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Denis Sassou N'guesso of The Congo, Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed and Nigeria's Kashim Shettima arrived Monday (Oct. 16) in Beijing. Some 130 leaders from Africa, South America and other emerging markets are gathering in China for the 10th anniversary of Belt and Road initiative.
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the closing address at the ANC NEC meeting.
Hubs in the UK are starting the rollout by vaccinating the over-80s and some health and care staff.
A Senegalese court on Tuesday handed down jail terms to three fathers accused of pushing their sons to migrate to Europe by sea, sending them on a trip that left one of them dead, a defence lawyer said.
In a high-profile case, the trio were given two-year jail terms, 23 months of which were suspended, on a charge of \"placing the lives of others in danger,\" attorney Assane Dioma Ndiaye said.
They were acquitted of the charge of abetting migrant trafficking, the lawyer said.
The sons were with other migrants who boarded a canoe to make the crossing from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands, the first step in a plan to reach continental Europe.
But one of them, a teenager nicknamed Doudou, fell ill and died during the trip.
The fathers of the three, all of them fishermen in the coastal town of Mbour, were arrested a couple of weeks later.
Doudou's fate triggered uproar in Senegal, prompting debate about poverty, parental pressure and the allure of life in wealthy but distant Europe.
His father had paid 250,000 CFA francs ($460) to a smuggler, who was to take the boy to Spain. His destination after that was Italy, where he hoped to sign up for a football training academy.
A source close to the investigation said Doudou \"died after having problems eating\" during the trip.
Further details are unclear, as according to local media his body was tipped overboard after he died.
The children of the two other fathers survived the attempted crossing and returned home.
\"I wanted to open the doors of success to him,\" the father was quoted by a local newspaper as saying during the trial.
\"I took him to see the marabouts (witch doctors) so that they would pray for him. If I knew that he wasn't going to come back I would never have taken the risk.\"
He told the court: \"I am here before you today but my spirit has left me.\"
The prosecution had called for two-year terms against the three, while the defence had urged their acquittal.
The Canaries lie more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the coast of Africa at their closest point.
Over 500 people have died this year, mostly in October and November, according to the UN's International Office for Migration (IOM), compared to 210 fatalities for the whole of last year.
The pressure to migrate is especially strong among fishing communities. Coastal villages in Senegal have been badly hit by dwindling catches, and by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
BULAWAYO youths linked to the militant Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) on Friday stopped a mining syndicate from prospecting for gold in the Matobo Hills World Heritage Site. BY NQOBANI NDLOVU In September, government bowed to pressure from Domboshaba villagers in Matobo district, Matabeleland South, and stopped a mining syndicate from conducting mining operations within the heritage site. This was after miners calling themselves Mazinahue Syndicate wanted to engage in mining activities armed with a fake prospecting licence from the Mines and Mining Development ministry to prospect for gold, but they were stopped by locals. In the latest incident, the mining syndicate returned to resume operations but was overpowered by locals who ganged up with MRP youths to stop them. “It appears the measure (evict ion of the syndicate in September) was just temporary, meant to blindfold MRP and Matobo community,” the MRP president Mqondisi Moyo said. “This is confirmed by the return of the invaders two weeks ago, and this time bringing with them fake letters from the Mines ministry and Matobo Rural District Council. “However, the MRP youths could not brook the nonsense, but ordered them to pack all their equipment and other stuff into the MRP truck… this was a victory worth celebrating by ululations.” Matobo District Development Co-ordinator Obey Chaputsira could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone. In September, Chaputsira said no mining would take place at the heritage site. He promised villagers that any such activity would be stopped. Land disputes involving villagers and mining syndicates are on the increase in Matabeleland South, where there are gold mining deposits. Reports indicate that mining syndicates work in cahoots with Mines and Lands and Resettlement ministry officials to evict villagers to ensure easy access to gold deposits.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense, according to four people familiar with the decision. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon. Biden selected Austin over the longtime front-runner candidate, Michele Flournoy, a former senior […]
A Customs and Excise official in Beitbridge was nabbed for attempting to illegally move out of a State warehouse goods worth $6 million or US$8 483. BY REX MPHISA Nelson Chinguwa, 31, faces a charge of criminal abuse of office. Chinguwa was arraigned before Beitbridge magistrate Annia Chiweta and was released on $30 000 bail. He is denying the charge. According to State papers, on December 3, Chinguwa, of 103 Limpopo View went to Manica Transit Shed, which houses a State warehouse in contravention of his assigned duties. He then tried to remove the goods in question, which had been seized on June 30 pending payment of $2, 7 million or US$4 241, 56 duty equivalent to a level seven fine for importing goods without a licence. Chinguwa had taken the goods but was intercepted at the Malala Tollgate on the Beitbridge- Bulawayo Highway. He is expected again in court on December 21 this year. Lawyer Jabulani Mzinyathi appeared for Chinguwa.
