9NEWS CORONAVIRUS LIVE BLOG: Man dies of coronavirus in Victoria

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9NEWS CORONAVIRUS LIVE BLOG: Man dies of coronavirus in Victoria

The UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday it will be mandatory for people in England to wear face coverings whilst visiting retailers.

He said the wearing of face coverings would give “more confidence” for people to shop safely and would enhance protections for workers.

Those who break the rule will be fined 100 pounds and police will have formal enforcement powers to implement the new ruling, Hancock said.

Children under 11 and those with certain disabilities will be exempt for having to wear masks inside shops.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that masks will be required inside all indoor public spaces by August. 1.

in an interview with French television networks marking Bastille Day, Macron said “the best prevention” for the virus was masks, social distancing and hand washing.

Macron said France’s virus reproduction rate is inching past 1 again, meaning each infected person is infecting at least one other.

Many other European nations required masks in indoor public space when they started easing virus lockdowns. France previously took a more relaxed attitude, recommending but not requiring masks.

Recent rave parties in France and widespread backsliding on social distancing – even within Macron’s presidential palace and other government facilities – have raised concerns.

– Reported with Associated Press

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Maple Leafs’ Hollowell replacing Liljegren on return-to-play roster – Sportsnet.ca

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Maple Leafs’ Hollowell replacing Liljegren on return-to-play roster – Sportsnet.ca

Mac Hollowell will replace Timothy Liljegren on the Toronto Maple Leafs Phase 3 return-to-play roster, the team announced Tuesday.

Liljegren was designated as “unfit to play” after missing the team’s first skate of training camp. He was the only player missing from the morning session.

Liljegren made his NHL debut this season, registering an assist in 11 games. In 40 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the 21-year-old had five goals and 30 points.

Hollowell appeared in 34 games with the Toronto Marlies in 2019-20, putting up 12 points, while adding 13 points in 19 games in the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers. The 21-year-old was selected by the Leafs in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft.

The Maple Leafs got training camp underway on Monday for the NHL’s return to play, and are scheduled to play their first game of the qualifying round against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 2.



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The United Arab Emirates’ Hope mission to Mars in photos

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The United Arab Emirates’ Hope mission to Mars in photos

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(Image credit: MBRSC)

The UAE’s first interplanetary mission

The United Arab Emirates’ Hope mission, scheduled to launch to the Red Planet July 16, 2020 will conduct a detailed examination of the Martian atmosphere. 

Also known as the Emirates Mars Mission, Hope is an orbiter designed to spend one Martian year (two Earth years) looking at the Red Planet’s atmosphere, studying how it eroded over time until Mars no longer was able to host liquid water on the surface.

Click through this Space.com gallery to learn about why the Arab country embarked on such a bold mission, and what this will mean for the country’s science, engineering and education communities.

More:

Mars ‘Hope’: UAE’s 1st interplanetary probe will make history
The boldest Mars missions of all time

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Engineering pride

Technicians are shown here working on the Hope mission at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. 

Going to Mars was meant to spur the nation’s technology industry to great heights, and also to create a planetary science community in a region where there was practically none before the mission. 

This is the first time any Arab nation has attempted a Red Planet mission, and the development happened quickly as UAE leaders first considered a Mars orbiter in 2014.

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Looking at the spacecraft bus

The UAE has decided to ramp up its own spacecraft-building technologies — such as building Hope’s “bus,” or main structural component seen in this picture — to diversify the nation’s industries. 

The nation is largely built on oil revenue and is looking to create other streams of income on top of this one, and it hopes that the Mars mission would help spur technological development in other sectors, such as electronics.

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Finishing touches

The nearly complete Hope Mars orbiter undergoes checks during the final launch preparations on June 6, 2020. 

The team brought on international partners to help get the spacecraft ready efficiently, including the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. 

The partnership benefitted from the university’s expertise on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, which is also studying the Martian atmosphere with different science questions.

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Hope is ready!

