Clashes in Niger capital over virus curfew

Niger security forces PHOTO:AFP

Clashes erupted in Niamey, the capital of the Sahel nation of Niger, over the government’s anti-coronavirus curfew and a ban on prayer gatherings, local inhabitants told AFP Monday.

Violence broke out just after 8pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday in the rundown district of Lazaret, where security forces used teargas to disperse a crowd of people who wanted to hold prayers in a mosque.

Protesters, most of them young people, burned tyres and blocked streets with rocks.

Similar protests erupted in other parts of the city and continued until late, according to witnesses and images posted on social media.

Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, has recorded 648 cases of coronavirus since March 19, 20 of which have been fatal.

The government has isolated Niamey from the rest of the country, declared a state of emergency and imposed a 7pm-to-6am curfew. Places of worship and schools have been ordered closed.

Comments

See how Tinubu reacts to #EndSARS protests, says police reforms has begun

See how Tinubu reacts to #EndSARS protests, says police reforms has begun National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu has said the protest against police brutality in Nigeria is within the constitutional right of Nigerians. “Asiwaju Tinubu believes in the right of Nigerians to freedom of expression, assembly, and protest where and when necessary, he has always canvassed the need for people to explore peaceful channels to ventilate their views and demands,” Tinubu said in a statement by his media aide Tunde Rahman. “He believes the #EndSARS protesters have made their demands, which the Federal Government is studying.” Tinubu’s statement comes after being alleged of being one of the sponsors of the ongoing nationwide protest against brutality, extortion, harassment and extrajudicial killing by police personnel. The Cattle’s Breeders Association known as Miyetti Allah had earlier accused Tinubu of using the protest to distort the administration of President Muh...

Pompeo presses China but acknowledges ‘no certainty’ virus from lab

Pompeo presses China but acknowledges ‘no certainty’ virus from lab US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday renewed his widely contested charge that the coronavirus pandemic likely originated in a Chinese laboratory, but acknowledged there was no certainty. Pompeo renewed his call for global pressure on China to provide more data on the origins of the illness, which has killed more than 250,000 people worldwide and hobbled the global economy. “We don’t have certainty, and there is significant evidence that this came from the laboratory. Those statements can both be true,” the former CIA chief told reporters when pressed on his statements. “The American people remain at risk because we do not know … whether it began in the lab or whether it began someplace else,” he said. “There’s an easy way to find out the answer to that — transparency, openness — the kinds of things that nations do when they really want to be part of solving a global pandemic.” Pompeo ha...

Google to make online shopping service free to merchants

Google to make online shopping service free to merchants Google Photo:Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto / Getty Images Google is opening its online shopping service to merchants free of charge as it competes with Amazon in precious e-commerce and digital ads. Merchants in the US will be able to use Google Shopping for free to proffer their wares by the end of April, and the goal is to do the same for sellers around the world before the end of the year, according to commerce unit president Bill Ready. Google Shopping had previously showcased only retailers who paid to promote products to consumers searching online for items. “As consumers increasingly shop online, they’re searching not just for essentials but also things like toys, apparel, and home goods,” Ready said in a blog post. “While this presents an opportunity for struggling businesses to reconnect with consumers, many cannot afford to do so at scale.” The closing of physical shops due to the pandemic has accelerated Go...

Gtechone

Search This Blog