… would be the first African-American to be appointed to … groundbreaking” to appoint an African-American to lead the Pentagon for … 1989. But very few African Americans have reached the upper … Pentagon following Mr Powell.
African Americans make up 19 per …
HURUNGWE Rural District Council has been slapped in the face after the Labour Court threw out its application for leave to appeal at the Supreme Court in a case in which three top council executives were fired for misconduct. BY RICHARD MUPONDE/NHAU MANGIRAZI The HRDC had fired the trio comprising chief executive, Joram Moyo, finance officer, Karol Mutenga and another officer Jackson Mashinge for corruption, after they had been arrested by the police and taken to court on the said charges. However, the trio approached the Labour Court seeking a review of the disciplinary proceedings and an order nullifying its dismissal arguing that the local authority did not follow the code of conduct. Labour Court judge, Justice Lawrence Murasi allowed the appeal by the trio, saying the local authority did not follow its code of conduct hence it should conduct a fresh hearing. The court also ordered the reinstatement of the trio. Hurungwe RDC then filed an application before the same judge for leave of appeal to the Supreme Court against Murasi‘s judgment, arguing that the higher court could arrive at a different decision on the same facts. In his ruling of November 20, Murasi said Hurungwe RDC’s application had no prospects of success at the higher court. “. . . Applicant ‘feels’ the Supreme Court is likely to come to a different conclusion on the same facts. No prospects of success exist in the circumstances and the application ought to be dismissed and costs must follow cause. It, the result, the application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court be and is hereby dismissed for lack of merit. Applicant to meet respondents’ costs,” Murasi ruled. The trio was fired following its conviction on charges of misconduct. Murasi said Moyo, Mutenga and Mashinge were not suspended in terms of the local authority’s code of conduct. But the suspension was premised on the criminal charges they faced at Chinhoyi Magistrates Court. Follow us on Twitter@NewsDayZimbabwe
CHICKEN INN are set to absorb veteran midfielder Clemence Matawu into their coaching structures after the ex-Warriors player ended his playing career. BY TERRY MADYAUTA The 38-year-old has decided to end the long and illustrious career which spans more than a decade. Matawu announced that he was done with playing on his social media handles yesterday. Thank You Lord for the blessings “Today I announce my retirement from professional football, it has been a journey filled with all emotions and memories, the journey of a lifetime,” he tweeted. “Since my return to PSL from my European endeavours in 2013, year-in-year-out I contemplated coming to this very hard decision. Would have loved to play until forever, but the robot is saying stop, I guess the playing has to change (sic). “To all the Coaches I’ve had, thank you for your time in shaping me as a footballer and person. To all my teammates good and bad memories, will definitely miss the pre-match rituals and post-match parties regardless of the result, you were like family.” An official at the club yesterday told NewsDay Sport that Matawu would not necessarily leave the club after wedding his playing career. His coach Joey Antipas with whom he had success at Motor Action wants to tap into the player's expertise and experience. He was one of the longest playing players in the PSL, where he played for Motor Action and Chicken Inn. He also played in Poland for Polonia Bytom and Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala. However the main highlight of his career was in 2006 when voted Soccer Star of the Year. A Chicken Inn official confirmed that Matawu would be retained in the coaching structures. “He had an illustrious career. We respect him and we will miss him but we will remember him for his discipline and his astute leadership qualities,” he said. “He made us what we are. He was a good player for us. And we will do as much as we can to honour him. We are very impressed and it's left to the young players to carry own his legacy and to use what he taught them during his time here. We are not losing him altogether as he will be absorbed into the structures” Matawu graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Sport Science and Coaching last year, becoming one of the few football players who took the academic route.
Jamaica’s perceived failure to successfully prosecute high-profile criminals and other lords of corruption remains a major concern for Washington, deputy chief of mission at the United States Embassy, John McIntyre, has said. America has long been...