Some spacecraft engineers pose before the Hope orbiter on Feb. 18, 2020. The UAE built the spacecraft domestically, while asking for international expertise to meet their goal of performing new science at Mars with their very first mission. 

Personnel quickly embedded themselves in the international community of Mars scientists to get up to speed on the latest science and to pick what aspects of the planet were best worth studying.

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The rocket

Hope will ride a Japanese H-2A rocket to orbit, lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. 

This booster has already sent aloft at least one interplanetary mission — Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, which studied the planet Venus. Other prominent missions launched on this rocket type include Selene (aka Kaguya) that studied the moon, the Ikaros solar-sailing spacecraft, and the Hayabusa 2 mission that plans to return a sample from the asteroid Ryugu in late 2020.

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Cruising to Mars

This artist’s illustration shows the Hope orbiter making its way into space on top of the H-2A rocket. It will spend between seven and nine months traveling to Mars before arriving in orbit in May 2021 — just in time for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates. 

The satellite has a total mass, with fuel, of 3,300 lbs. (1,500 kilograms), according to NASA, and is about the size and weight of a small car. 

The spacecraft is expected to last for at least two Earth years in Mars’ orbit, but its mission can be extended to 2025 if the spacecraft remains in good health and funding is available for the mission extension.

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Complicated maneuvers in space

This illustration shows in detail all the mission steps required to get Hope into orbit around Mars. 

Shortly after launch, it will unfold its solar panels to recharge its batteries for the trip to Mars. As Hope approaches the Red Planet, it will use its star trackers to navigate and to enter the correct orbit. 

The final orbit will be a 55-hour-long, slightly elliptical path around Mars that measures roughly 12,500 by 26,700 miles (20,000 by 43,000 kilometers). At its widest, the orbit of Hope is 10 times the diameter of Mars.

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Martian instruments

There are three main instruments on the Hope orbiter:

The Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS) looks at the Martian atmosphere’s dust, ice clouds, water vapor and temperature profile. 

The Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI) will image the Martian atmosphere to look for dust, water ice and ozone abundance. 

The Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS) is a spectrometer that will examine changes in the atmosphere and emissions of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon monoxide, among other things.

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EMIRS closeup

This is a closeup of the Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS). 

In collaboration with Arizona State University, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai designed EMIRS to measure the dust, ice clouds, water vapor and temperature profile of the Martian atmosphere. These observations will add on to other missions’ work at the Red Planet and lead to a greater understanding of planetary atmospheres more generally.

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Former CDC Heads: Trump Admin Risking Lives By Politicizing Science

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Former CDC Heads: Trump Admin Risking Lives By Politicizing Science

Four former heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration is needlessly risking lives by undermining science and public health officials.

In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, former CDC Directors Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan and David Satcher, as well as former acting CDC Director Richard Besser, excoriated administration officials for taking “political potshots” at scientists during the coronavirus pandemic.

“As America begins the formidable task of getting our kids back to school and all of us back to work safely amid a pandemic that is only getting worse, public health experts face two opponents: covid-19, but also political leaders and others attempting to undermine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” they wrote.

As the debate last week around reopening schools more safely showed, these repeated efforts to subvert sound public health guidelines introduce chaos and uncertainty while unnecessarily putting lives at risk. …

Despite the inevitable challenges of evolving science and the public’s expectation of certainty, these are the people best positioned to help our country emerge from this crisis as safely as possible. Unfortunately, their sound science is being challenged with partisan potshots, sowing confusion and mistrust at a time when the American people need leadership, expertise and clarity. These efforts have even fueled a backlash against public health officials across the country: Public servants have been harassed, threatened and forced to resign when we need them most. This is unconscionable and dangerous.

The former CDC chiefs cautioned that the coronavirus is “not even close” to being under control in the U.S., despite Trump and his allies suggesting that it is, and noted that the virus has disproportionately hurt Black, Latino and Native American communities.

