Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
The transitional president of Gabon, General Brice Oligui Nguema, receives the president of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadéra, appointed by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) as "facilitator of the political process" after the coup d'état against Ali Bongo
The court enjoys global jurisdiction.
Investigators will now need the authorization of the court’s judges to open a probe. Bensouda appealed for support from Nigeria’s government.
She said the army has dismissed accusations against government troops after examining them.
Boko Haram strictly opposes formal education. In 2015, Nigeria enlisted the support of neighbors Chad, Cameroon and Niger to try and defeat the group.
While the joint operations made the group lose considerable territory, they have not been able to wipe it out.
The ICC has conducted investigations in several African countries. In Sudan, Libya and Ivory Coast, former leaders were indicted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity after the investigations.
President-elect Joe Biden is getting the old gang back together. Increasingly deep into the process of selecting Cabinet members and... View Article
The post Obama reunion? Biden fills Cabinet with former WH leaders appeared first on TheGrio.
BY REX MPHISA A BEITBRIDGE man, who allegedly beat his three-year-old step daughter to death because she was crying when he wanted to catch some sleep has been arrested. Matabeleland South acting police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena yesterday confirmed that Mulaleli Sibanda had been nabbed. Sibanda sneaked out of hospital and went into hiding soon after staff at Beitbridge District Hospital pronounced the victim, Charmaine Moyo dead on arrival. “He is currently detained under guard at the Beitbridge District Hospital. He was arrested in Mberengwa and investigations are ongoing. He is expected in court soon,” Mangena said. On Wednesday last week, Sibanda was sleeping with his wife Phathisiwe Dube and the now-deceased Charmaine when she started crying. He woke up in rage, punched and kicked the toddler until she bled from the mouth, ears and nose. Sibanda then escorted the child and her mother to hospital, but later disappeared. He is also alleged to be a wanted man in Mberengwa for other crimes. In another matter, a gunman John Sithole of Chipinge who last week exchanged gun fire with the police in Dulivhadzimo has been given a pauper’s burial.
(NNPA) - Before the November election, politics prevented successful negotiations for a new coronavirus stimulus package. One month later, politics continue to play a central theme in the still failing talks between Democrats and Republicans, with many on Capitol Hill pointing to the all-important Senate runoff elections scheduled to occur in early January that could […]
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) President Dr Warren Smith on Monday used the forum afforded him on the opening day of the inaugural two-day Caribbean Conference on Corruption, Compliance and Cybercrime to target “those who seek to circumvent systems and processes,” asserting that it was critical that institutions like the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) employ diverse strategies to stay ahead of those who seek to “circumvent systems and processes”.
The article CDB/World Bank forum tags corruption in the time of COVID-19 appeared first on Stabroek News.
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu said SASSA is currently piloting the automation of social grant applications.
Trevor Noah recently shared an hilarious video about South Africans getting roasted for not wearing face masks, saying Americans are very lucky.
Dear Editor,
Weeks ago, when students of the Three Miles Secondary and Bartica Secondary School tested positive for the Coronavirus the Ministry of Education should have done the prudent thing and closed the schools.
The article Coronavirus and Three Miles Secondary appeared first on Stabroek News.
Provisional results from LIberia's Special Senatorial elections have put four candidates from the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) in an early significant lead.
The results are seen as a big blow to President George Weah's ruling party the Congress for Democratic Change.
The Elections Commission on Thursday announced preliminary results from eight counties.
Madam Davidetta Brown Lansannah said, the results are from Bong, Nimba, Montserrado, Maryland, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Margibi, and Gbapolu Counties.”
Speaking at a Press conference, chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Davidetta Brown Lansannah, said “The Liberian people can be rest assured that the Commission will accurately announce the results of the election as expressed by the people through the ballot box.”
The mid-term elections are seen as a test of support for Weah, a former football icon who has faced criticism as president over persisting economic problems.
The opposition is also leading in the country's largest county, Montserrado, which is home to the capital Monrovia, as well as most of the voters in the nation.
Tuesday’s election is regarded to have been peaceful in most parts of the West African country as 2.2 million registered voters went to the polls to elect 15 senators.