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) yesterday threatened to clamp down on social media users who “cyber-bully” government officials, which critics say is meant to muzzle critics of President Emmerson Mnangagwa on social media. By RICHARD MUPONDE /MOSES MATENGA Media experts also accused the government of trying to close media space. This came as Harare’s provincial development co-ordinator Tafadzwa Muguti claimed he was being targeted on social media, while Zanu PF last week also claimed that Mnangagwa was a victim of online cyber-bullying. “The ZRP warns individuals and groups from committing crimes through cyber-bullying of government officials who will be performing their constitutional and lawful obligations in terms of service delivery to Zimbabweans,” the police said in a terse statement. They further said the cyber-bullying of government officials was perpetrated by “certain groups of suspects who know their arrest is imminent”. Police tagged Information secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana and Muguti in their statement on Twitter. Muguti had earlier taken to Twitter to say that he had been bullied and was being threatened for doing his job. “No amount of smearing my name with false stories will intimidate me. I was appointed to clean up the corruption and land barons. Believe me, no amount of death threats, following me from work or dishing sewer drawn corruption allegations against me will work. We are coming for you. “I am sick and tired of being diplomatic to insults and now death threats and name-smearing. You start it and I respond. At the same time, I keep doing the very job. All the same, always take advice, thank you,” Muguti ranted. Muguti was said to have been offended by a letter circulating on social media claiming that he allegedly illegally received a piece of land in Chitungwiza in July 2019, without following procedure. He denied the allegations, saying all due processes were followed. Media experts and human rights organisations reacted saying that the police should not play referee on social media by seemingly protecting government officials. Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe executive director and Media Alliance of Zimbabwe vice-chairperson Loughty Dube said: “The police have no role to be involved in issues of freedom of expression. Every citizen has a right to engage in a civil manner a government official and it is not the role of the police to referee on what people would say or who they should talk to or whether anybody should not engage with anyone. “If anyone is aggrieved, they go to the police and the police will then act whenever someone has approached them, but it is not for them to referee to say this one is not tweeting properly and so on, that is not the role of the police,” he said. Dube said citizens had a right to hold government officials and Mnangagwa accountable on any platform including social media. Zimbabwe Union Journalists secretary-general Foster Dongozi said: “When I saw the tweet, I dismissed it because I thought somebody had hacked the police Twitter handle. We do not
“You’ve always had my back, and I’ll have yours.” In all my years of listening to presidential rhetoric, and in... View Article
The post Joe Biden criticism over cabinet diversity is not accurate nor fair appeared first on TheGrio.
Lewis Hamilton said he has suffered \"one of the hardest weeks for some time\" after testing positive for coronavirus.
[East African] One in every 50 detainees in Kenya's prisons is a migrant, largely from the East African region even though these countries have a joint deal on free movement of persons.
[Nation] Somalia has suspended the visa-on-arrival plan for Kenyans, with travellers now required to apply for the permits at the embassy in Nairobi.
Ben Stokes' father Ged Stokes, a New Zealand rugby league international, has died after a battle with brain cancer.
Analysis - The situation in Ethiopia's Tigray region remains opaque making it difficult to separate fact from fiction -- not least due to a media blackout. DW takes a look at some of the claims.
… who would be the first African American secretary of defense.
But … , doctors struggle to sell Black Americans on the vaccine.
“Fewer … than half of Black Americans say they would get a … at best, with many Black Americans … saying they want more …
[Premium Times] An official says flooding affected 320 local government areas in 35 states, including Abuja.
Somalia's immigration department has issued a directive stopping the issuance of visas to Kenyans on arrival in a bid to 'ensure security and improve immigration management,' state radio has reported. Radio Mogadishu published a letter from the immigration authorities, which asked all Kenyan passport holders travelling to Somalia to obtain visas from Somali embassies. It also advised diplomatic passport holders to seek approval from the Somali foreign affairs ministry. The directive takes effect on 13 December. Mogadishu said the decision was in line with its 'policy of ensuring security and improving immigration management to reduce the risks of Covid-19 infections'. The move came a week after Somalia expelled Kenya's ambassador to Mogadishu and recalled its envoy from Nairobi. It said the Kenyan government is interfering in the electoral process in the semi-autonomous Jubbaland state. Relations between the two east African neighbours have been strained in recent years, mainly due to a maritime rights dispute.- BBC
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the criminal case against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn but pointedly noted that a pardon Flynn received from the president last month does not mean that he is innocent. The order from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan was expected in light of the pardon from President Donald Trump that wiped away Flynn's conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation. Sullivan acknowledged in his 43-page order that the president's broad pardon powers required dismissal and that the decision to pardon him […]
The post Judge dismisses Flynn case following pardon from Trump appeared first on Black News Channel.