The op-ed comes amid growing tensions between the White House and some of the administration’s public health officials, including current CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Trump on Wednesday bashed the CDC’s nonbinding guidance for reopening schools, calling it “very tough.” Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump appointed to lead the White House coronavirus task force in February, suggested later that day that the CDC would be relaxing its guidelines. But Redfield pushed back.

“Our guidelines are our guidelines,” Redfield said Thursday, adding that the CDC would be issuing “additional reference documents” for schools.

“It’s not a revision of the guidelines; it’s just to provide additional information to help schools be able to use the guidance we put forward,” he said. 

In their op-ed, the former CDC chiefs warned that opening schools too early and without the adequate precautions in place could further the spread of the virus.

“Trying to fight this pandemic while subverting scientific expertise is like fighting blindfolded,” they wrote. “How well and how quickly we adhere to the advice of public health experts at the CDC will determine whether, how soon and how safely our schools can reopen. It is not too late to give the CDC its proper role in guiding this response. But the clock is ticking.”

Frieden served as CDC director from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama. Koplan served as the agency’s director from 1998 to 2002 under Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Satcher served as director from 1993 to 1998 under Clinton. And Besser served as the CDC’s acting director in 2009 during the Obama administration.

Head over to The Washington Post to read the full op-ed.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus



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‘Difficult to attack vanilla’: Trump’s throwing everything at Biden but nothing sticks

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‘Difficult to attack vanilla’: Trump’s throwing everything at Biden but nothing sticks

President Donald Trump and his campaign have spent months deploying a series of attacks on Joe Biden, depicting him as weak, unfit and a tool of leftists.

But as Biden rises in the polls, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the attacks are not sticking. As such, Trump’s mission to define Biden to voters has proven difficult.

Republican and Democratic strategists who spoke with NBC News said it’s been tough sledding for the president in blasting his Democratic rival for several reasons.

First, Biden has remained low-key during the pandemic, while Trump’s handling of it is closely examined daily, they said. Biden is also viewed more favorably than 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who was under investigation during the campaign.

Perhaps most important, Trump was the outsider challenger last time around. Now, he’s an incumbent with a record.

“In 2016, he had a very clear message and very clear action items,” said Matt Gorman, vice president at the GOP consulting firm Targeted Victory. “He had an elevator pitch on why you should vote for him. He had that in the economy until COVID hit. Now it’s harder to find that — especially now that the focus has stuck on him.”

He continued, “Biden is barely campaigning, so he’s not making many mistakes. Trump was also helped by the fact that Hillary had 20 years of built in negatives.”

In early May, as Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted the re-election team was unleashing its “Death Star,” Trump trailed Biden by 5 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average. Now, Trump trails Biden by 9 points and is behind in key swing states.

The Trump campaign spent most heavily on TV ads claiming Biden will be a tool of the far-left, that he does not have the mental competency to be president and that he’s the wrong person to deal with China.

The campaign has spent at least $6.6 million in English and $200,000 in Spanish on an ad imagining a world where police budgets are slashed — the ad it has spent most heavily on since May, according to Advertising Analytics. The spot contrasts an unanswered 911 call with images of violence at protests and says people won’t be safe under Biden with supporters who want to slash police funding.

Recent polling showed most Americans disagree with Trump on what efforts to defund police departments mean and disapprove of his handling of race relations after George Floyd’s death. Biden has said he does not support defunding departments, though he’s open to redirecting some funds.

The next biggest ad spend is for a spot arguing Biden is “slipping” mentally and “is clearly diminished.”

The campaign has spent at least $4.2 million in English and $2.3 million in Spanish on that ad since May, according to Advertising Analytics, which also shows the campaign has spent more than $10 million on a variety of ads saying Biden is the wrong choice to deal with China.

Yet a May Fox News poll showed more voters trusted Biden on China than Trump. And a Monmouth poll earlier this month found more voters felt Biden, 78, has the mental and physical stamina to handle the presidency than felt so about Trump, 74.

The Biden campaign has called many of Trump’s attacks mere projection onto their candidate. In a recent memo, deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said as much, pointing to Trump’s attacks on corruption, cognitive ability and China, among other subjects.

Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said Trump’s “bald-faced lies and desperate, own-goal attacks on Joe Biden only serve to remind the American people of the true stakes of this election and that Trump’s instability makes it impossible for him to be the leader we need in this moment.”

Trump himself bounced between Biden messages while faced with a pandemic that has killed more than 136,000 Americans and nationwide protests, recently accusing Biden of being against schools reopening.

“It is difficult to demonize Joe Biden,” said former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla. “He is certainly not short on flaws, but throughout his career he has never been considered a villain or a shady character. The president almost needs that kind of foil in order to succeed.”

Curbelo said Biden’s “affable and conciliatory” nature makes it tough for Trump to land punches.

“It’s difficult to attack vanilla,” he added.

Asked about their most effective line against Biden, Trump campaign spokesman Ken Farnaso told NBC News that the president “has done more in three years than candidate Biden has done in nearly five decades in Washington” on issues like taxes, trade, immigration and the economy.

“‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’ isn’t just a motto, it’s a bold track record of success that this president will build on in his second term,” he added.

At his rally in Tulsa last month, Trump slammed Biden for not writing all of the statements attributed to him, saying they are instead written by “professional people, great students in English lit.” He also said Biden would “surrender your country to these mobsters,” citing leftists.

Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak, president of the Potomac Strategy Group, called the Tulsa rally a “missed opportunity” to take Biden to task, saying it was “a meandering grievance session” which featured Trump explaining at length a recent descent down a ramp and why he awkwardly drank a glass of water.

“Trump has to raise Biden’s negatives, right?” Mackowiak asked. “If Trump’s upside down and Biden’s right side up on image, Biden’s going to win. Now, can he get Biden to where Hillary was? No, probably not. Biden’s just not as detestable as Hillary was, and they don’t have the issue that they had with Hillary on the emails and the investigation.”

Liam Donovan, an ex-Republican aide now working as a lobbyist, said that while Biden has shortcomings tied to his age and making gaffes — those “flaws are largely shared or otherwise mitigated by Trump himself.”

Donovan added it’s difficult to spin Biden as a tool of the radical left given the Democratic primary campaign was heavily focused on whether Biden was out of touch with progressives on climate, racial and economic issues.

“It took a quarter century to turn Hillary Clinton into the super-villain foil required for Trump to shoot the electoral moon as a challenger,” Donovan said. “And when you’re the incumbent, it turns out these things tend to be about you and your record.”

Tim Hogan, communications director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s 2020 presidential bid, told NBC News the litany of anti-Biden attacks “are just not believable and scream desperation.”

“They have no idea what to do with Joe Biden, so they cycle through a message a minute and nothing sticks,” Hogan said. “It’s near impossible to critique an opponent when people are dying and you’re the guy directing the botched response to a global pandemic.”



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How risky is using a public bathroom during the pandemic? – Harvard Health Blog

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How risky is using a public bathroom during the pandemic? – Harvard Health Blog

Given the choice between using a public bathroom and doing anything else, some people will always choose the latter. Regardless of the urgency or however pristine it’s reported to be, the space comes with an ick factor, says Dr. John Ross, who practices hospital medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and is board-certified in infectious diseases.

That image is hard to shake even in normal times, but COVID-19 has done nothing to make public bathrooms more appealing, as they come with high-touch surfaces and often lidless toilets. Ross says that it’s easy to see them as hotbeds of infection and avoid them in the name of safety. But not using them has caused people to reorganize their days, figuring out how many errands can be done in one trip, when to stop drinking water, and preventing the possibility of socially-distant visits with friends and relatives.

Weighing the risks compared to other indoor activities

There’s no clear-cut answer. The coronavirus requires each person to asses each situation, says Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases and vice chairman of the department of medicine at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Ross says that as an indoor space, a public bathroom is not necessarily a safe environment, but it’s also on par with other indoor spaces. In some ways, it’s a lower-level risk in comparison, but it comes down to the components. One area of concern is the air. A flush creates an aerosol spray (the toilet plume), and the virus exists in feces. Taken together, and since the virus enters the body through mucus membranes, that would seem worrisome, but Ross and Ellerin say the research suggests otherwise.

