10 countries account for 80% of Africa COVID-19 testing: Africa CDC
South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Mauritius have each conducted more than 200,000 tests, said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).So far nearly 9 million tests have been conducted across the continent, up 9.4% from last week’s tally.”This number indicates we reached 90% of our goal for the partnership to accelerate COVID testing,” Nkengasong told a virtual news conference.The regional body said it had supported 14 other countries with an additional 240,000 tests. Ten countries account for 80% of the new coronavirus testing taking place across Africa, a regional body said on Thursday, indicating that little testing is taking place in many countries around the vast continent.COVID-19 confirmed cases across Africa have accelerated and are close to hitting a million this week, and experts say low levels of testing in many countries means infection rates are likely to be higher than reported.Some governments across the continent are too poor or conflict-ridden to carry out widespread testing, while others are reluctant to share data or to expose their crumbling health systems to outside scrutiny. Topics :
Gary Cooper shoved Chris Smalling in March (Picture: AMA/Getty Images)Gary Cooper, the Arsenal fan who ran onto the pitch at the Emirates and shoved Chris Smalling in March, has learned the punishment for his crime.The 30-year-old, who is undefeated boxer Tyson Fury’s cousin, ran onto the field and pushed the United defender during the match, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Gunners.Cooper, who had been drinking heavily, was arrested and admitted common assault, after originally denying the charge.As a result, Cooper has been given a 12 month community order, he must carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, he is banned from all football matches for four years and must pay £335 in costs.AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENTSmalling will receive £100 of that fee in compensation.More: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man CityThe Daily Mail reports that Cooper has lost his job as a decorator due to the incident and now claims benefits.He issued a statement to the court, which read: ‘I accept I was present at the Arsenal v Manchester United Game on March 10.‘In my excitement, I lost control and run onto the pitch after Arsenal scored a penalty.‘I was particularly excited because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had missed a penalty the week before and scored this week.‘My sole objective was to celebrate with the players on the pitch and congratulate them.‘I did not run on the pitch to confront any Manchester United player and had no intention of approaching Chris Smalling.‘But before I knew it, in my overexcited state he was in my path.‘No injury was caused to Chris Smalling. The Arsenal players hugged me and I managed to celebrate with them as my sole intention.‘I apologise for my behaviour.’Before his sentencing, Cooper offered another apology to the Manchester United player: ‘I am just so ashamed and have let myself and my family down,’ Cooper told MailOnline. ‘What happened was out of character. I am still in shock and feel awful.‘I want to apologise to Chris Smalling, Manchester United and to Arsenal.‘I got caught up in the emotion of the game and made a foolish mistake to run on to the pitch.‘I had no intention of approaching Chris Smalling. He happened to be there as I ran to congratulate the Arsenal players.’MORE: Crystal Palace set asking price for Arsenal and Man Utd to sign Wilfried ZahaMORE: Ruben Loftus-Cheek injury could see Chelsea star sidelined for a year Advertisement Phil HaighThursday 16 May 2019 5:39 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link Advertisement
Comment Arsenal fan and Tyson Fury’s cousin learns punishment for assaulting Man Utd’s Chris Smalling
Ozil’s stance was leaked (Picture: Getty)Darren Bent believes is worried about a ‘snake’ in the Arsenal dressing room after it was leaked that Mesut Ozil had refused a pay cut.Ozil was named as one of three Arsenal players who is yet to agree to the 12.5 per cent salary reduction, with Mikel Arteta and the rest of the squad set to put pen to paper on the wage cut.Arteta intervened during an initial stand-off between players and club, but Bent says the fact one someone within Arsenal leaked Ozil’s will be a big concern for players.‘There’s obviously a snake in that dressing room, which is not good,’ Bent told TalkSport.AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENTRead the latest updates: Coronavirus news live Visit our live blog for the latest updates Coronavirus news live‘When you’re in a sporting environment with the guys in the dressing room, you’re like a small family, but at times people do cross the line.‘I’d be in there making phone calls trying to find out who it was that leaked the story, because if there’s three of us [who rejected a pay cut], I shouldn’t be the only one being named.’Reports claims Arsenal stars are unhappy with how Ozil has been treated since it emerged he rejected a pay cut. Advertisement Coral BarryWednesday 22 Apr 2020 4:44 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link1.9kShares Darren Bent slams ‘snake’ in Arsenal dressing room after Mesut Ozil exposed Comment