[The Conversation Africa] From a historical standpoint, the current conflict in Ethiopia fits within an established political pattern. There have been power struggles between the centre and the border regions since the modern Ethiopian state was established in the late 19th century.
Military sales by the arms industry’s 25 largest companies totaled US$ 361 billion in 2019, 8.5 per cent more than in 2018, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The top five positions are occupied by US defence giants. Together with seven other US companies, they represent 61 per cent of global sales.
After the USA, China accounted for the second largest share of 2019 arms sales by the top 25 arms companies, at 16 percent. The six West European companies together accounted for 18 percent.
The two Russian companies in the ranking accounted for 3.9 percent.
For the first time, a Middle East company has become a top arms supplier in the world.
Edge, based in the United Arab Emirates, occupies the 22nd position, and accounts for 1.3 percent of total arms sales of the top 25 firms.
For senior SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman, the high demand for weapons from local governments and the will of the countries in Middle East to become independent from foreign manufacturers are favouring the growth of Middle Eastern companies.
From 'Rogue' and 'Her Mask', here are eight African highlights to stream on Showmax this December.
On the morning of November 3, opposition presidential candidate Patrick Oboi Amuriat left his home to go to his party’s headquarters in the south of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. ¨
From there, he planned to join his supporters and party officials in a procession to a venue where the electoral commission was conducting nominations for presidential contenders.
But before he could, the police pounced and violently arrested him. They then whisked him off to the nomination venue in the east of Kampala.
When he emerged from the police car, a visibly traumatized Amuriat was without his shoes.
‘Rich in symbolism’
Since November 3, the candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has never been seen in public with shoes. At campaign events, he shows up barefooted.
Hi @Johnlaban256 atleast this time ask for retweets so that the police brings back POA's shoes.Please laban have mercy. pic.twitter.com/uPTtJNSyDk
— MUZZUKULU WA KISOLO 🐺 (@DoniJohn3) November 3, 2020
Critics have called it a stunt to invite sympathy. Yet Amuriat says campaigning without shoes is a protest and that those who do not get its symbolism are missing a point.
Uganda is due to hold a general election on January 14. Amuriat and another opposition candidate, Bobi Wine have had their rallies violently dispersed by security forces or been arrested.
In mid-November, scores of people were killed as security forces attempted to quell protests against the arrest and detention of Bobi Wine.
Police has accused the candidates of addressing huge gatherings in contravention of regulations on COVID-19 prevention.
Swollen feet
In an interview with one of the dailies in Uganda, Amuriat said his feet hurt a lot and has to pour cold water on them in between campaign stops for some relief.
Doctors have cautioned him on the potential danger of contracting tetanus from cuts to his feet.
Yet Amuriat remains adamant. He says by refusing to wear shoes, he’s standing in solidarity with people whose wealth and opportunities have been stolen by the country’s longtime ruler Yoweri Museveni.
JUST IN: FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat has been arrested at the border of Rubirizi and Bushenyi districts. The reason for his arrest is yet to be known📹 @MukhayeD#MonitorUpdates#UGDecides2021 pic.twitter.com/xopK4FMoD0
— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) December 4, 2020
Museveni, in power since 1986 is seeking a new term. In 2017, he changed the constitution to remove age limits that would have stopped him from seeking re-election.
FDC is Uganda’s largest opposition party. In 3 previous elections, the party fronted veteran activist and retired army colonel Kizza Besigye for president.
Scores of angry hawkers demonstrated before the St James Municipal Corporation building in Montego Bay on Monday, saying they are in disagreement with the limited time given for vending during the upcoming Christmas holiday. The mostly placard-...
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] A private market for COVID-19 vaccines where wealthy foreign visitors can pay for jabs would be a huge setback for developing nations. The 1% will have to wait
NASCAR announced Tuesday that Auto Club Speedway’s event weekend scheduled for Feb. 26-28 in Fontana had been canceled and realigned to the Daytona Road Course for the second race of the season, Feb. 19-21. “First and foremost, the health, safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, stakeholders and track personnel remains our top priority,” said […]