A recent study of two hospitals in Wuhan, China, found that the highest aerosol concentration was in a bathroom, although it noted that it was a temporary, single-toilet room with no ventilation. The study also found that sanitization and ventilation effectively limited the virus’s concentration in aerosols. Another recent study that analyzed samples from patients hospitalized with COVID-19 found that attempts to isolate the virus from stool samples were never successful, and that existing fragments were not infectious.

Ross adds that the flush is a one-time event, and any direct plume is from a person’s own feces; if the virus was present, that person would already be infected. “Our own fecal plume poses no risk to us,” he says. If someone else in the bathroom happens to flush, there are barriers blocking direct contact. “The risk of bathroom exposure is largely theoretical — possible, but not proven,” he says.

There are other elements in play that make the bathroom less risky than it might seem. Your exposure time is a factor with transmission. Ellerin says that if an unmasked interaction within six feet lasts under 15 minutes and doesn’t include coughing or sneezing, the transmission risk is still low. Since most bathroom visits will probably be shorter, “time is on your side,” he says. “Save the long visits for your home.”

The number of people you’ll be around is another factor. Ross says that more than the plume, being coughed on is a bigger concern. Wearing a mask provides a needed layer to anything in the air. The barriers in the bathroom also keep people separate, making less chance for face-to-face contact. “That’s also in your favor,” Ellerin says.

Ross says that other indoor activities, which are more socially acceptable, can offer a greater risk, such going to bars, weddings, religious services, and indoor parties. They all can be tightly packed. Music might be playing, causing people to lean in and speak to each other. Alcohol can make people relax and forget about distancing, and when there’s singing, breaths are forcibly ejected into the air. In many of these settings, masks might not be required and might not be worn, further encouraging the spread.

So what’s the best way use a public bathroom?

The fundamental steps are: Put a mask on before you enter. Wash your hands immediately after. You can also wear glasses to protect your eyes. There are a number of high-touch surfaces, and the virus, along with bacteria, can exist on them. It’s good to minimize contact by using your foot or toilet paper when lifting, turning, or pulling anything, Ross says.

Contact before going to the bathroom isn’t as important, since you’ll be washing your hands, but even if you touch a surface, Ross says that the virus won’t go through your skin. The main thing is to not touch your face, specifically your mouth, nose, or eyes, before washing. And before you leave, use your foot, elbow (if possible), or a paper towel to open the door, and once outside, spray your hands with a sanitizer.

Ellerin says don’t overlook cleaning your glasses and cell phone. “Is your iPhone a major risk? Probably not, but it could be a potential source for some individuals,” he says. “That’s the thing with COVID-19. We don’t know, so it’s good to disinfect high-touch areas. Some people will take their own extra steps with cleaning, because it provides a greater sense of psychological confidence, since there’s still much uncertainty.”

But doing what’s known, such as washing hands, wearing a mask, and minimizing close contact, while it doesn’t guarantee safety, can help people consider options and re-engage with lost activities. “When it comes to the bathroom,” Ellerin says, “follow the basic hygiene, get in and out, and you’re probably in a low-risk group.”

For more information about the coronavirus and COVID-19, see the Harvard Health Publishing Coronavirus Resource Center.

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Judge Rejects Harvey Weinstein Settlement: ‘I Can’t Subscribe to That’

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Judge Rejects Harvey Weinstein Settlement: ‘I Can’t Subscribe to That’

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A federal judge has rejected a $46.8 million settlement of the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct cases, saying some of its terms are “obnoxious” and it is not suitable for a class action.

In a 20-minute hearing on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said the settlement improperly nullifies claims of non-participating parties, and delegates his responsibilities as a judge to a special master. He also objected that Weinstein and other directors and officers of the Weinstein Co. will get millions in attorneys’ fees.

