The spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, made this known on Sunday in a statement he issued.

“The 43-year-old businessman was arrested at Bay Lounge, Admiralty Way, Lekki area of Lagos where he does his illicit drug business on Monday 24th March 2025 while he was expecting to take the delivery of his latest drug consignment. His arrest followed the seizure of his cargo that arrived Nigeria in seven big cartons at a logistics company in Lagos on 12th March by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation.

“After his arrest, he was taken to his Lekki home for a search during which 94grams of the same psychoactive substance, cannabis crusher and other drug paraphernalia were recovered. This brings the total weight of the drug seized from him to 32.24 kilogrammes,” the spokesman said.

The suspect, it was reported, in his statement, claimed he started the illicit drug business in 2017.

Babafemi said attempt by another businessman Omoruyi Terry to export 1,400 pills of tramadol 225mg weighing 800 grams to Italy had also been thwarted by NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos.

Omoruyi was intercepted at the screening point of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on his way to Italy via a Qatar Airways flight.

Investigation revealed the suspect was an Italy based frequent traveller and logistics agent.

In Katsina, four suspects: Baraka Abubakar, 40; Haruna Alitine, 23; Muhammad Babangida, 20; and Hamisu Lawal, were arrested on Friday 28th March during an intelligence led raid operation at Godai village in Daura LGA where 684 blocks of compressed skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 423kg and 86,000 pills of diazepam were recovered from them.

READ ALSO: Eid-el-Fitr: Police deploy joint security personnel in Kano

The three male suspects were arrested while repackaging the diazepam tablets into other containers while Baraka, the female suspect was apprehended with the heaps of skunk in her house.

Not less than 13,198 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa were destroyed in Edo forests across parts of the state between Monday 24th and Friday 28th March by NDLEA operatives who also evacuated 158kg of same substance for possible prosecution.

The forests where no fewer than four cannabis plantations were discovered and destroyed include: Uhen forest, Ovia North East LGA; Sobe, Owan West LGA; and Amahor forest in Igueben LGA.

In Niger State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Mokwa-Jebba road on Friday 28th March intercepted a black Toyota Corolla car marked SLM 137 SV and arrested the two occupants in possession of 179 blocks of compressed skunk with a total weight of 77.6kg concealed in false bottom of the vehicle.

The two suspects are: Paul Christopher, 46, and Lucky Star Anumie.

In another operation, 50kg skunk was on Saturday 29th March recovered from the home of a suspect, Isa Iliya, who is currently at large, in Wawa village, Borgu council area of the state.

While 108.5kg of skunk was recovered from lockup shops at Aria New Market, in Enugu metropolis, Enugu State by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 25th March, 25kg of same substance was seized from a suspect Abdulrazak Saka at Kilako Area of Ilorin, Kwara State on Monday 24th March. Another suspect Suli Saheed, 50, was nabbed with 2.5 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud and 515 grammes of Colorado, at Olomi Academy area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

With the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Blessed Martins International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Model Ideal College, Enugu; Oto-Awori Senior Secondary School, Ijanikin, Lagos state; and Command Secondary School, Numan, Adamawa State, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Edo, Kwara, Niger, Enugu, Oyo and Katsina Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

He extended Eid-el-fitr greetings to them, their families, other stakeholders and Nigerians at large.

“May the spirit of obedience and sacrifice that defines this special day guide and strengthen us as we remain steadfast in our pursuit of a drug-free society. May Allah continue to bless and guide us and may our collective efforts bring us closer to a safer and healthier society for all,” the NDLEA boss added.

The post Lekki, Italy based businessmen arrested over illicit drug shipments appeared first on Frontpageng.

Sala, who works for Italian daily Il Foglio and runs a well-known podcast, was arrested in the Iranian capital on December 19 on accusations of violating the country’s media law.

She is being held in solitary confinement at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.

According to Italian media reports, Sala, 29, has complained to relatives about the conditions she is being kept in, including being forced to sleep on the floor without a mattress.

