Three astronauts will depart the International Space Station (ISS) and fly back to Earth, US space agency NASA said in a statement on Thursday.
At around midnight Friday (CEST), NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka undocked the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the ISS, which is 408 kilometres above the Earth. On Thursday evening, the crew conducted a change of command ceremony in which Skripochka ceremonially handed control of the orbiting laboratory to newly-arrived NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy.
NASA TV will provide coverage during the de-orbit burn, which is scheduled for 6:22 am (CEST) Friday. The Soyuz spacecraft will then be on course for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:16 am (CEST) in a grassland plain in Kazakhstan, south-east of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan. (dpa)
Author: Alpha Maidawa
Astronauts set to return to earth from ISS on spacecraft
Barca coach not convinced by plans to restart La Liga
Barcelona coach, Quique Setien, is pessimistic that the Spanish top flight season will be able to be completed and has called La Liga’s conditions for the campaign recommencing “a non-starter” due to the continued threat of the novel coronavirus.
La Liga has been on hold since March 10 due to the pandemic, although president Javier Tebas has said matches could start up again on either May 29, June 7 or June 28, most likely without spectators.
Tebas has estimated Spanish clubs would lose around one billion euros (1.09 billion dollars) if the season is not completed.
A draft of the league’s protocol for returning to training and matches, once given the green light by health authorities, recommends that clubs hold training camps at their training grounds or hotels for a two-week period before matches can start again.
“Only first team players, coaching staff and a small number of other staff would be allowed to access the facility, with everyone at the training camp being subjected to two COVID-19 tests before accessing the site.
“Testing would continue to take place during the camps,” added the protocol.
But Setien, whose Barca side held a two-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the standings when the campaign was indefinitely postponed, does not think it is so simple.
“Everyone wants to be ready for when the season starts again but that cannot happen until the health authorities can guarantee that there will be no problems.
“I have read the protocol and the reality is I don’t know if it can be carried out as it is written, I think it’s unworkable, I think it’s very difficult logistically,” Setien told Catalan radio station RAC1 on Thursday.
Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets also expressed doubts about the feasability of clubs holding training camps.
“We can start training again little by little but it will be difficult once everyone comes together and the competition starts again and teams start travelling.
“I have heard that La Liga wants teams to concentrate for a few months, I think that’s too much and it cannot be done. There will be too many problems,” he told Spanish radio stations Onda Cero and Cadena Cope.
La Liga declined to comment on Setien and Busquets’ comments although a source close to the matter said stakeholders were continuing to discuss a plan to return to matches along with the association of European leagues.
“The objective of La Liga is to create a protocol of the highest possible standard that can allow return to training and get us in a good, healthy, way to the light at the end of this dark tunnel,” added the source.
More than 19,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Spain although this week the government loosened the terms of a strict lockdown to allow some businesses back to work. (Reuters/NAN)
UEFA exco to meet as uncertainty continues
UEFA will hold a meeting of its decision-making executive committee on April 23 with discussions likely to centre on how, when and if the European football season will be able to resume amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The sport has been brought to a standstill by the outbreak with the Euro 2020 competition postponed until next year and both national leagues and continental club competitions on hold.
Football associations, leagues, clubs and players around Europe are debating how to complete seasons and ensure the safety of players and officials.
UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has made it clear that it wants its member associations to complete their domestic seasons rather than abandon them. It also hopes to finish the Champions League and Europa League competitions.
UEFA said in a statement that the meeting, to be preceded on Tuesday by a session for the general secretaries of its 55 member associations, will “discuss the latest developments regarding the impact caused by the coronavirus outbreak on European football.”
“The meetings will look at developments across both domestic and European competitions,” it added. Both will be held by video conference.(Reuters/NAN)
Quadri, Omotayo drop in ITTF ranking, Edem remains best-ranked Nigerian female
Nigeria’s duo of Aruna Quadri and Olajide Omotayo have dropped in the April 2020 ranking released on Thursday by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
In spite of this however, Quadri still maintains his status as the highest-rated African player in the world.
Quadri, who is still recuperating from the thigh injury he sustained during the African Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Tunis in Tunisia in February, dropped by two steps.
He now occupies the 20th place in the men’s rating, two places down to 18th he was rated in March.
Omotayo, who is the only Nigerian male athlete to have secured his place at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, also dropped to 92 in the world rating.
Quadri, who is yet to taste action since the injury he sustained on February 28, is yet to resume full training in his Lisbon base in Portugal.
This is also as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced the Portuguese Government to lock down major cities in the European country.
Omotayo who has also been stranded in Italy since the pandemic dropped down the ladder by one step to be rated 92 in the world.
Egypt’s Omar Assar also dropped to 38 from 35.
Among the biggest movers in the world is Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw who rose to 69 in the world after moving up by six steps.
The Senegalese has also secured a place at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In the women’s rating, Egypt’s Dina Meshref maintains her position as the African champion and she still occupies 32nd place in the world.