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“The idea that Harvey Weinstein can get a defense fund ahead of the claimants is obnoxious,” he said. “The idea you can regulate the claims of people not in the settlement — I can’t subscribe to that.”

Hellerstein had previously dismissed most of the claims in the class action case, and continues to believe that the plaintiffs’ experiences are so various that the case should not be handled as a class action.

“This is not a class action,” Hellerstein said. “I will not give preliminary approval to the settlement.”

Douglas Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, who represent three plaintiffs who had objected to the deal, said that the flaws in the deal were clear from the beginning.

“We have been saying for over a year and a half that the settlement terms and conditions were unfair and should never be imposed on sexual assault survivors,” they said in a statement, along with attorney Bryan Arbeit. “We were surprised that class counsel and the New York Attorney General did not recognize this fact but are pleased that Judge Hellerstein swiftly rejected the one-sided proposal. On behalf of our clients, we look forward to pursuing justice against Harvey Weinstein and his many enablers.”

Dozens of attorneys have been working on the settlement for more than 18 months. The settlement would have used insurance company funds to establish pools of money for class action claimants, individual plaintiffs, Weinstein Co. trade creditors, and defense attorneys working for Harvey Weinstein and the other Weinstein Co. officers and directors.

The judge’s comments struck at the basic foundations of the deal, and appear to leave little room for attorneys to modify the terms and bring it back for approval.

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Citigroup reports a 73 percent drop in quarterly profit.

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Citigroup reports a 73 percent drop in quarterly profit.

Citigroup said Tuesday that its quarterly profit fell 73 percent as it set aside $5.6 billion to cover future loan losses triggered by the widespread unemployment caused by the pandemic.

The bank also reported net credit losses of $2.2 billion, a 12 percent increase from last year, resulting from individuals and businesses that have already defaulted on loans during the crisis, bringing the Citi’s total credit cost in the second quarter to $7.9 billion.

As the third largest credit issuer in the United States, Citigroup is particularly vulnerable to increases in credit card delinquencies, which tend to dovetail with a rise in unemployment. The bank said it had offered forbearance on two million credit card accounts representing 6 percent of balances so far.

Net income fell to $1.3 billion in the second quarter of 2020 from $4.8 billion a year earlier. Revenue rose 5 percent to $19.77 billion as the pace of trading activity rose.

“While credit costs weighed down our net income, our overall business performance was strong during the quarter, and we have been able to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic reasonably well,” Michael L. Corbat, Citigroup’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Banks have shouldered the burden of processing applications and distributing funds for the federal government’s massive aid effort, the Paycheck Protection Program, which gave small businesses potentially forgivable loans to help them stay afloat during the virus crisis. Citibank saw an 18 percent surge in deposits during the second quarter to $1.23 trillion as a result of cash infusions associated with federal aid programs.

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Virgin Atlantic secures a $1.5 billion private rescue deal.

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Virgin Atlantic secures a $1.5 billion private rescue deal.

Richard Branson has reached a 1.2 billion pound ($1.5 billion) deal with two credit-card payment processing companies and an American hedge fund to rescue Virgin Atlantic from financial collapse after the British government rejected the airline’s request for a loan.

Davidson Kempner Capital Management will put in £170 million, and Mr. Branson’s Virgin Group will contribute £200 million using money raised from the sale of shares in Virgin Galactic, his space travel company.

The deal came together after support from two payment processing companies, First Data and Cardnet. First Data had insisted on high levels of cash collateral, holding up the arrangement, Sky News reported. Delta Air Lines, which owns 49 percent of Virgin Atlantic, also agreed to defer marketing charges and other payments alongside majority owner Virgin Group, opening up about £400 million to Mr. Branson’s airline.

The pandemic had led the airline to ground most of its fleet and lay off more than 3,000 workers. The British government has resisted pressure to support individual companies, and told airlines that aid wouldn’t be considered until the firms had exhausted all other options.

