EUROPE MOURNS AFTER THE DEVASTATING FLOOD

 

Rubbish cleared by residents in Germany, Credit:  AP Photo/Bram Janssen

Europe on Tuesday paid tribute to the 196 lives lost in devastating floods. Belgium honored its 31 dead with a minute of silence at midday as part of its day of "national mourning." All flags are flown at half-mast for the day.

King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo observed the minute of silence in Verviers, near Liege, where water from the torrential rain unleashed considerable damage after meeting with rescue workers and victims.

 

European Council President Charles Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, joined in silence with other European Union officials at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels.

 

"Our thoughts are with their (the victims') families and friends," he wrote on Twitter. "The European Union stands by you at this difficult time."

 

About 70 people are still unaccounted for across Belgium following the floods of July 14 and 15, according to the crisis center. The figure has gone down significantly over the past 48 hours as telephone lines have been restored.

The Vesdre valley, a tributary of the Meuse that burst its banks under the effect of the torrential rains and the saturation of a dam, is home to at least half of the victims, according to local politicians.

 

European Union environment ministers, who are meeting in Slovenia on Tuesday, will also observe the minute of silence.

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meanwhile visit North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday to talk to rescuers and meet with the region's Minister-President Armin Laschet.

 

Germany has borne the brunt of the flooding, with 165 fatalities recorded so far—117 in Rhineland-Palatinate, 47 in North Rhine-Westphalia, and one in Bavaria.

 

It comes a day after she promised to improve the country's disaster warning system, severely criticized since the floods.

 

A German government spokeswoman conceded that "the experiences we have had with this disaster show that we have to do more and better."

 

Civil protection president Armin Schuster called on public radio for "the return of the good old sirens" so as not to rely solely on digital tools, but the siren system, a legacy of the Cold War to warn in case of a nuclear attack in particular, proved ineffective in September 2020, when a major test at the national level turned into a fiasco.

 

Some of the sirens did not go off due to technical problems, and some municipalities removed them altogether, deeming them useless.

 

Nearly 750 people were also injured in Germany because of the floods. Nearly 200 are still missing.

 

Culled from Euronews.

THE UNITED KINGDOM CORONAVIRUS VARIANT RAPIDLY SPREADING IN GERMANY

 

New coronavirus variant

The UK variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Germany, where it now accounts for more than one in five cases, Health Minister Jens Spahn said, reports the online media outlet ‘TheLocal.de.’

According to new data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the proportion of the British coronavirus variant (B.1.1.7) in positive test samples examined in Germany rose from just under six percent to more than 22 percent in two weeks.

The RKI and laboratories have analyzed more than 23,000 positive PCR tests and sequenced the samples in recent weeks in a bid to find out how Covid variants are spreading.

During a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, Spahn warned that B.1.1.7, which is more contagious than earlier strains of the virus, will become the dominant variant in Germany.

"The mutation that was first discovered in the UK is particularly worrying... We have to expect that it will now become the dominant variant here," said Spahn. He added that the proportion of cases with the variant is "doubling every week."

The rise comes despite Germany partially closing its borders in an attempt to stem the spread of the new variants.

Europe's biggest economy has been filtering crossings from Austria's Tyrol region and the Czech Republic since Sunday, prompting criticism from the EU.

The South African variant is being detected much less frequently in positive test samples, with a share of around 1.5 percent.

The health minister said it was "encouraging" that the infection figures were falling in Germany despite the spread of the variant. This shows that Covid-19 restrictions are working, Spahn stressed.

"We are in one of the most difficult phases of this pandemic for Germany and Europe," he added. 

On Wednesday Germany logged 7,556 new cases within 24 hours and 560 deaths. The number of cases per 100,000 residents in seven days stood at 57.

More testing Germany for the pandemic fight

Spahn announced on Tuesday that free rapid antigen Covid-19 tests will be offered to everyone starting in March.

He said these were an "important tool" in the fight against the pandemic, but no substitute for distance and hygiene rules.

So far, antigen tests have been used mainly for the prevention of outbreaks in care home facilities, but recently the strategy has been extended to schools and daycare centers.

It is hoped the availability of more rapid tests in pharmacies and doctors' surgeries, along with self-administered tests, can help Germany return to some kind of normal life as it emerges from months of shutdown.

The Health Minister said investment in testing and vaccinations made sense compared to the cost of lockdowns. The testing measures are to be paid for by the federal government.

When asked about the number of tests, Spahn explained that rapid tests were sufficiently available, but that he could not guarantee they would always be available at any place and time.

Meanwhile, the first 'at-home test kits' should be available at the beginning of March after approval by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, Spahn said.

However, Spahn said PCR tests, which involve samples being sent to a lab, "remain the gold standard."

He urged everyone who has Covid-19 symptoms, such as cough or fever, to make an appointment with their doctor to ask for a PCR test.