In spite of dropping by eight steps to 120 in the world rating, Offiong Edem remains the highest-ranked Nigerian female player in the world.
Olufunke Oshonaike occupies 174th place in the rating.
At the peak of the men’s ranking is China’s Fan Zhendong, who replaced compatriot Xu Xin to top the rating.
Also, China’s Chen Meng continues her reign as the women’s world number one.
Japan’s Mima Ito shot up to second place in the women’s singles list —- her highest ever position.
It was a reward for consistent displays so far in 2020, which saw her take the crown at the Hungarian Open.
This was in between reaching the semi-final of the German Open and final of the Qatar Open.
Meanwhile, following the current suspension of ITTF events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest ITTF Rankings will be frozen until activities resume.
The decision to freeze the world ranking was taken at the ITTF Executive Committee meeting held on April 1, following the recommendations from the World Ranking Group and the Athletes Commission.(NAN)
Top four clubs will qualify for Champions League even if season is abandoned, Spanish FA says
The Spanish Football Association (RFEF) has taken a decision on what to do if the La Liga season is cut short or abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic, an official says.
RFEF general secretary Andreu Camps disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
He said the four clubs on top of the most recent completed round of the La Liga season standings would qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
All the clubs have played 27 matches before the RFEF suspended play on March 12 due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Therefore, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad are the four teams that will go through to Europe’s premier club competition if no more action is possible this season.
“The RFEF wants to have done its homework in case, in the event of a suspension of competitions, it receives the request from UEFA regarding the Spanish clubs that would have access to European competitions next season,” Camps said.
“Thus… it has been agreed in the RFEF Delegate Commission to make a plan in order to give certainty in an extreme scenario, such as not being able to finish the competitions, so that all the clubs know the new scenario they are facing.”
After the last round of games were completed on March 10, FC Barcelona topped La Liga with 58 points, two ahead of Real Madrid.
Sevilla are third on 47, with Real Sociedad a point further back in fourth.
The teams in fifth and sixth place —– which are currently Getafe and Atletico Madrid —— will also qualify for the Europa League.
The result of the Copa Del Rey final, if that is contested, could impact which team grabs the final Europa League spot.
With Copa Del Rey finalists Real Sociedad already in the top four, their opponents Athletic Bilbao (10th in the league) are in pole position for the third Europa League spot.
But that will be if they have not climbed into the top six by the time the final league standings are decided.
Should that occur, the final Europa League spot will go to the seventh-placed team in La Liga.(Reuters/NAN)
Wuhan revises the number of coronavirus deaths upward
The Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has revised the number of virus-related fatalities up by 1,290 to 3,869, local authorities said Friday.
The government of Hubei province, home to Wuhan, said in a statement that the number of casualties has been revised up due to late reports from medical institutions and due to the fact that some coronavirus patients died at home while hospitals were overloaded in the early stages of the epidemic.
“The registration of some death cases was incomplete, and there were repetition and mistakes in the reporting,” according to the statement.
The revision comes as the accuracy of China’s coronavirus data has been questioned abroad and by its own citizens.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called on China to show “full transparency” and to share information in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.
US President Donald Trump had said previously that “you don’t know what the [coronavirus] numbers are in China.”
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wuhan was revised up by 325 to 50,333, the government said.
Hubei authorities had twice before changed coronavirus tallies. In mid-February, they switched diagnostic criteria to allow for the clinical diagnosis of new cases, as opposed to diagnoses based exclusively on nucleic acid tests, a move which at the time led to a tenfold increase in new coronavirus cases over the previous day. Authorities reverted the decision a week later.
China also caused an uproar by initially not including asymptomatic cases in its daily tallies – even if the cases were confirmed by nucleic acid tests.
The National Health Commission started reporting asymptomatic cases on April 1.
Over the past few weeks, there has been intense speculation that the number of coronavirus casualties in Wuhan had much exceeded official reports, based on the number of urns released to family members in late March.
Media reports abounded of people who died at home without receiving medical care.
The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Wuhan’s municipal government as saying that the latest revisions were made “in accordance with related laws and regulations as well as the principle of being responsible for history, people and the deceased.”
The government said it pooled data from “all epidemic-related locations” including clinics, hospitals, makeshift hospitals, quarantine sites, communities with Covid-19 cases, prisons, detention centers, funeral homes and elderly care centers. (dpa)
Britain’s Princess Beatrice cancels wedding amid coronavirus: media reports
Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice and her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have canceled their royal wedding due to the lockdown in the United Kingdom amid the coronavirus pandemic, media reports said on Thursday.
Princess Beatrice had earlier in March scaled back her wedding plans and canceled a planned reception which was due to be held at Buckingham Palace in May.
“There are no plans to switch venues or hold a bigger wedding. They aren’t even thinking about their wedding at this time. There will come a time to rearrange, but that’s not yet”, People magazine reported bit.ly/2XFticD, quoting a spokesperson for the couple.
The Buckingham Palace could not immediately be reached for a comment.