Mr. Branson had said he was willing to use his island in the Caribbean as collateral to raise funds, but he was unable to secure a government-backed deal for his Australian airline, and in April, Virgin Australia went into administration.

Virgin Atlantic’s passenger flights will resume next week.

The airline industry has been battered by the pandemic, but Mr. Branson’s firm is in a particularly weak position because most of its flights are trans-Atlantic. Long-haul international travel is not expected to recover soon.

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Here are the six SA leaders selected for Facebook Community Accelerator Programme

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Here are the six SA leaders selected for Facebook Community Accelerator Programme

The Facebook Community Accelerator Programme is a six-month programme “that aims to equip communities with the training, mentorship, and funding they need to grow.”

Facebook Community Accelerator Programme

The initiative was launched back in 2018 and invests in leaders who are building communities around the globe and driving change in the process. Applications for the current round opened in March 2020.

Nearly 80 community leaders from around the world were chosen, with 12 selected from Sub-Saharan Africa. Six of those were chosen from South Africa and now stand a change to receive up to $30 000 in funding.

Kezia Anim-Addo, Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa said the team is “delighted to be welcoming 12 African community leaders to Facebook’s first Community Accelerator. Anim-Addo adds:

“The Facebook Community Accelerator will enable these great communities to make an even greater positive impact in the world, and we hope that through the support of the programme these communities will have an extraordinary impact, even in extraordinary times”,

How the Facebook Community Accelerator Programme works

During the first three months of the programme, these community leaders will learn from the best in the industry while “developing customised curriculums focused on growing their own communities”.

That will be followed by three months of iterating and executing their plans. Finally, the Facebook Community Accelerator programme will conclude with an event to showcase communities to external funders.

Anim-Addo explained that communities are capable of “bringing people closer together and feeling more connected. If supported by means of funding and the correct tools for the job, community leaders can “do amazing things”.

Community leaders selected from South Africa

Lauren Dallas from Future Females

Future Females was founded in 2017 with a mission to “increase the number of female entrepreneurs and support their success”.

They have become the go-to destination for aspiring and early-stage female entrepreneurs to receive the inspiration, education and support needed to build profitable businesses online.

Refilwe Nkomo from Visual Arts Network South Africa

Visual Arts Network South Africa was established in 2007 as a support point and development agency for contemporary art practice in South Africa. It aspires to be a dynamic and resilient network-based organisation contributing to growth, innovation and opportunities in the arts.

Naadiya Moosajee from WomEng

WomEng is a social enterprise aimed at attracting, developing and nurturing the next generation of women engineering leaders.

Dillion Phiri, from Creative Nestlings

Launched in February 2011, Phiri’s Creative Nestlings became a way to connect young African creatives to each other, to opportunities and to resources, democratising how young African creatives connect, get paid, learn and grow.

Phiri said he was excited to be part of this Programme, adding that it “comes at a time when the community is needed in the creative industry”.

“This Programme allows us to better build and support the network of young African creatives.”

Rufaro Mudimu from Enke

“Enke”, meaning ‘ink’ in SeTswana, started in 2009 to bridge socioeconomic inequality by bringing young people together and equipping them with the skills and experiences to improve their lives.

“Enke” connects, equips and inspires young people to make their mark, authoring a positive future for themselves and their communities.

Tariro Bure from MINDS

MINDS was founded in 2010 as a platform rooted in cultural heritage and knowledge systems for youth to reclaim their African identities and transform the continent.

It has become a movement of youth and crucial stakeholders which aspires to shape policy, foster economic development, and enhance the evolution of African institutions.

Community leaders selected from Nigeria

  • Tony Onuk from The Root Hub
  • Hauwa Ojeifo from She Writes Woman
  • Eyitayo Ogunmola from Utiva
  • Abiodun Adereni from Helpmum

Community leaders selected fro Kenya

  • Bright Shiitemii from Mental360
  • Esther Mwikalii from Metta NBO



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