The elections occurred alongside a referendum on reducing presidential terms and allowing dual nationality.
The full results are expected to be announced within two weeks.
Namibia has appointed a technical team to look into logistical requirements of importing a COVID-19 vaccine.
The southern African country’s minister of health said the team was instructed to study the storage, transport and distribution needs, local newspaper The Namibian reported on Friday.
Namibia lacks the infrastructure needed to store or distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. Most of the vaccine candidates so far require ultra-cold conditions for storage and distribution.
Namibia has paid $1.9m to the COVAX programme, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to ensure equitable access to safe and effective vaccines - to secure the medicines for her people.
The country targets to vaccinate 20% of its population. Frontline health workers and people of advanced age will be the first recipients of the jabs.
Namibia has recorded 16,097 cumulative cases, 14,332 recoveries and 160 deaths.
The country has a population of nearly 2.5 million people.
Neighboring Angola on Thursday said it expected to receive five million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021.
Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta said seven million more doses would be delivered in April in partnership with COVAX.
Angola has so far reported 15,925 positive cases, 362 deaths, and 8,679 recoveries.
Egypt on Thursday took delivery of the first batch of China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
Morocco on Wednesday announced that it was gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month.
The North African kingdom is pinning its hopes on two vaccine candidates, one developed by China’s Sinopharm and the other by Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
It seeks to vaccinate 80% of its adults, or 25 million people, as soon as the vaccines get regulatory approval.
Garikai Mafirakureva Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACCc) investigating officer, Lindiwe Sabeka this week gave evidence against two Chiredzi Town Council officials who were facing criminal abuse of office charges. The two council officials, town Engineer, Wesley Kauma and town planner Consider Kubiku, appeared before Chiredzi Regional magistrate Judith Zuyu, after the corruption case was transferred from the magistrate’s court. Sabeka in her findings nailed the two top council executives when she took to the witness stand. Kubiku and Kauma were arrested by the Zaac on four counts of criminal abuse of office early this year after United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (Uchirra) wrote to ZACC informing them of underhand dealings involving residential stands by council officials. They are currently out on $10 000 bail each. Kauma and Kubiku are facing four counts of criminal abuse of office dating back to 2015 when Kubiku, who was the acting Housing Director, facilitated their acquisition of stands measuring 3 609 square metres and 3 610 square metres respectively at a ridiculously low price of $500 which they did not even bother to pay. Kubiku later sold his stand to Kauma, and the agreement of sale was produced in court by the investigating officer, which showed that he never paid anything to council as was required. Kauma proceeded to construct buildings without following proper council procedures. According to the investigating officer the two executives’ actions resulted in depriving the local authority of its revenue collection by allocating themselves land which they did not pay for. “We received an anonymous report at our office sometime in May 2020 that Chiredzi Town Council employees are abusing their office. “We then visited the local authority in September this year. “We went through the files and we noted that most of the stands in question belonged to Wesley Kauma and Consider Kubiku, the executive members of council,” Sabeka said. Sabeka also said the accounting system indicated that all stands in question were never paid for while one of them which measured 3457 square metres was only paid US$200 leaving a balance of US$800. Sabeka said Kubiku had the duty to ensure developmental control of stands in Chiredzi, to ensure that no illegal developments are mushrooming and that building inspection fees are paid for but he ignored because Kauma was his best friend. Prosecutor Noel Muranda for the State said the stand measuring 451sq m was fully-developed despite the fact that no payment was made. The duo is being represented by Wellington Muzenda of Muzenda and Chitsama Attorneys and the case was remanded to December 14, 2020 for judgment.
Allen was the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1972 AL MVP.
LeBron James, who won this season's NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, has been named Time magazine's 2020 Athlete of the Year.
Miami Heat athlete Moe Harkless is joining forces with The Prisoner Wine Company for a good cause — and just in time for the holidays.
[ANGOP] Angola's cement industry currently has an installed production capacity of 8.5 million tons per year, but the country needs 2.5 million for domestic consumption.
