Following the recent confirmed case of COVID- 19 in the state, Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has announced a total lockdown of the state to contain the spread of Coronavirus.The governor made the announcement on Thursday evening during a broadcast in Uyo, the state capital.His order which became effective on Thursday night. The lockdown covers restriction of movements and prohibition of events of any kind for an initial period of 14 days.Within the period, the state government instructed that markets, shops, motor parks, public and private offices must remain closed.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Nigeria has recorded six new COVID-19 infections as the total cases have risen to 190.The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed six new infections in Osun State through its Twitter handle on Friday.As at 11:00 am 3rd April, there are 190 confirmed cases, 20 patients have been discharged while two deaths were recordedGiving a breakdown of the cases, the agency said Lagos has 98 infections, FCT- 38, Osun- 20, Oyo- 8, Akwa Ibom- 5, Ogun- 4, Edo- 4, Kaduna- 4, Bauchi- 3, Enugu- 2, Ekiti 2, Rivers-1 and Benue- 1--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Twitter took down thousands of accounts linked to Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Serbia on Thursday for either taking directions from the governments or promoting pro-government content.Twitter and other social media companies are under pressure to clean up misinformation and hateful content on their platforms, while abuse related to the coronavirus outbreak has also increased scrutiny of their actions.Twitter said it removed the accounts because they violated its policies and were a targeted attempt to undermine the public conversation.It took down 2,541 accounts in the Egypt-based El Fagr network because it created fake accounts to amplify messages critical of Iran, Qatar, and Turkey--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, a leading member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to re-enter precautionary quarantineNetanyahu’s previous quarantine, imposed earlier this week after one of his staffers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, had ended Wednesday night.The prime minister’s office said the premier’s new seven-day self-isolation was imposed following his contacts with the 71-year-old Litzman, who is the most prominent member of the hard-hit ultra-Orthodox community--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Emirates Airline on Thursday said it is to resume a limited number of outbound passenger flights from April 6, less than two weeks after its coronavirus-enforced stoppage.its chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, said on Twitter that Emirates has received approval from UAE authorities to restart flying a limited number of passenger flightsHe stated that from April 6, these flights will initially carry travellers outbound from UAE adding that details would be announced soon.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX has banned its employees from using video-conferencing app Zoom, citing significant privacy and security concerns.In an email dated March 28, SpaceX told employees that all access to Zoom had been disabled with immediate effect.SpaceX said in the message that employees should use email, text or phone as alternate means of communication--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

The Managing Director of adb Bank, Dr. John Kofi Mensah, has announced that the bank by the end of this week will announce a support package for agribusinesses and farmers in the country due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.He says players in the agriculture sector are a critical component of the bank’s operations, hence the need to provide some assistance to lessen the burden on agribusinesses.Dr. Kofi Mensah while speaking to Citi Business News after announcing a one-million-cedi package to support government’s fight against the COVID 19 said adb as a specialized bank will need to focus on the agric sector to protect farmers in times of hardship.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo has declared a three-month “state of emergency” and curfew aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus.The West African nation of eight million has so far recorded 36 confirmed infections and two deaths from the disease.Gnassingbe said in a televised address late Wednesday that the unprecedented move was proof of the gravity of the situation they facing.He said a curfew would be in place for an indefinite period from Thursday between 7pm and 6am.The president further said a 5,000-strong unit of security agents was being set up to tackle the pandemic and a fund worth $650 million (600 million euros) was aimed at cushioning the economy from the impact of the crisis--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Governments across Africa are teaming up with technology giants including Facebook and WhatsApp to fight misinformation about coronavirus on social media platforms that could propel the pandemic on a continent with shaky healthcare systems.South Africa, which has more infections than any other African country, with more than 1,300 confirmed cases, has launched an information service about the coronavirus on WhatsApp.In Nigeria, health officials are partnering with the messaging service owned by Facebook to send push notifications to users with advice on symptoms and how to avoid infection.The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is also getting free ad space on Facebook for outreach about the pandemic, a benefit available to public health authorities in 11 other African countries, and around the world.Twitter has been tweaking its algorithm to elevate medical information from authoritative sources - an initiative available in 70 countries, including five in Africa.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

The Chairman of the Victims Support Fund, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd) has inaugurated the Victim Support Fund (VSF) Task Force on COVID-19.The Task Force is mandated to provide palliative measures to Internally Displaced Persons and other vulnerable groups around the country, as part of its contribution to national efforts to fight COVID-19.According to the mandate, the task force will provide 1 billion Naira worth of medical supplies, food, water and non-food items for IDPs and others who will face special challenges at this difficult time.It shall also work closely with all Federal and State government organs and agencies tasked with the responsibility for providing direction and leadership in the fight against COVID-19, including the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and all relevant MDAs.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support