Lockdown: Hotels close shop in Port Harcourt
Some hotels in Port Harcourt have closed shop, following the outbreak of Coronavirus which has resulted in lockdown in Rivers.
Visits by a Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to some parts of the city on Tuesday showed that many hotels were under lock and key.
NAN recalls that the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state had resulted in closure of markets, schools, drinking joints, air traffic as well as the state borders.
When NAN visited Echelon Height Hotel on Elekohia Road, which used to be a beehive of activities, it was firmed locked, with only security men seen manning the entrance.
Other hotels in the city were also not open for business, while the usual hustle and bustle around them had vanished.
Also, the ever-busy Presidential Hotel, which used to play host to different categories of guests and events, was enveloped with unusual calm, as no activity was taking place there.
NAN also observed that the few hotels, which opened for business, witnessed low patronage, as their bars and swimming pools were without customers.
A Port Harcourt-based economist, Mr Ugochukwu Nyenke, said that the outbreak of COVID-19 had been taking its toll on the hotel business in the state capital.
According to him, the closure of borders and the ban on inter-state movement were negative signals to the hospitality industry.
“The implication is that people will not come to the city, while those in the city have remained in their homes. And so, people will hardly need accommodation in any hotel.
“The clubs and bars are places that require close contacts, and this is really not an auspicious time for such businesses to boom,” he said. (NAN)COVID-19: IMF calls for multilateral cooperation on medicine, essential supplies
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called for multilateral cooperation on medicines and other essential supplies to help tame the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IMF made the call in its April 2020 World Economic Outlook released on Tuesday.
The IMF explained that addressing the coronavirus pandemic was therefore required significant multilateral cooperation, including avoiding trade restrictions particularly on medicines and other essential supplies with a view to help financially constrained countries with limited health care capacity.
It stated that such cooperation would help by providing such countries equipment and medical expertise financed through grants and zero-interest emergency loans.
“Countries confronting the twin crises of health and external funding shocks, for example, those reliant on external financing, or commodity exporters dealing with the plunge in commodity prices may additionally need bilateral or multilateral assistance to ensure that health care spending is not compromised in their difficult adjustment process.
“The IMF, with one trillion dollars in available resources, is actively supporting vulnerable countries through various lending facilities.
“The recent doubling of access limits of the IMF’s emergency financing facilities will allow the IMF to meet an expected demand of 100 billion dollars in emergency financing, provided through the Rapid Credit Facility and the Rapid Financing Instrument, of which the former is only for low-income countries.
“The Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust can currently provide about 500 million dollars in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent 185 million dollars pledge by the UK and 100 million dollars provided by Japan as immediately available resources.
“Official bilateral creditors have been called upon by the IMF managing director and the World Bank Group president to suspend debt repayment from International Development Association countries that is, those with gross national income per capita below 1,175 dollars in 2020 that request forbearance.
“This would help with their immediate liquidity needs to address the challenges of the pandemic. Policies for the Recovery Phase Once the pandemic abates and containment measures are lifted, the policy focus will need to shift to rapidly moving to recovery, while scaling back special targeted measures deployed during the shutdown and ensuring debt overhangs do not weigh on economic activity.
“This will require efforts at the national level and continued strong multilateral cooperation. There is still substantial uncertainty on how long it will take for economic activity to normalise and the policy challenges will be much more severe in a scenario with more protracted dislocation from the pandemic” it explained.
The report indicated that securing a swift recovery, the lifting of containment measures was likely to be gradual, and even after containment measures were unwounded, economic activity might take a while to normalise.
It added that uncertainty about contagion could lead to persistent voluntary social distancing and subdued consumer demand for services and firms might only slowly start hiring workers and expanding payroll. (NAN)
Election, not coronavirus, knocks out football in Burundi
Burundi, the last African country to allow football to continue through the ongoing period of coronavirus pandemic, suspended its league on Monday.
But, in doing so, it made no reference to the stoppage being linked to the threat of the deadly virus.
Instead, Burundi Football Federation (BFF) president Reverien Ndikuriyo told a press conference in Bujumbura the suspension was to allow the federation to re-assess venues for matches.
He said this was because some facilities might have to be used for upcoming election rallies.
A general election will be held in Burundi on May 20 to elect both the president and the National Assembly.
The BFF decision was taken at a meeting on Monday, and the federation said it was “re-arranging its fixture calendar”.
It added it was satisfied that the league and cup competitions were well on target for a May 30 completion date.
Ndikuriyo made no reference to the health risks of continuing to proceed with league and cup matches.
He however called on players, officials and spectators to observe preventative measure recommended by the government.
Spectators at matches in Burundi have had their temperatures taken and hands sprayed with disinfectant on entrance to match venues in recent weeks.
A committee will decide on when the league and cup competitions will resume, the federation said in a statement.
Cup quarter-final matches were played at the weekend, while the league championship has only three rounds still to complete.
The small East African nation announced its first coronavirus cases on March 31, and its health ministry has since confirmed five cases of the virus.(Reuters/NAN)