FOOTBALLER’S Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) secretary-general Desmond Maringwa is calling on all football stakeholders to come together and reach a consensus on the date for football resumption arguing that players are struggling to make ends meet. Zimbabwean football has been on hold since March when authorities imposed a countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA While other leagues across the globe have since restarted including in neighbouring Zambia and South Africa, there is still no football activity in the country with football teams only restricted to training in the hope that football can resume anytime. Although the government, through the Sports ministry greenlighted its resumption though in a phased approach using the bio-bubble concept — it has faced resistance from Zifa who have trashed it as elitist and expensive. Initially, Zifa had warmed up to the concept and had undertaken to fund some of the cost centres such as testing of players and payment of referees while engaging other partners on more funding for the resumption of the game. The soccer controlling body has now proposed that leagues resume in March, but Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) insists the return will have to be phased and in a controlled environment. And FUZ — a union that represents footballers in the country believes delays in football resumption — have had a profound effect on players. “It is our view that the current rift between Zifa and the SRC is stalling the resumption of the game. While we acknowledge that SRC is empowered to act the way it did when it suspended Zifa CEO Joseph Mamutse and its director-general Prince Mupazviriho, we urge all football stakeholders including government to come together and reach a consensus on the exact date of football restart because there is so much anxiety among players. They earn a living from playing football and these delays continue to impoverish them. It is thus important for all stakeholders to find common ground and come up with a firm position on the actual date of football resumption,” said FUZ secretary-general Desmond Maringwa. Although Zimbabwean football clubs have started training in preparation for the resumption of the league programme, the row between the SRC and Zifa could further delay its restart. Follow Tawanda on Twitter @Tafitawa
BY MOSES MATENGA/VANESSA GONYE/MIRIAM MANGWAYA HUMAN rights groups yesterday said Zimbabwe witnessed severe increased violations of people’s rights this year due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown and pleaded with government to end the use of State agents against the people. In statements to commemorate the International Human Rights Day yesterday, activists said there was need for government to end torture, arbitrary arrests and abductions of citizens. This year’s commemorations were held under the theme Recover Better — Stand Up for Human Rights. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said State actors were used to violate basic rights in Zimbabwe. “Sadly, in Zimbabwe, State actors have over the past year abused and exploited enforcement of regulations enacted to curtail human mobility and interaction thereby providing government with a smokescreen to escalate a systematic assault on human rights defenders and ordinary citizens and restricting their fundamental rights and freedoms in a bid to consolidate executive power,” the ZLHR statement said. They said human rights violations in Zimbabwe had been followed keenly by regional and international blocs, with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) issuing Resolution 443 on the human rights situation in the country, which condemned the deteriorating situation and implored government to stop curtailing freedoms of expression and assembly. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) weighed in saying: “The advent of the lockdown in Zimbabwe saw citizens being subjected to human rights violations by State security agents deployed to enforce lockdown regulations. “Frontline personnel such as healthcare professionals operated with minimum or no access to personal protective equipment, leaving them exposed to COVID-19.” The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said: “In Zimbabwe, human rights violations in the form of abductions, torture, arbitrary arrests, as well as intimidation of journalists for exposing corruption, have been prevalent.” Some of this year’s victims of government’s human rights abuses include journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, who was arrested on spurious charges, trainee journalist Tawanda Muchehiwa, and MDC Alliance MP Joanah Mamombe (Harare West), Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova who were allegedly abducted and tortured by State agents and tortured. The Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (Viset) also said human rights violations were witnessed in Zimbabwe this year after armed forces were unleashed onto the streets and harassed people while forcing vendors out of business. “For vendors and informal traders, the advent of the lockdown also brought the pain of destruction of marketplaces and loss of wares through 'clean-up' operations by local authorities countrywide,” Viset executive director Samuel Wadzai said. ZimRights said COVID-19 impacted on the economic rights of youths as enshrined in section 20 of the Constitution which guarantees access to education, the right to participate, and protecti
WASHINGTON, DC, United States (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden is naming Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, giving her broad sway over his Administration's approach to immigration, health care and racial inequality and elevating the prominence of the position in the West Wing.