READ ALSO: We’re determined to take Nigeria to the promised land –Tinubu

In addition, the lights are being kept on in her cell throughout the night and her glasses have been taken from her, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has also called for the journalist’s release.

“No one should be imprisoned for doing their job. Journalism is not a crime,” Kallas told La Repubblica newspaper.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was reportedly due to meet with some Cabinet ministers on Thursday afternoon to discuss further steps in the matter.

Source: dpa/NAN

The post Italy summons Iranian ambassador over journalist held in Tehran appeared first on Frontpageng.

The lucky few have now been asked to pay N225 per kilowatt of electricity consumed instead of the old rate of N65 per kilowatt. Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, said that the policy would only affect 1.5 million electricity consumers out of 12 million consumers all over the country. The remaining 10.5 million customers who are not as lucky to enjoy 20 hours of electricity a day would continue to enjoy government subsidy of electricity pending when all electricity consumers are provided with power for up to 20 hours a day within the next three years. This means that every Nigerians would pay the newly announced rate by 2027, all things being equal.

Although it is obvious that the poor are being deceived by their leaders that only consumers in Band A would be paying the cost reflective tariff, it won’t be long before others will be forced to pay the same rate.

Adelabu did not fail to tell us that even at N225 per kilowatt, the rate is still far cheaper compared to using diesel engine or fuel-powered generators to generate power which cost between N450 and N500 per kilowatt. With the increment, Adelabu stressed that the federal government would, for the very first time, be taking a bold step to address the fundamental issues confronting the power sector, including liquidity and pricing challenges. The federal government, we have been told, is subsidizing 67 per cent of the cost of electricity in the country and that if the cost reflective tariff is not introduced, government would have to pay N2.9 trillion this year as electricity subsidy.

That figure, Adelabu said, is more than 10 per cent of the national budget. “It will be insensitive on our part to compel the government to pay such when we have other competing issues the government needs to fund but with limited resources”.

Beautiful rhetoric from the government. One wonders if they are also looking at the cost implications for the consumers as well as their ability to pay? If we are to break it down into naira and kobo, what it would cost those consumers on Band A to enjoy electricity for a minimum of 20 hours would amount to a staggering N5,400 per day, which translates into N162,000 in a month and an astounding annual electricity bill of N1.971.000.

Yet, we are in a country where the minimum wage is a meagre N30,000. Or is the federal government saying that there are no poor Nigerians living in areas designated under band A?

READ ALSO: Heatwave: Hot as hell in Nigeria, By Kazeem Akintunde

As expected, many Nigerians have condemned the tariff hike, insisting that the necessary infrastructure to support the delivery of 20 hours of electricity to those in Band A have not been put in place but the government is rather interested in hiking the tariff without commensurate service delivery.

Here is a country where we are still grappling with electricity generation in the 21th century. We have not been able to generate more than 7,000 megawatts in a country of over 200 million people even after wasting several billions of dollars. Even at that, the epileptic grid system that we have, does not have the capability to transmit all the generated megawatts to consumers without developing hiccups. Some of the 11 Distribution companies in the country only exist in name only, as most of them are practically dead.

For the most of part of last week, the country generated and distributed less than 3,000 megawatts as gas shortages crippled many of the electricity generation stations run on gas. Many Nigerians still do not have access to pre-paid meters, and they have to pay through estimated billings. Yet, what they pay monthly in most cases is not in consonance with the amount of energy consumed, and they are still being asked to pay more.

Although it is obvious that the poor are being deceived by their leaders that only consumers in Band A would be paying the cost reflective tariff, it won’t be long before others will be forced to pay the same rate.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank that have been urging the government to increase tariffs would be happy now but I doubt that President Bola Tinubu is aware of the economic pressure many Nigerians are going through since his assumption of office. The removal of fuel subsidy as well as the unification of the dual exchange rate of the naira compounded the misery of most Nigerians. They are gradually being pushed to the wall and unless there is a human face to many of his policies, his re-election in 2027 may be in jeopardy as people that would vote for him are almost dead due to his harsh economic policies.

