(CNN) - The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8 in 2021, according to Tokyo 2020 Organization Committee President Yoshiro Mori, who said he had reached agreement on the dates with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach following a Monday phone call.
The Paralympics will be staged from August 23 to September 4
Monday, March 30, 2020
Samin Sedghi Zadeh, 29, Cremona
Zadeh has been working at a hospital in the hard-hit northern city of Cremona for the last two weeks. He left his comfortable job as a general practitioner in the private sector, after the government sought urgent help from medical professionals.
"A year ago when I graduated, I made a promise to make myself useful in the face of crisis," he said. "Being closed-off in the comfort of an office is not helping this national emergency."
He says Iran's response to the emergency has been weaker than Italy's, but countries in the West should also have been better prepared.
Zadeh said that although Italy has one of the best health care systems in the world, he hopes it will also learn some lessons from the crisis.
Zadeh has been working at a hospital in the hard-hit northern city of Cremona for the last two weeks. He left his comfortable job as a general practitioner in the private sector, after the government sought urgent help from medical professionals.
"A year ago when I graduated, I made a promise to make myself useful in the face of crisis," he said. "Being closed-off in the comfort of an office is not helping this national emergency."
He says Iran's response to the emergency has been weaker than Italy's, but countries in the West should also have been better prepared.
Zadeh said that although Italy has one of the best health care systems in the world, he hopes it will also learn some lessons from the crisis.
Rome (CNN) - Medical student Chiara Bonini, 26, had barely finished her final exam, before the young doctor was headed for the front line of Italy's coronavirus pandemic.
"I want to give a hand to my city that is living in this dramatic moment, and has a real need for doctors," she said of her hometown Bergamo, one of Italy's hardest-hit northern cities.
Bonini is one of thousands of Italian graduates taking up the government's call for urgent help tackling the deadliest outbreak of the virus in the world.
The European country hit the grim milestone over the weekend of 10,000 deaths, accounting for roughly a third of the 30,000-plus deaths worldwide.
With hospitals under extraordinary strain, Italy has expedited the procedure for medical school graduates entering the workforce -- cutting the hospital exam and increasing the number of doctors being recruited.
For many graduates, it will be their first professional job in an industry facing its biggest crisis in a generation. It comes amid the deaths of 50 doctors, according to Italy's national federation of doctors
The abrupt changes to the procedures for fresh graduates entering the workforce, marks a major shakeup of Italy's education system, said Dr. Alessandro Grimaldi, Director of Infectious Disease at S.S. Salvatore Hospital of L'Aquila.
Currently, students are required to do a residency, where they specialize in a certain area of medicine. But according to Grimaldi, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 fewer residency placements available than the number of students, meaning many travel abroad to work.
Grimaldi likened the money spent on educating Italian medical students who then work overseas, to: "giving a present of a Ferrari to countries abroad every year."
These graduates "would have been such great resources -- especially today," he added.
So as the country enters its sixth week of lockdown, young Italian doctors are being catapulted to the health emergency's forefront.
CNN spoke to some of them.
Bonini was studying for her final medical exams at the University of L'Aquila in central Italy, when the government put the call out for medical students to help out in the north.
She was all set to go to work in her hometown of Bergamo -- until she contracted the virus, she believes from her boyfriend who is also a doctor.
Now fully recovered, Bonini is awaiting clearance to go out and work. Having already contracted coronavirus, Bonini says she feels less afraid about her new job.
"I want to give a hand to my city that is living in this dramatic moment, and has a real need for doctors," she said of her hometown Bergamo, one of Italy's hardest-hit northern cities.
Bonini is one of thousands of Italian graduates taking up the government's call for urgent help tackling the deadliest outbreak of the virus in the world.
The European country hit the grim milestone over the weekend of 10,000 deaths, accounting for roughly a third of the 30,000-plus deaths worldwide.
With hospitals under extraordinary strain, Italy has expedited the procedure for medical school graduates entering the workforce -- cutting the hospital exam and increasing the number of doctors being recruited.