ð âThereâs a snake in the #Arsenal dressing room.âð¡ âPeople gloss over all the good he does… they donât want to talk about that as heâs a hated figure.âð· âThree of them have said no but heâs the only one named & itâs because of his wages!â@DarrenBent defends Mesut Ozil pic.twitter.com/xpJVJUzucM— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 22, 2020 Advertisement Ozil, who earns £350,000 a week, is ready to accept a salary reduction, but wants assurances from Arsenal about how the money will be used.The German is reportedly prepared to take an even bigger pay cut than 12.5 per cent over 12 months, but Ozil’s agent Dr Erkut Sogut insisted it was inappropriate for Arsenal to expect players to blindly agree to a salary reduction.‘It is not enough for a club to present a proposal to one member of the first team squad and then asked them to go to the rest of the squad and get their consent to do it. That is not how individual contract negotiations should take place,’ Sogut told The Athletic. ‘A club may even ask a first team manager to negotiate with players and this may influence some, particularly younger players or those on the fringe who fear there might be personal repercussions for him if he does not agree. More: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man City‘In those circumstances it could be questionable that any consent from the players would be legally binding anyway as some players are not in a position to give true consent if they are under pressure to do so.’Piers Morgan and Jamie Carragher have blasted Ozil since the news broke, but Bent backed the 31-year-old.‘I also think it’s quite disgusting the abuse he’s getting,’ he said.‘He hasn’t come out and said, “I’m not doing it”, he’s given context as to why he isn’t doing it. ‘He just wants a bit of time and wants to know where the money is going.’MORE: Amir Rrahmani’s agent confirms Arsenal interest in defenderAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: Mikel Arteta reveals the two Arsenal legends he would love to have in his current squadFollow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more stories like this, check our sport page. 
More than 95% of asset owners and non-asset owners approved the articles, which reflect the 10 recommendations of the review, carried out by corporate responsibility specialists Carnstone.Since the PRI Association was incorporated in 2010, some signatories have raised concerns about the governance structures, which have been seen as overly complicated and lacking in transparency.In December 2013, eight Danish pension funds including ATP, PensionDanmark and Industriens Pension left the association, although they said they would still follow the principles themselves.The changes include introducing a single governing body, an independent chair, clear responsibilities for the board and committees, and formal reviews by the board.Martin Skancke, chair of the PRI Advisory Council, said: “The governance review demonstrates our commitment to be responsive to the needs and concerns of our divergent signatory base. And the incredibly positive response we have received shows signatories are pleased with the direction we are now taking.”Skancke added: “In addition to a single governing body, the new articles will deliver more opportunities for signatories to participate in governance matters and also broaden the eligibility requirements for directors, promoting diversity while deepening the skills and experience of the board.”The changes, however, have received a muted response from some former signatories.Ole Buhl, head of ESG at ATP, said: “ATP still hopes it will eventually be able to rejoin the organisation. But we find it is too soon to make an overall assessment of the changes made by the private organisation PRI to its governance since ATP’s withdrawal.”Buhl added: “It is worth noting it is still not clear how willing PRI is to make further reforms. It will also take a lot of work to implement several of the reforms discussed between PRI and – among others – ATP in 2014, and that certain aspects of PRI’s governance remain to be discussed in earnest in 2015.”Jens-Christian Stougaard, director at PensionDanmark, saw the changes as “improvements in the right direction”.“We need to see how the changes will affect the governance of the organisation before we can form an informed opinion on it,” he said.“From our point of view, there is still some way to meet our requirements, such as fully respecting the outset of the organisation as an asset owner-led initiative, with the rights and responsibilities that follow.“PensionDanmark still works on implementing the six principles and continues to improve our work on responsible investments. But to consider re-joining the organisation, best practice governance has to be put in place – in letter and in practice.”The changes must now be approved by the asset owner representatives of the PRI Advisory Council at its next meeting in early March.Fiona Reynolds, executive director of the PRI, told IPE recently how the organisation would be changing as it enters its teenage years A proposed new board governance structure for the organisation running the Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative (PRI) has been endorsed by an overwhelming majority of signatories.The vote follows the PRI Association’s 18-month independent governance review and extensive signatory consultation.The changes, which also include new articles of association, are intended to introduce a simpler, more transparent and accountable governance structure, taking effect on 1 April.A record 43% of asset owners voted, the highest participation rate for a signatory vote in the PRI’s history.