The Breton woods institutions that are egging him on have various ways through which they cushion economic hardship on their own citizens. In the United States of America (USA), there are government subsidies on the domestic agricultural sector, oil and energy producers, the housing sector, automakers, and some healthcare known as Medicare, introduced by the Obama administration.

Energy subsidies in the U.S may be direct cash transfer to suppliers, customers, or related bodies, as well as direct support mechanisms, such as tax exemptions and rebates, price controls, trade restrictions, and limits on market access. Indeed, the International Renewable Energy Agency tracked some $634 billion in energy sector subsidies in 2020, and found that around 70 per cent were fossil fuel subsidies. About 20 per cent went to renewable power generation, six per cent to biofuels and just over three per cent to nuclear.

It is the same scenario in the United Kingdom, where there is government subsidy on several sectors such as health insurance, technology, housing, education, electric vehicles and sustainable solutions, among others. They provide such subsidies via loans, grants and tax credits, among others. In the area of power, Britain paid almost 40 billion pounds in energy subsidies since it began to help households and businesses cope with the surge in power bills after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Between the launch of the scheme in October last year and March, nearly 21 billion pounds was spent on the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) programme that supports households with their bills. A further 12 billion pounds was paid under the Energy Support Scheme, which offered homes payments of 400 pounds towards their bills over the winter months. The Office of National Statistics has put the cost at 41.2 billion pounds in the financial year ending in March 2024.

Germany, Italy, Canada and even South Africa are countries that are still paying some form of subsidy to their citizens. Tinubu came on board and ended the fuel subsidy regime. The country is still reeling from the impact of that policy. Cost of food and other essential commodities have hit the roof. Half of the amount that the government saved from the removal of fuel subsidy was used to provide palliatives for the same people again. More than half of the palliatives provided ended up in the hands of those that don’t need it while the real masses became more desperate. It was not long before hungry and angry Nigerians started looting government warehouses where everything on site were looted. To eat is now more difficult for many than even when the country was at war.

Their misery is about to be topped up with the shenanigans in the power sector. In Nigeria, it is a crime for the government to support the poor. What most of our leaders don’t know is that by supporting the poor, they are actually helping themselves as it would ease pressure on their administration. Since the coming on board of the Tinubu government, the masses have been at the receiving end of economic policies that makes life difficult for them. In spite of the fact that a whole ministry was created named Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, those in charge of the Ministry since its creation during the reign of President Muhammadu Buhari are wicked souls who are more concerned about their private pockets. It was no surprise when the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), announced that it has recovered N30 billion from top officials of the Ministry while 50 bank accounts are still being investigated. A former Minister in the ministry, Hajia Sadia Umar Farouq, as well as newly appointed but now suspended Betta Edu, are subjects of investigation by the anti-graft agencies.

In spite of the several billions of dollars sunk into the power sector since 1999, we still have little or nothing to show for it. Despite international bashing particularly from South Africans who tagged us ‘Generator Republic’, our leaders still lack an idea of how to remove the shameful tag by providing its citizenry with constant electricity. After wasting over $40 billion on the power sector, we are now looking for foreign investors that would bring in funds for the same sector. And to attract the investors, we have to ensure ‘appropriate pricing’ of power so that those investors will recoup their money within a short period of time. Nothing good will come out of it.

In spite of the several billions of dollars sunk into the power sector since 1999, we still have little or nothing to show for it.

Perhaps it is time for us to send some of our officials to Morocco to understudy that country on what they are doing right in the power sector. The war between Russia and Ukraine has catalysed Europe’s politicians to increase efforts to tackle climate change with new sources of clean energy. Morocco is positioning itself to be part of the solution. It is on Europe’s doorstep, and has ambitious plans to generate 52 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The hope is that lots of this electricity will be exported via undersea cables to Europe. The country is presently building one of the largest solar energy farms in the world. It is also working towards generating electricity through wind farms.