By SIMBARASHE SITHOLE TWO Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officers and a policeman allegedly teamed up with a civilian accomplice to rob a mine after having assaulted workers in a shaft and making good their escape with gold ore. The quartet, Collen Mukozho (31) Ngonidzashe Chinaganaga (27) (both soldiers), Douglas Ushe (36), a police officer and their alleged accomplice Wellington Nerupiri (28) appeared before Bindura magistrate Memory Chifamba on Thursday charged with armed robbery. They were remanded to December 17 on $1500 each. The State led by Prosecutor Edward Katsvairo, alleges that on October 5 the suspects went to El Shadayi Mine in Mazowe driving two cars, a Toyota Wish, registration number AFF 2894 and a Nissan Caravan registration number AFF 7099, which they parked in the bush and walked to the mine. Upon arrival, they saw the mine workers sleeping and assaulted them and those who tried to resist were pushed into the mine shaft. The quartet demanded gold ore from the miners which collected and packed it in sacks. The sped off in their cars. Mine workers regrouped and gave chase. The Caravan’s rear tire burst and the miners tried to apprehend the suspects, who were armed with unknown weapons. The miners filed a police report. Police officers acted swiftly and arrested the suspects.
The pandemic has only magnified systemic sexism and racism in housing, possibly leaving millions of women and their families homeless come January.
FKA Twigs files a lawsuit against former boyfriend Shia LeBeouf, alleging assault and emotional distress.
Egypt has received its first shipment of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, which was tested in the United Arab Emirates and is said to be 86% effective.
The shipment from Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm landed at Cairo's international airport from the UAE late on Thursday.
Health minister Hala Zayed and diplomats from China and the UAE were at the airport to greet the shipment.
Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, has seen a rise in infections in recent weeks amid warnings by the government about a second wave.
The country's overall tally stood at 120,147 cases, with 6,854 deaths, on Thursday.
The government plans to first vaccinate health care workers, particularly those who deal with COVID-19 cases.
They are to receive two doses of the vaccine over 21 days.
The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 nations.
Sinopharm's vaccine relies on a killed virus, similar to how polio immunisations work.
Vaccines being developed by Western companies, like the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, target the virus' spike protein using Ribonucleic acid, or RNA.
… was worked on by an African American woman, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.
… rebuilt,” she added.
Although Black Americans and other people of color … said they would not.
“Black Americans have been hit hard by … that only 14% of Black Americans and 34% of Latino …
BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA SUSPENDED Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Henrietta Rushwaya and his four accomplices in the gold smuggling case have put the State on notice that they will challenge their placement on remand if it fails to provide a trial date on January 8, 2021. Rushwaya is being jointly charged with Pakistani businessman Ali Muhammad, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives Stephen Tserayi and Raphios Mufandauya and her ZMF colleague Gift Karanda on smuggling charges, illegal possession of gold, criminal abuse of office and defeating the course of justice. Rushwaya has another separate case in which she is being accused of attempting to bribe a police officer when she was arrested on gold smuggling. The five are being accused of attempting to smuggle 6kg of gold worth US$333 000 out of the country before they were caught at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. Representing the State, prosecutor Charles Muchemwa said investigations on the case were still underway and were expected to be complete by January 8, next year The accused persons, through their lawyers, submitted before magistrate Ngoni Nduna yesterday that they will challenge further remand if they were not provided with a trial date on their next appearance in court. Rushwaya, Tserayi, Mufandauya and Karanda are in custody after they were denied bail by Nduna. Muhammad was released on $100 000 bail. They appealed against the ruling at the High Court. In her bail appeal submissions at the High Court, Rushwaya represented by lawyer Tapson Dzvetero, submitted that she was a suitable candidate for bail, arguing that Nduna's conclusion that she had connections abroad was based on speculation as there was no evidence to support it. CIO operative Mufandauya through his lawyer Joshua Chirambwe, also challenged the lower court ruling, arguing that the magistrate had adopted a selective approach in the bail proceedings when he granted Muhammad bail on the basis that he had been exonerated by Rushwaya, who on the same statement, had also exonerated Mufandauya. He submitted that by that decision he was denied his right of equal treatment before the law.