According to the recommendation of the Robert Koch Institute, a positive result on a rapid antigen test should be confirmed by a PCR test, as antigen tests are not considered as reliable as PCR.

Reggae and High-Life Brewed From African Pot - Ekow Alabi Savage

Ghanaian musician, Ekow Alabi Savage

Music is inspirational, even if the lyrics are in a foreign language; it still draws people to the dance floor. One of Africa’s musicians who has gained international recognition with his sweet blended Reggae and Highlife is German-based Ghanaian musician, Ekow Alabi Savage.

At the time when Africa’s dream of autonomy was slowly becoming reality and the first President of Ghana joined the youth to build a modern nation, Ekow Alabi was born in Ghana in the city of Cape Coast, once the capital of the "Gold Coast.”

He began playing drums at the tender age of five years. After studying all types of African drums and percussion in Accra, he easily started playing the local Highlife, Calypso, Jazz, Soul, Gospel, and  R and B.

At the age of 14, he founded a school band called "ANABO," working with their favorite rhythms like reggae, highlife, and calypso. He soon became "the small boy drummer," playing with famous bands like "SWEET BEANS BAND" in Ghana. Later, he played with internationally known African bands and musicians like Manu Dibango and Fela Kuti.

In the late 70´s he moved to Germany, playing with internationally known artists like George Darko and Pat Thomas. There, he rejoined his old schoolboys (friends) to form the first Afro-Reggae band in Berlin and Germany, "Roots Anabo.” The band created its own rhythmical style called SUNLIFE MUSIC and toured most of the famous music festivals during the European summers.

In 1984, his band performed at the Reggae Sunsplash Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where they met Glen Browne, a Jazz bass player, and Ibo Cooper from “THIRD WORLD” who joined the band to record songs for their album "Civilization” in the Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston.

In the late '80s, when the group was taking a break, Ekow Alabi joined Berlin´s first multicultural and multilingual hip-hop band, "REALITY BROTHERS". There, he met producer Tom "Serious" Lee. Together they recorded Ekow’s first solo album, "Return to Zion,” as well as two videos.

During his musical career, he performed with international musicians like Ziggy Marley, Kojo Antwi, Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti, Cedric Him Brooks, Eeka Mouse Black Heritage, Africa MMA, and Vitamin X, and, in the past five years, with Jimi Tenor.

With Vitamin X, he recorded five albums from 1990 to 2000. Together with the international Finnish Jazz musician Jimi Tenor and the band “Kabu Kabu,” they fused Afrobeat with Jimi´s Jazz vision and performed this fusion at many concerts. 

Alabi also tours in Europe as well as in Africa with Brothers Keepers and Bantu. He is continuously expanding his extraordinary talents in other areas, like teaching and giving percussion workshops.

Ekow is currently working on his new album "Going for Gold” featuring Mariamu Morris, Djatou Toure, Beezy, Aly Keita, Crimeldo, and many more under the production of  Tom Lee Pettersen. 

On tour, Ekow would take the opportunity to present songs from his last album and put up a great performance to entertain his fans in Germany and Europe.

For live performance, concerts, and festivals, contact Ekow’s management at info@ekowmania.com order booking@ekowmania.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWVQOe3NEKI

http://www.ekowmania.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EKOWMANIA?fref=ts

POLYGAMY AND EUROPE'S ECONOMY DEMAND ONE MAN, ONE WIFE

One man, three wives, a common thing to see in Islamic polygamy

Europe is gradually becoming a polygamous continent, due to migrations and settlements by people coming from countries with their own contrasting laws and cultures.

They follow the doctrine of the Koran and enter into polygamous marriages, before migration and within Europe, without realizing that it is an offense since polygamous marriages do not conform to the European pattern.

Polygamy is very common in Muslim countries, where women do not have civil rights, no education, can't own property, can't drive, and can't even vote. It's only a few of these countries are rich; most are very poor because women are kept at home and are restricted from contributing to the economy.

In Turkey, a country that wants to join the European Union, around 187,000 women are in polygamous marriages, according to a report carried out by AFP. However, Turkey is not the only country facing the issue of polygamy. Britain, Germany, and France are experiencing the same phenomenon.

For example, if Mr. Abdullai (Not referring to any person dead or alive) migrates from Turkey to live in Germany, France, Britain, or Belgium, with three wives, amongst the women, who is to be known as Mrs. Abdullai? 

And if each of the women is to give birth to four or five children each, totaling 20, who will be responsible for their welfare apart from the man? The government.

This is the reason Polygamy shouldn't be encouraged in Europe, because it drains the national coffers of a country, and could render a country's economy totally poor. 

Polygamy could drain the taxpayers' money and destroy a booming economy. That is the reason many countries practicing those polygamous marriages are virtually poor, and their people seek greener pastures in other European countries that do not permit that.

"ONE MAN, ONE WIFE" is the slogan. Intuitively, this makes a lot of sense.