Back home in Nigeria, corruption has retarded our thinking. We think more of how to shortchange the system than build it. The ‘bandits’ in the power sector, with their foreign collaborators, have convinced Tinubu that complete removal of subsidy on power is the way to go. I wish him well. I simply hope that his harsh economic policies will not haunt him in 2027.

It is time for state governors to take the bull by the horn and deliver 24-hour power supply to their citizens. Prof. Barth Nnaji and his Geometric Power Limited are doing wonders in Abia State. The state is off the national grid as they have enough power for the entire state. If smaller states can do it, there is nothing stopping each of the six geo-political zones from working together to achieve the same objective. Without electricity, we will still be deceiving ourselves on any planned industralisation of the country. The current classification of households to Band A, B, C, D, and E should shame all of us. That is not the way to go.

See you next week.

The post The ‘bandits’ in the power sector, By Kazeem Akintunde appeared first on Frontpageng.

Obi made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Saturday in Ota, Ogun State.

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria will play against the South Korean team in one of the quarter finals at the ongoing Under-20 World Cup in Argentina.

The Flying Eagles beat Italy 2-0 in the group stage, while they also beat Argentina, the host country by 2-0 in the round of 16 to qualify for the quarter final.

According to Obi, football is about self-confidence and determination to win any opponent.

The sport analyst expressed optimism that the Flying Eagles of Nigeria would beat South Korea because their victory over Italy and Argentina would have given them more confidence to win the match.

“All what they need to win the South Korea team is to be self-confident and the determination which they have exhibited in their win against Italy and Argentina,” he said.

Obi also urged them to be focused and intensify on their training in order to beat South Korea.

He however advised the team to strengthen its mid-field and utilise their chances to prevent being caught unawares by the strong and fast South Korea.

Source: NAN

The post U-20 World Cup: What F’Eagles need to beat South Korea -Analyst appeared first on Frontpageng.

The victory earned the team valuable three points having won their first game, and qualified them for the second round of the competition with one game in hand against Brazil.

Following a 0-0 scoresline in the first half, the team continued to push hard and would be rewarded for their efforts after Salim Fago opened scoring.

He received a cross in a tight space, and with a quick-fix nodded the ball pass Italy’s goalkeeper.

The Italians worked their socks off and launched several counter attacks but met a resolute Nigerian defence that absorbed all pressures and also looked dangerous going forward.

Nigeria would be rewarded with a confirmation goal in the 4th minute of second half added time after the goal keeper launched a kick out, which found Jude Sunday who beat the Italian defence to score.

With the victory, Nigeria has now qualified for the round of 16 and their final match against Brazil a mere formality as Group D leaders.

Sade Anifowose, a football fan watching the match at a viewing centre in Ejigbo, said the young lads had made the country proud.

She said she was confident of Nigeria’s victory due to the way they approached the game and supported the team to do well in coming games.

“They played well and very well deserved their win. Indeed, it was a very good and entertaining match as we know Italians are no pushovers in football.

“I congratulate the entire team and their coaching staff and wish them more victories in the competition,” Anifowose said.

Another football fan, Abayomi Bamijoko, said he was excited about the result, and that he had not given them a chance to beat Italy.

“They did well and gave a good account of themselves. Indeed, it was a brilliant performance by the team.

“The defence was solid and the goalkeeper showed good vision when he gave the pass that brought the second goal scored through Jude Sunday.

“If they can continue like this they will go far in the competition and hopefully bring the cup home,” Bamijoko said.

Source: NAN

The post U-20 World Cup: Flying Eagles beat Italy 2-0, qualify for round of 16 appeared first on Frontpageng.

The suspect, arrested by the Italian police is expected to be charged to court.

The chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made this known while giving an update on the case.

She added that the Italian police were working and cooperating with the Nigerian mission in Italy to ensure justice was done and the culprit faced the consequences he deserved.

