Saturday, 3 April, 2021 - 10:15
Muslim worshippers observe social distancing, as they offer the evening prayer Taraweeh at al-Azhar Mosque in the Egyptian capital Cairo, during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on May 17, 2020. (Source/AFP) Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt decided to impose a number of restrictions during the holy month of Ramadan due to the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, including preventive measures at mosques.
While Tarawih prayers will be allowed during the holy month, they must be reduced to no more than half an hour.
Also charity iftar tables, Tahajjud, night prayer and staying for days in mosques for worshiping will be banned. Any large gatherings inside mosques, including celebrations and funerals, are also not allowed.
Press release content from Business Wire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
AHF Backs WTO Chief’s Appeal for Vaccine Equity
April 1, 2021 GMT
LOS ANGELES (BUSINESS WIRE) Apr 1, 2021
In response to abhorrent inequality in the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines among wealthy and developing countries, World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called on government leaders and vaccine manufacturers to negotiate fairer terms for economically challenged nations. AIDS Healthcare Foundation ( AHF ), the largest provider of HIV/AIDS care and treatment globally, which operates in 45 countries, fully supports WTO’s appeal for vaccine equity.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
According to a statement posted on the UK government’s website, Laure Beaufils has been appointed to the position and she will assume in August of this year.
Beaufils is currently deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa of the UK Department for International Development.
“Ms Laure Beaufils has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines and Her Majesty’s Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Palau in succession to Mr. Daniel Pruce,” said the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
In a Twitter post on Thursday, April 1, Pruce congratulated the UK’s new top diplomat to Manila.
Shortage of COVID-19 vaccines has raised the stakes for persons who desperately want it, particularly for travel purposes. This has raised fears of fakery by elements in China as well as hoarding and extortion by local officials.
The latest reports from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) indicate that just over 718,412 Nigerians and foreigners alike have received the first dose of COVID-19-vaccine. This figure is largely insignificant, compared to the challenge of quickly vaccinating 70 per cent of the 200-million strong population to achieve herd immunity. x
The situation has raised questions regarding what is delaying the remainder of the 3.9 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines from being administered one month after delivery? How many states have exhausted their shares and what are the challenges for states that are yet to exhaust their shares? When is the second dose due for those who have received thei
Credit: @ Mahnaz Yazdani
STOCKHOLM / ROME, Mar 16 2021 (IPS) - Inequality characterizes the world we live in, predisposing how we act and think. We perceive our existence as composed of dichotomies – men and women, young and old, black or white, as well as a difference between those who have and those who do not have access to wealth, health, education and influence. Dichotomies are also born out of comparisons, about how things are now and how they could have been, how they were before and how they are now.
COVID-19 is on the mind of a majority of the world’s population and as in everything else what is happening to us it is influenced by inequalities. Many are exhausted from isolation and worries: personal and economic losses mingle with ignorance about what COVID-19 really is and how it will develop. Among the many factors governing decisions concerning the pandemic are preconceived differences between nations and age groups.