists in recent times, with people camping under the canopy of trees.

There have been several reports of the sound of screaming men and women after dark.

They are said to be the sounds of those who died while getting lost in the woods.

Elsewhere people claim to have spotted everything from ghostly horse-drawn coaches, to hanging bodies.

In the haunted graveyard people claim to have heard screams of agony from a dying man to a grieving mother.

Here are some of the other spooky and unexplainable sightings from Pluckley.

1. Highway man hauntings

The aptly-named Fright Corner is a road in Pluckley where the ghost of a highway man is regularly spotted.

It’s believed he is the ghost of a highway man who was killed in the 18th century.

Apparently he got into a fight with those in charge of keeping peace in the village, and they pinned him to an oak tree with a sword.

Ghost-watchers claim that the sword-fight is re-enacted – always with the same consequence.

2. Don’t go into the woods

The woods may seem like the perfect place to go for a stroll, but according to reports Dicky Buss’s Lane should be avoided.

There have been reports that the corpse of a teacher has who hanged himself has been seen.

According to rumour, he took his life after World War One, and his body was found by the miller Dicky several weeks later.

3. Screams of agony

To this day, people claim to hear the chilling screams of agony from the site of the brickworks.

Here an unlucky brickwork met a horrific end when he was crushed to death by a wall of clay.

4. Haunted horses

The spine-tingling sound of horses hooves are said to be heard by people in Pluckley regularly.

Locals have also reported seeing a horse drawn carriage in Maltman’s Hill.

A babysitter once reported seeing the coach with light pouring out of its windows, with horses pulling it along.

In 1997 a driver almost crashed because they heard the clip-clop of hooves on cobbles while driving on a tarmac road.

5. Red lady in the grave yard

A cemetery is spooky on the best of days, but Pluckley’s will make your blood freeze.

The Red Lady is said to haunt the graveyard of the local church, St Nicholas.

Lady Dering was buried there in the 1100s, in a coffin made of lead with a red rose placed on top.

Locals have seen her wandering the graveyard searching for the grave of her stillborn baby.

6. Gypsy ghost

The picturesque Pinock Bridge is a great spot to sit and take in the stunning surroundings.

But you might not be alone, as it’s said to be haunted by a gypsy woman.

She is said to have made her living by selling watercress she collected from the stream below.

The gypsy has been spotted sitting on the bridge smoking a pipe in the spot where she lost her life after being accidentally burned to death.

7. Pub ghouls

Three terrifying ghosts are said to haunt the atmospheric pub The Blacksmith’s Arms.

Among the figures sighted here are a Tudor maid, a coachman and a Cavalier.

8. Misty miller

Richard 'Dicky' Buss, who is said to have found the body of the hanged teacher, is now said to haunt the village’s abandoned windmill, The Pinnocks.

Dicky closed the mill in 1930, and nine years later it was destroyed by a storm after it was struck by lightning.

He is now said to be haunting the spooky location – and is normally spotted just before a thunderstorm hits.

9. The white lady

A ghost dubbed the white lady is said to stalk St Nicholas church, as well as the library of her old family home, Surrenden Dering.

The grand house was destroyed in a fire in 1952, but her spirit has reportedly been seen from the US embassy, who used the property as a base between World War One and Two.

10. Suicidal colonel

Another man who took his own life is said to haunt Pluckley.

A colonel who hanged himself in Park Wood is said to have been spotted wandering among the trees.

Much of the area has been cleared, but his spirit has remained.

11. Poisonous end

The mistress of Rose Court is said to have taken her own life by eating a handful of poisonous berries.

The house looks like a lovely village home, and is 250 years old.

12. Haunted hunting lodge

Two haunted pubs isn’t enough for the most haunted village in Britain.

The Derring Arms used to be a hunting lodge, and is now said to be home to a ghost of a woman wearing a bonnet.

She has been spotted by many customers, and her spirit is so clear she has been mistaken for a real drinker.

***

Source: Daily Star UK

Nigerian Man Sentenced To 40-year Jail Term In United Kingdom For Double Murder (Photo)

Saturday, 03 October 2020 01:42 Written by
According to prosecutors, Ezeoke, said to be a drug dealer, crept into Ekofo's home just after dawn with intent to kill a target of gang revenge.
 

Obinna Ezeoke

Obinna Ezeoke

Obinna Ezeoke, a 28-year-old Nigerian man, was on Thursday jailed for 40 years in the United Kingdom over the murder of 53-year-old Annie Ekofo and her 21-year-old nephew, Bervil Ekofo, at their home in East Finchley in September 2016, SaharaReporters reports.

According to prosecutors, Ezeoke, said to be a drug dealer, crept into Ekofo's home just after dawn with intent to kill a target of gang revenge.

On hearing a noise in the house, Bervil, a student and nephew staying with Ekofo, went to investigate and was shot at close range.
Ekofo, who also went to investigate the noise was shot by Ezeoke, a court in the Old Bailey, London, heard.

Prosecution’s evidence included a CCTV footage of Obinna’s car to and from the scene, a gun case discovered under his bed and gunshot residue.
 
The car was discovered to have been bought and registered by Obinna using a fake name.

Obinna claimed the gunshot residue came from a different shooting when others had used the vehicle.

In a statement before the sentencing, Chantelle Mami, Bervil Ekofo's mother, said there were no words to describe how "traumatic" it was to have a child killed.
 
She said, “We grow to accept that death is a part of life and we should embrace it.
 
"However, no-one really prepares you for burying your child whose life was taken from them by another.
 
"I have no more words as my heart is heavy, I just hope that justice continues to be served."


Meanwhile Ezeoke’s father, Chiedozie Ezeoke, accused the UK authorities of not given his son a fair trial.

“It is with an absolute sense of trust in our country that I make this appeal to your commission. I am putting up this letter to request your urgent intervention on this matter. My son was tried five times which is unprecedented in English and Wales legal history.
 
"Justice William Davis allowed for the fifth trial, and differed reasons for that, until the conclusion of the trial, which was strange,” he said in a message sent to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Ministry of Justice.

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