She stated that the Nigerian mission was requesting that the Italian government provided Mrs. Alika, the widow, a good job to cater for the rest of the family, being the family’s bread winner, after the death of her husband.

Dabiri-Erewa seized the chance to thank the Nigerian community in Italy, various organisations and individuals in Italy who had supported and raise funds for the late  Alika’s family since his death.

Meanwhile, the NiDCOM boss has equally given an update on  the gruesome murder of two young Nigerians, Tosin Amos Arowoshegbe, and Chibueze Momah, who were shot dead at a Canadian nightclub, while working as guards.

The NiDCOM chairman said that Canadian authorities had identified a suspect and were working to get to the cause of the unfortunate incident

The post Alika’s murder: Federal government gives update appeared first on Frontpageng.

Giving an update on the sad event, Dabiri-Erewa stated that the estranged husband, Mr Pierangelo Pellizzar, had been arrested.

In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, Dabiri-Erewa said that the alleged killing of the housewife by her husband due to the fact that she filed for a divorce was quite unfortunate and sad.

Similarly, the President of National Union of Nigerian Associations in Italy, NUNAI, Mr Rowland Ndukuba, also condemned the killing and thanked the Police authorities for the arrest of the husband.

The Nigerian Ambassador, Mfawa Omini Abam, who has been informed about the  pathetic death of the Nigerian, has promised that the Embassy would ensure that proper investigation was carried out.

It was reported that Rita filed for divorce which angered her embittered husband to carry out the heinous act of killing her.

A 61-year-old Italian man, Pierangelo Pellizzar, allegedly shot dead his 31-year-old Nigerian wife, Amenze Rita, in Italy.

It was reported that Rita filed for divorce which angered her embittered husband to carry out the heinous act of killing her.

Rita was killed in front of her colleagues in the parking lot of Mf Mushroom, a company where she worked on Friday morning, in Noventa Vicentina.

It was gathered that the suspect, Pellizzar waylaid laid his estranged wife at about 7:30 a.m. and shot her four times, until life was gone out of her.

Rita who just returned from Nigeria a week ago, arrived in Italy in 2017 through Libya and got married to the Italian man in 2018.

The post Envoy, NIDCOM, others call for justice over killing of Nigerian in Italy appeared first on Frontpageng.

After a 1-1 draw following 120 minutes, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, brought on at the death just to take penalty kicks, both missed.

Though Jorginho spurned Italy’s first opportunity to win, Gianluigi Donnarumma then saved from Bukayo Saka.

It is heartbreak for England, seeking to end a title drought from 1966, and for manager Gareth Southgate who missed a crucial spot-kick in the 1996 semi-final shootout loss against Germany.

His selection of kickers will be long questioned now.

Nearly two full hours previously his judgement looked perfect as the recalled Kieran Trippier crossed for fellow full-back Shaw.

Shaw volleyed home from the left in under two minutes for the fastest-ever goal in a Euro final.

But veteran Leonardo Bonucci scrambled home a 67th minute equaliser and Italy crowned a 34-game unbeaten run under coach Robert Mancini with their second continental trophy after 1968.

The pre-match build-up was marred by seemingly ticketless supporters charging barriers in an attempt to access the stadium.

Several English media outlets reported on the incidents and videos on social media showed fans rushing at the gates.

That gave the impression of a fuller house than the 65,000 permitted in the coronavirus pandemic.

With only 7,500 wearing the blue of Italy, the vast majority were soon out of their seats —- if they were ever in them to begin with.

Ironically it was England’s nerves that led to the goal when defender Harry Maguire hit a needless backpass out for a corner-kick and a lightning counter-attack broke the deadlock.

Shaw started the move by finding team captain Harry Kane, who in turn released the marauding Trippier on the right.

Shaw continued his run to the edge of the six-yard box and found the net via the inside of the post in just one minute 56 seconds.

The historic goal, hours before his 26th birthday, made Shaw just the third English goal scorer in a major final after Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.