UK’s regulator Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has launched the 31st Offshore Licensing Round, offering blocks in frontier areas of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).UK Continental Shelf 31st Offshore Licensing Round map; Source: OGAOGA said on Tuesday that the licensing round was supported by government-funded data to stimulate interest in these under-explored basins and assist companies in their activities.A total of 1766 blocks (370,000 km2) of open acreage is now available across the West of Scotland, the East Shetland Platform, the Mid North Sea High, South West Britain and parts of the English Channel, covered by over 80,000 km of high-quality, publicly-available seismic data generated through the 2015 and 2016 Government seismic programs.The new seismic data, together with supporting datasets and reports, were released in advance of the round.The exploration data packs include regional geological maps for the Northern North Sea, East Shetland Platform and SW Approaches; final and interim products from the Frontier Basins Research program; joined digital well logs; and a report on the hydrocarbon potential of the Liassic.As a result of high levels of industry interest following the 30th Round, the OGA is also offering companies the opportunity to propose additional blocks in more mature areas for possible inclusion. Submissions should be made to OGA before July 18, 2019, with the OGA reserving the right to instead offer nominated blocks in a subsequent license offering.Andy Samuel, chief executive of the OGA, said: “Following hot on the heels of the strong industry response to the 30th Round, the OGA is opening up large areas of acreage to industry that offer the opportunity for high-impact exploration growth. The array of measures put in place by the OGA over the last two years, coupled with the UK’s highly attractive fiscal regime and openly-accessible data have laid the foundation for the ongoing revival in exploration activity across all areas of the UK Continental Shelf.”Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry added: “Through our ambitious modern industrial strategy, we recognize the importance of information and insight to help drive business performance. That’s why we provided £40 million ($53 million) in the 2015 and 2016 budgets for seismic surveys in under-explored frontier areas of the UK Continental Shelf, resulting in new data and new opportunities in this latest round of licensing.”Companies have until November 7, 2018, to apply for blocks on offer in the 31st Round. Decisions are expected to be made as early as possible in the first half of 2019.The launch of this round follows the recent 30th Offshore Licensing Round which awarded 123 licenses for 229 blocks or part blocks to 61 companies in mature areas of the UKCS during May 2018.The next round, the 32nd Offshore Licensing Round, is planned to open next summer 2019 and will focus on mature areas of the UKCS.
Thousands in the U.S. celebrate Rwanda’s rich culture, traditions Thousands gather in Morocco to celebrate nomadic culture In our series of special reports on life in northern Kenya, this time eyes on Lake Turkana Festival. Every year, 14 communities celebrate their diversity at the festival. This year, CCTV’s Susan Mwongeli was there as well. She filed this report. Kenya’s Lake Turkana put on World Heritage danger list Related
In a statement on the club’s official website, Faulkner said: “Four games ago, on the back of two good home wins, we were looking up the table and feeling confident of a strong, positive finish to the season. “Since then we have suffered four consecutive defeats and that is hard to take. We are hurting. Fans are hurting, players and the manager are hurting. The frustration is shared by everyone who loves Aston Villa. “Now more than ever it’s time for us all to pull together – fans, players, the manager, everyone at the club. Our immediate focus and combined efforts need to be concentrated on our game against Southampton this weekend and on our remaining games of the season.” Villa looked set for a fine end to a difficult campaign when they followed up their 4-1 thrashing of Norwich with a superb 1-0 win over Chelsea at Villa Park last month. But one week later Paul Lambert’s men were humbled in a 4-1 defeat at Stoke and subsequent losses to Manchester United – also 4-1 – Fulham and Palace have left them back on the brink of the bottom three. Faulkner added: ” We know we can handle adversity. What we need now is for everyone to stick behind the team and continue to show the great support that is a hallmark of our club.” Aston Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner has called for unity after the club’s fourth consecutive defeat left them in the thick of the Barclays Premier League relegation battle. Frustration is growing among the Villa faithful after Saturday’s defeat at Crystal Palace left them just four points clear of the drop-zone with five games to play. Villa must now put the discontent aside and focus on the build up to Saturday’s crucial home clash with Southampton – and Faulkner believes the fans can play a vital role. 
