Author: Chronicle Editor

Argentina’s Senate approved a bill to legalize abortion Wednesday in an historic vote seen as a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the Catholic-majority country. The Senate voted 38-29 to give millions of women access to legal terminations under a new law supported by President Alberto Fernández. The margin was expected to be much smaller. Massive crowds of abortion rights activists and anti-abortion campaigners gathered outside the Palace of the Argentine National Congress to await the results, which came in the early hours of the morning after an overnight debate. Supporters of the bill greeted the news with loud cheers and, in…

An online news platform has come under criticism for misleading information regarding the imposition of fines on Churches that violate the curfew on December31, 2020. However, the Lagos state government has debunked such claims through its twitter handle. “The attention of LASG has been drawn to an online news quoting the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, as saying fines ranging between N20,000 and N500,000 will be imposed on violators of the curfew on Dec. 31, 2020. This is inaccurate and misleading.” The Lagos state government has advised residents to comply with COVID-19 protocols due to the increase…

A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years Monday for her reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak began, her lawyer said, almost a year after details of an “unknown viral pneumonia” surfaced in the central China city. Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer who arrived at court in a wheelchair, was sentenced at a brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” during her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. Her live reports and essays were shared on social media platforms in February, grabbing the attention of authorities, who have punished…

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford says it would be “stupid” to think about winning the Premier League title at the moment despite his injury-time goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers moving the Red Devils up to second in the table. Tuesday’s game seemed destined to be a draw when Rashford took possession on the edge of the area, near to the goal-line. But after cutting inside the box, the England man let fly with a left-footed shot that deflected off Romain Saiss to leave Rui Patricio completely wrong-footed. United are now two points behind leaders Liverpool having played the same number of…

The UK health department on Tuesday registered a new daily high of more than 53,000 Covid-19 cases, as concern mounted about spiralling numbers of positive tests and pressure on health services. The latest figures — 53,135 new cases in the last 24 hours — come as the UK government is under pressure to introduce tighter restrictions, including delaying the return to school. More than 24 million people, or 43 percent of England alone, are already living under strict stay-at-home measures, with bars, restaurants, pubs and other entertainment closed. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to update parliament on Wednesday about…

Just four in 10 people in France want to have a vaccination against Covid-19, a poll showed Tuesday, as concern also grows over the slow start to the country’s immunisation campaign. According to the poll by Ipsos Global Advisor in partnership with the World Economic Forum, just 40 percent of French want to take the vaccine. This puts it behind even other laggards like Russia on 43 percent and South Africa on 53 percent, let alone those countries where eagerness to take the vaccine is high such as China on 80 percent and Britain on 77 percent. Fear of side…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has warned Nigerians that January 2021 will be tough due to increase in new cases of covid-19, as people have been seen during the yuletide and holiday period contravening the safety protocols concerning social gathering. The agency further stated that last week was the worst week ever since the beginning of the response to the pandemic because the country recorded more cases. It therefore urged Nigerians to brace up for the consequences of their actions as seen in the filling up of event centres and social facilities. The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe…

Boko Haram terrorists suspected to be responsible for recent attacks in parts of Borno and Adamawa States have been killed at the ‘S’ Region in the heart of the Sambisa forest. The air interdiction conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole, was carried out after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, revealed that the terrorists responsible for recent attacks in Borno and Adamawa States had originated from the location. According to a statement by the Coordinator Defence Media Operations Major General John Enenche, “Air interdiction missions being conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced 749 confirmed new coronavirus cases in the country on Monday. The 749 cases announced by the Centre for Disease Control takes the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 85,560. The NCDC also announced the discharge of 279 patients from isolation centers across the country with 3 new deaths reported. Lagos state, the epicentre of the virus in Nigeria reported 299 new confirmed cases taking the total number of confirmed cases in Lagos alone to 29,184. Nigeria announces 397 new coronavirus cases Plateau state recorded 131 new cases, Kaduna state reported 83,…

Legendary designer Pierre Cardin, whose futuristic and stylish designs helped revolutionise fashion in the 1950s and 60s, has died at the age of 98. The French fashion giant’s career spanned more than 70 years, and his modern style helped usher in the post-war “golden age” of couture. He also broke ground by bringing designer styles to the masses with some of the first ready-to-wear collections. A business pioneer, he also licensed his name for a wide range of products. He died in hospital in Neuilly, near Paris, his family told the AFP news agency. “It is a day of great…