Italy were shocked and another cross from Trippier, brought in for Saka as Southgate changed to a back three, caused concern as England dominated the early stages.

Finally balance emerged but Federico Chiesa — who scored twice previously at Wembley — shot just wide after escaping Declan Rice.

Jordan Pickford’s only save, in first-half injury-time, was a simple one from Marco Verratti.

Italy were playing on the 39th anniversary of their 1982 FIFA World Cup win — their third of four.

They kept alive their dream of another European crown when Bonucci forced home after Verrati’s header was touched onto the post.

Bonucci, who also played in the Euro 2012 final which was lost to Spain alongside captain Giorgio Chiellini, became the oldest final goal scorer at 34 years and 71 days.

The lively Chiesa going off injured for Federico Bernardeschi was a blow for Italy’s attack.

Chiellini saved the day at the other end with an astounding late tackle on Raheem Sterling as the game petered out to penalty kicks.

Domenico Berardi and Kane scored the opening penalty kicks before England took advantage when Pickford saved from Andrea Belotti and Maguire smashed home an unstoppable kick.

But Bonucci kept his cool and Bernardeschi drilled one down the middle between Rashford and Sancho both missing terrible kicks — off the post and saved — from stuttered run-ups.

Chelsea’s reliable Jorginho, who netted the winning shootout kick against Spain in the semi-final, had his shot touched onto the post.

But Saka’s weak kick was met by Donnarumma diving to his left to secure victory.

Source: NAN

The post Italy fight back to win Euro 2020 in England appeared first on Frontpageng.

All regions are now in the “red zone” – the highest tier of restrictions – as the country battles a third wave, with about 20,000 new cases a day.

Non-essential movement is banned, but people are allowed to have an Easter meal in their homes with two others.

Churches are also open, but worshippers are being told to attend services within their own regions.

For the second year, Pope Francis will deliver his Easter message to an empty St Peter’s Square.

Following the holiday weekend, different regions will then remain in either “orange zone” or “red zone” restrictions until the end of the month.

Italy’s restrictions come as countries across Europe try to control a surge in cases of the virus, while struggling with a delayed vaccine rollout.

More than 110,328 people in total have died of the coronavirus in Italy, and there have been 3.6 million confirmed infections.

What is the situation in Italy?

Just over a year after Italy became the first western nation to be hit by a coronavirus epidemic, the country is now facing a third wave and a second Easter holiday in lockdown.

On 1 April, Italy registered 23,634 new cases and 501 deaths.

Under the new lockdown measures, all non-essential shops are closed and cafes and restaurants are running a takeaway-only service.

Red zone restrictions normally mean all non-essential travel is banned, but over the Easter weekend an exception is being made to allow people to visit friends and relatives within their regions for a holiday meal.

The Italian government also announced it was placing 70,000 extra police officers on surveillance nationwide, in order to enforce the lockdown rules.

“This is not the time to lower our guard, and to let go of that sense of responsibility shown so far,” Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese told the newspaper Il Messaggero. “Because the progress recorded by the campaign for vaccines finally gives a glimpse of a different horizon that will allow us to gradually return to normal.”

What about elsewhere in Europe?

On Friday, the World Health Organization, WHO, criticised Europe’s “unacceptably slow” vaccine rollout, and said the situation in the region is now worse than it has been for several months.

“Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic… However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow,” WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

“We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now.”

In the meantime, as long as vaccine coverage remained low, he said EU countries would have to impose lockdowns and other measures to compensate for the delays.

According to the WHO, only 10% of the nearly 900 million people in the region have had a single dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Earlier this week France, which is currently facing a peak of about 5,000 people in intensive care, announced it was entering a third national lockdown for at least three weeks.

French schools are moving back to remote learning, and all non-essential shops have now closed.

People are banned from travelling more than 10km (six miles) from home without good reason.

And last month, German officials announced that the country would be placed in a strict Easter lockdown – only to reverse the decision just days later.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the plan for a lockdown from 1 to 5 April a “mistake”, and said she took “ultimate responsibility” for the U-turn.