America is considered the oldest democracy in the world yet more than a month after the 2020 Presidential election the losing Republican candidate and the elected officials in Congress are still engaged in refusing to acknowledge the results of a democratically conducted national election.
1 CORINTHIANS 5 verse 6 says “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast ferments the whole batch of dough? Indeed, the boasting by the government claiming to be on top of the situation in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in schools is not good and borders on misguided arrogance. It is a fake bravery amid the situation getting out of hand. Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri, the chairperson of the COVID-19 inter-ministerial taskforce, on Tuesday presenting Cabinet’s collective wisdom, or lack thereof, said that there was no need to close schools now. She said that the number of those infected by the deadly COVID-19 stood at only 332. Come on, the disease is infectious and once an individual gets it, especially at a school, it is common knowledge that many will be infected and the most logical thing to do is to close the facility. By the way, it is the same Muchinguri, typical of the authorities’ ignorance on the matter, who earlier in the year said COVID-19 was God’s punishment on the West for sanctioning Zimbabwe. COVID-19 is real. It is sad that government is just risking the lives of innocent children and teachers by insisting that schools should remain open. There is no capacity by the government to provide essentials in schools and the spike in numbers confirms that. Despite the denial by the government, all is not well in schools and why Cabinet is choosing not to listen to Members of Parliament who advised them to close down schools immediately betrays logic. The Parliamentary portfolio committee on Primary and Secondary Education chaired by Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga made it clear that opening schools was not ideal and cited several reasons that were canned by the government. It will get worse and we can only wonder whether the government wants the situation to get worse to realise the folly of their action. Even teachers have expressed concern on the matter of reopening schools but they are being forced to attend classes even without proper personal protective equipment. It is absurd to say the least and the argument that numbers are still less is as senseless an argument as it is hazardous. The consequences of such ignorance by the government are dangerous and the regime has not only become a danger to itself but to the entire nation. Maybe they don’t care anymore and that is why they party in numbers and share pictures of their recklessness to the world.
Hip-hop pioneers Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 63rd Grammy... View Article
The post Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five to be honored with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on TheGrio.
ON December 9 2020, consumers and internet users nationwide struggled to access internet services as one of the biggest internet services provider ZOL Zimbabwe’s system was not working. The company issued a statement and this was one of the most widely felt disruptions of internet service platforms since the 2019 national internet shutdown. The disruptions had far-reaching implications on the provision of downstream services. In Zimbabwe, the ability to access critical services such as healthcare, education, banking and commerce can literally depend on the reliability of the internet at all times and the broader business online in the age of the global pandemic, COVID-19. Since the outbreak of the pandemic which limited face-to-face meetings, the majority of organisations are performing their business online. In 2016, the Information Communication Technology, and Cyber Security ministry issued the Postal and Telecommunications (Quality Services) Regulations. These quality service regulations apply to the quality of voice calls, SMS, internet and mobile data, customer services and postal services. It is not enough for both internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile network operators (MNOs), to blame system upgrades for prolonged interruptions of internet services. ISPs should uphold internet services standards to ensure that disruptions of internet services are minimised and consumer rights are protected while engaging on the platforms available. As Zimbabwe, as is the case with rest of the international community, grapples with containing the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, network resilience and responsiveness becomes a strategic national issue. Accordingly, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe second-quarter 2020 industry report noted: lThe COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance that telecommunications infrastructure plays in keeping businesses, governments, and societies connected and running. lAs a result, many telecom players providing broadband have benefitted from a surge in the traffic of data as shown in the report. l The exercise of the right to freedom of expression and to access information using the internet are central to the enjoyment of other rights and essential to bridging the digital divide. MISA Zimbabwe
With many people still nervous to travel, even under lockdown level one, here's how you can make the most of staying home.
(NNPA) - Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has sounded the alarm about the increasing number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. With approximately 273,000 reported deaths in 2020, Dr. Redfield said this week that the nation is on course to reach about 450,000 deaths by February. […]
