Coronavirus: Worst is still to come on pandemic, WHO chief warns

World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the world that the "worst is yet to come" in the Covid-19 pandemic.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus would infect many more people if governments did not start to implement the right policies.

His message remained "Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine", he said.

More than 10m cases have been recorded worldwide since coronavirus emerged in China late last year. The number of patients who died is now above 500,000.

Half the world's cases have been in the US and Europe but Covid-19 is rapidly growing in the Americas.

The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.

BBC News

Israel orders US-based Christian TV channel off air

Israeli regulators on Sunday announced they ordered a U.S.-based evangelical broadcaster taken off the air, saying the channel hid its missionary agenda when it applied for a license.

In his decision, Asher Biton, the chairman of the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council, said he had informed “GOD TV” on Thursday that it had seven days to stop broadcasting.

“The channel appeals to Jews with Christian content," he wrote. “Its original request,” he said, stated that it was a “station targeting the Christian population.”

The decision was first reported by the Haaretz daily.

The controversy over GOD TV's “Shelanu” station has put Israel and its evangelical Christian supporters in an awkward position, exposing tensions the two sides have long papered over.

Evangelical Christians, particularly in the United States, are among the strongest supporters of Israel, viewing it as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Some see it as the harbinger of a second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of days.

Israel has long welcomed evangelicals’ political and financial support, especially as their influence over the White House has risen during the Trump administration, and it has largely shrugged off concerns about any hidden religious agenda.

But most Jews view any effort to convert them to Christianity as deeply offensive, a legacy of centuries of persecution and forced conversion at the hands of Christian rulers. In part because of those sensitivities, evangelical Christians, who generally believe salvation can only come through Jesus and preach the Gospel worldwide, rarely target Jews.

In a statement, Shelanu said it was stunned by what it called Biton's “unprofessional decision.”

It said its existing license “stated unequivocally” that it would broadcast its content in Hebrew to the Israeli public. Most Christians in the Holy Land speak Arabic. “Therefore it is not at all clear what was wrong beyond political considerations,” it said.

Associated Press

Nigeria saddened by Christie's sale of 'looted' statues

Nigeria is "saddened" by the sale of two sculptures belonging to the south-eastern Igbo community, an official from the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments, has said.

A prominent art historian had called on the renowned auction house, Christie's, to cancel the sale.

Prof Chika Okeke-Agulu said the two objects were "looted" from shrines during the civil war in the late 1960s.

The items were sold for just under $240,000 (£195,000) in Paris.

Christie's rejected the claim that the sculptures were stolen, saying the Monday sale was perfectly legal.The wooden objects about 1.5 metres high, one male and one female, represent deities from the Igbo community, their hands face upwards waiting to receive sacrifices and gifts.

Why is the sale so controversial?

Central to the controversy is when the statues were taken and where from.

"Christie's ought not be dealing in Nigerian antiquities that were probably taken out at a time of conflict, contrary to the Hague Convention of 1954," Babatunde Adebiyi, legal adviser for the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said, adding that Nigeria "was saddened" by the sale.

The Hague Convention of 1954 was adopted to protect cultural property in the event of armed conflict. Nigeria joined the convention in 1961.

Prior to this Nigeria already had an antiquities ordinance law which made the trade of stolen cultural artefacts illegal, which was adopted in 1953.

The 1970 Unesco convention also banned the international trade in stolen artefacts.

Mr Adebiyi, who also advises the Nigerian government, says he believes these objects will always belong to the people of Nigeria.

"There is never going to be a universal principle that says something made by my forebears belongs to you in perpetuity because you bought it in an auction house. African antiquities will always be African, just like a Da Vinci will always be European."

BBC News

Lazarus Chakwera sworn in as Malawi president after historic win

The new President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera said his win in the rerun election was a "victory for democracy and justice".

He defeated incumbent Peter Mutharika with 58.57% of votes in Tuesday's poll.

"I do feel like Lazarus, I've come back from the dead," Mr Chakwera said, referring to the biblical character of the same name.

In February, Malawi's constitutional court annulled Mr Mutharika's poll win in May 2019, citing vote tampering.

The country was bitterly divided in the run-up to this week's election. But Mr Chakwera said those who did not support him had nothing to fear.

"There's no cause for fear because I will be your president and my policy for inclusivity means we are building a new Malawi for all of us," Mr Chakwera told the BBC Newshour programme.

"I'm not a president of a faction, I'm a president of everyone in the country," he added.

Mr Chakwera dismissed allegations by Mr Mutharika that the poll was marred by violence and irregularities, saying his predecessor was "misled by rumours".

However, he said he would not stand in the way of Mr Mutharika should he want to challenge the election.

BBC News

Coronavirus: Number of Covid-19 infections tops 10m worldwide

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has passed the milestone of 10 million, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

The virus emerged in China late last year and spread across the globe. It has led to almost 500,000 deaths.

Half the world's cases have been in the US and Europe, but Covid-19 is now rapidly growing in the Americas.

The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.

Outbreaks are still spreading in many parts of the world, with one million new cases recorded in the last six days.

BBC News

Somalia's refurbished national theater reopens in Mogadishu

Somalis can now boast a functional national theater after the facility located in the capital Mogadishu was formally reopened having been closed for refurbishment.

According to reports, the refurbishment was funded by some businesses, the chamber of commerce and contributions by civilian workers.

The reopening was made to coincide with the 60th independence day celebration with the president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and other top government officials in attendance.

The president officially cut the ribbon for the reopening before joining a sizeable audience to enjoy performances. The state-affiliated news agency reported that the president also cut the ribbons for recently renovated Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and the Police Command Headquarters buildings.

africannews.com

Outrage mounts over deaths in Indian police custody

Outrage is mounting over the deaths in custody of a father and son in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

P Jeyaraj, 58, and his son Fenix, 38, were arrested for allegedly keeping their stores open past permitted hours - Tamil Nadu is still observing a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid.

Both men were kept in police custody an entire night and died within hours of each other two days later.

Relatives of the two men say the men were subjected to brutal torture.

What has happened since their deaths?

As details of the alleged torture emerged, people began demanding action.

State opposition lawmakers have taken to the streets in protest, a traders body has condemned the actions of police, and a local court has taken up the issue for hearing.

The policemen who arrested the two men have been transferred, and the state government has awarded compensation of one million rupees (£10,716; $13,222) to their families.

The incident has also found its way to social media, which has in turn brought it into the national spotlight.

BBC News