Source: BBC

The post COVID-19: Italy begins strict Easter lockdown appeared first on Frontpageng.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said curbs would be relaxed from 4 May, with people being allowed to visit their relatives in small numbers, in masks.

Parks will reopen, but schools will not restart classes until September.

Other countries like Switzerland and Spain are also relaxing their measures.

Italy recorded 260 new virus-related deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily figure since 14 March.

The total is now at 26,644, Europe’s highest official toll.

The country has confirmed 197,675 cases of the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the disease globally.

The number of cases has been falling, and authorities now believe the contagion rate – the amount of people each person with the virus infects – is low enough to justify a cautious easing of curbs.

What has been announced?

Speaking on television, Mr Conte outlined how the country would begin “Phase Two” of lifting its coronavirus lockdown. The measures include:

*People will be allowed to move around their own regions – but not between different regions

* Funerals are set to resume, but with a maximum of 15 people attending, and ideally to be carried out outdoors

*Individual athletes can resume training, and people can do sports not only in the vicinity of their homes but in wider areas

*Bars and restaurants will reopen for takeaway service from 4 May -not just delivery as now – but food must be consumed at home or in an office

*Hairdressers, beauty salons, bars and restaurants are expected to reopen for dine-in service from 1 June

*More retail shops not already opened under the earliest easing measures will reopen on 18 May along with museums and libraries

*Sports teams will also be able to hold group training from 18 May

There was no announcement on the possibility of Italy’s premier football league Serie A resuming, even behind closed doors.

Mr Conte stressed that social distancing measures would need to continue for months to come, and said church services would remain banned.

He urged people to stay a metre (3ft) away from each other.

“If we do not respect the precautions the curve will go up, the deaths will increase, and we will have irreversible damage to our economy,” the prime minister said. “If you love Italy, keep your distance.”

What is the background?

Italians have been living under a national stay-at-home order since 9 March, with everyone required to remain within a few streets of their door.

The country brought in very limited easing of its virus control measures on 14 April, permitting some small shops – including bookstores, dry cleaners and stationers – to reopen. The businesses chosen were deemed to be lower risk as they rarely attract crowds.

This is a roadmap to reopening for a country that has endured hell, but it could take years for it to recover, the BBC’s Mark Lowen in Rome reports.

If infections show an increase again, the government will have powers to intervene to reintroduce certain restrictions, our correspondent adds.

What is happening elsewhere?

Spain – the European country with the highest number of deaths after Italy – reported its lowest daily death toll in more than five weeks on Sunday, with 288 new fatalities. On Sunday, children could go outside for the first time in six weeks.

In Switzerland, garden centres and hairdressers will open their doors on Monday, followed by schools and shops selling items other than food in two weeks’ time.

But gatherings of more than five people remain banned until 8 June, and it is unclear when bars and restaurants will be allowed to reopen.

In neighbouring Germany, facemasks have become mandatory in public transport. The new rules have created huge demand for the product and, as a result, a growing shortage, so the government is planning to manufacture millions of masks in Germany.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to work on Monday, after recovering from the virus.

Mr Johnson spent a week in hospital, including three nights in intensive care, after being admitted on 5 April.

In the US, where more than 54,000 deaths and over 940,000 cases have been confirmed, Tennessee, Colorado and Montana joined four other states in allowing certain businesses to reopen.

Eight states led by Republican governors – Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming – never issued mandatory stay-at-home orders.

On Sunday for the second day in a row, the White House did not host a coronavirus briefing.

And, in a series of tweets, President Donald Trump claimed he was being misrepresented by the media and not given credit for his work.

The president was heavily criticised after suggesting at Thursday’s briefing that disinfectant could potentially be used as a treatment for the virus.

He later said he was being sarcastic.

Source: BBC

The post Coronavirus: Italy’s PM outlines lockdown easing measures appeared first on Frontpageng.