For many graduates, it will be their first professional job in an industry facing its biggest crisis in a generation. It comes amid the deaths of 50 doctors, according to Italy's national federation of doctors
The abrupt changes to the procedures for fresh graduates entering the workforce, marks a major shakeup of Italy's education system, said Dr. Alessandro Grimaldi, Director of Infectious Disease at S.S. Salvatore Hospital of L'Aquila.
Currently, students are required to do a residency, where they specialize in a certain area of medicine. But according to Grimaldi, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 fewer residency placements available than the number of students, meaning many travel abroad to work.
Grimaldi likened the money spent on educating Italian medical students who then work overseas, to: "giving a present of a Ferrari to countries abroad every year."
These graduates "would have been such great resources -- especially today," he added.
So as the country enters its sixth week of lockdown, young Italian doctors are being catapulted to the health emergency's forefront.
CNN spoke to some of them.
Bonini was studying for her final medical exams at the University of L'Aquila in central Italy, when the government put the call out for medical students to help out in the north.
She was all set to go to work in her hometown of Bergamo -- until she contracted the virus, she believes from her boyfriend who is also a doctor.
Now fully recovered, Bonini is awaiting clearance to go out and work. Having already contracted coronavirus, Bonini says she feels less afraid about her new job.
Friday, March 27, 2020
UBA Provides N5 billion ($14 million) for COVID-19 relief support across Africa
March 26, 2020
United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) today announced a donation of over 5 billion Naira (USD14 million), through the UBA Foundation, to catalyse a comprehensive pan-African response to the fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.
The donation will provide significant and much needed support to Nigeria and 19 other African countries, by supplying relief materials, critical care facilities, and financial support to governments.
The UBA support programme will be allocated as follows:
N1 billion (USD2.8 million) to Lagos State Government in Nigeria.
N500 million (USD1.4 million) to Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
N1 billion (USD2.8 million) to the remaining 35 states in Nigeria.
N1.5 billion (USD4.2 million) to UBA’s presence countries in Africa.
N1 billion (USD2.8 million) for Medical Centres with equipment and supplies Free Telemedicine Call Centre facility.
The pan-African bank will fund a medical centre immediately in Lagos, Nigeria, with beds for isolation and ICU facilities, managed and operated in partnership with Heirs Holdings’ healthcare subsidiary, Avon Medical Hospital.
In addition, UBA is providing a free telemedicine platform, that is physician-led, to provide direct access to medical advice to citizens, in compliance with social distancing requirements.
UBA Group Chairman Tony O. Elumelu, stated ‘This is a time when we must all play our part. This global pandemic must bring citizens, governments and business leaders together – and quickly. As we see a rapidly increasing number of cases of the Coronavirus in Nigeria and Africa, the private sector has to work hand in hand with various governments, in stemming the spread of the global pandemic.
We commend the efforts of governments and we are keen to partner and contribute our resources to the collective effort, that will ensure the response to the pandemic is swift and effective’.
Operating in 20 African countries and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States and France, the United Bank for Africa has a strong record of supporting its communities, through challenging times.
Arik Air suspends commercial flight operations from March 27
Arik Air has announced a temporary suspension of all scheduled commercial flight operations effective 23:00hrs on Friday, March 27 2020.
The management of the airline took this decision in order to mitigate the risk of the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) to its valued customers and staff and hopes to resume services as soon as feasible.
Customers who have confirmed tickets have been advised that they could use their tickets when the airlines resumes flight operations. Such tickets could also be modified at no extra charge.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience this suspension may have caused you.
Your safety and well-being is paramount at this period of health emergency. We implore everyone to keep safe and abide by all directives issued by governmental authorities.
Sincerely,
Affinity Wings Team
Arik Air suspends commercial flight operations from March 27
Arik Air has announced a temporary suspension of all scheduled commercial flight operations effective 23:00hrs on Friday, March 27 2020.
The management of the airline took this decision in order to mitigate the risk of the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) to its valued customers and staff and hopes to resume services as soon as feasible.
Customers who have confirmed tickets have been advised that they could use their tickets when the airlines resumes flight operations. Such tickets could also be modified at no extra charge.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience this suspension may have caused you.
Your safety and well-being is paramount at this period of health emergency. We implore everyone to keep safe and abide by all directives issued by governmental authorities.
Sincerely,
Affinity Wings Team
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)