Press Association
Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling admits he has had to rein in some of his youthful exuberance in order to become a serious striker. He is Liverpool’s second-highest scorer behind Steven Gerrard, who takes free-kicks and penalties and has nine. Sterling was criticised in his first match in a central role when he missed a simple one-on-one chance with United goalkeeper David de Gea and could easily have scored a hat-trick, but he has worked hard since then. “It is a role I am learning and adapting to, but that is something if you want to be a good player you have to adapt to different positions, and that is something I am keen on doing,” said the England international. “When I get in front of goal sometimes I get a bit excited thinking I’ve done it all, but now I am keeping focused and trying to get my game to the next level and chip in with more goals and assists. “I have personal targets but I don’t want to share them in case I don’t reach them, but I always set myself goals and standards I want to meet and that is no different this season. “I don’t know about a target man role but I like to get on the ball as much as possible. As long as it is not too high in the air I will try to fight for the ball. “It is good to play with players like Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho, who gets on the ball and tries to create stuff. “It is always a joy to be running in and being on the receiving end and trying to finish their great play.” The 20-year-old has scored four goals in eight matches since he was given the responsibility of leading the line against Manchester United in mid-December. His equaliser against Chelsea in the 1-1 Capital One Cup semi-final first leg was his seventh of the campaign and he is closing in on the career-best tally of 10 he registered in Liverpool’s remarkable goalscoring spree last season. Press Association That is exactly what Sterling did with his goal against Chelsea, collecting a pass from Jordan Henderson 40 yards out and out-pacing defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic and centre-back Gary Cahill to shoot past the otherwise outstanding Thibaut Courtois. “I just remember Jordan passing to me, turning and getting to the edge of the box and thinking ‘Shoot’ and it was lucky enough to go in the bottom corner,” added the youngster. The second-half performance against Chelsea was arguably Liverpool’s best of the season and it gives them increased confidence after going nine matches unbeaten since losing at Old Trafford. SkyBet Championship side Bolton are next up in the FA Cup on Saturday before the squad head to Stamford Bridge for their return leg on Tuesday. “I thought the team did well. We did not deserve to go 1-0 down and we were disappointed to go in at half-time losing but we just had to keep our focus, come out in the second half and play our football,” said Sterling. “I thought we played really well, really composed, and the other young lads like Emre (Can) and Lazar (Markovic) were comfortable on the ball and hopefully we can take this into the next game, which is Saturday. “If we can win that one, we go into Tuesday’s one knowing we can get the win we need.” 
NICARAGUA CONTROVERSYNicaragua captain Juan Barrera called into question the authenticity of his country’s votes in the awards as he said he did not submit any votes.FIFA’s records show that Barrera voted for Lionel Messi as best player and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp as best manager.“I did not vote in the awards #TheBest2019 any information about my vote is false,” 30-year-old midfielder Barrera tweeted.FIFA said it has asked the Nicaraguan Football Federation to investigate the matter after receiving “votes signed by the player”.The Nicaraguan federation has been approached for comment. (BBC Sport) TWO votes for Mohamed Salah in the Best FIFA’s men’s player award were not counted because signatures were in capital letters, says FIFA.The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said acting Egypt coach Shawky Gharib and captain Ahmed Elmohamady voted for Liverpool forward Salah.FIFA said: “The signatures on the voting forms were in capital letters and thus seemed not valid.”The forms also lacked a mandatory signature by the EFA general secretary.Barcelona’s Lionel Messi won the award on Monday ahead of Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.Football’s world governing body FIFA said voting was supervised and monitored by independent observer PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Switzerland.It said it contacted the EFA twice on August 19 to submit properly signed voting forms but did not receive a response in time for the votes to be counted.FIFA also said the Egyptian FA had “undergone a few structural changes” after the voting period opened.Since the awards ceremony Salah has removed ‘Egypt’ from his Twitter profile, which now reads: “Footballer for Liverpool FC.”He also posted a tweet which translates as: “Whatever they do to try to change my love for Egypt, they will not succeed.”Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Amr El-Ganainy said. “I talked with Salah, explained to him it was an administrative mistake.”In 2018, Salah came third in the men’s award and also took the Puskas award for goal of the season.Each nation has three voters – the national team coach, the national team captain and a media representative – who each selects top three players in the world.The EFA said Gharib and Elmohamady picked Salah as their first choice.The media representative Hany Danial’s choices were Sadio Mane followed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Salah.Salah threatened to quit the national team last year following a row over his image rights.
… Sheppard receives Best Server awardGUYANA suffered a surprising early exit when they competed in the Inter-Guiana U-21 Volleyball competition over the weekend in French Guiana. The English-speaking South American nation, who won the men’s competition in 2018 and finished as runners-up in 2019, bowed out of the preliminary round after losses to both Suriname and French Guiana.The female team went down 0-2 but were very competitive against Suriname. One positive takeaway for the side was Kristoff Sheppard’s win of the Best Server award.According to coach and president of the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) Levi Nedd, all the teams in the competition improved.He noted that the distance Guyana travelled placed them at an early disadvantage. He said that the side spent three days in Suriname to uplift their visas and the lengthy travelling, fatigue and lack of sleep restricted them from playing at full strength. Against rivals, the French Guiana side, Guyanese males drew first blood (25-22), but lost the second (16-25) before they won the third game (25-22). The home team, however, managed to win the fourth and fifth games (26-24, 15-11) to claim a victory.The Guyanese side also fell against Suriname. All the games were close and Guyana managed to pull one back at 25-22 after Suriname had won the first two (25-22, 26-24), but the Dutch bounced back to take the last game (25-23).Suriname could not replicate their performance in the final against French Guiana, since their setter fell sick and had to be taken to hospital.Meanwhile, in the female category, despite having to play upon arrival after a tiring seven-hour journey, the Guyanese female team still held their own against French Guiana. They managed to put up a better fight against Suriname, but also went down 0-3 (25- 23, 26-24, 25-17).