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As of Tuesday, Dec. 29, California only has one of its 58 counties in the orange tier (considered moderate risk) and three counties in the red tier (substantial risk), according to the state’s four-tier coronavirus tracking system. There are now 54 counties in the purple tier as of Tuesday’s updates. One less (Humboldt County is […]
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.
[Monitor] The images of Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake being carried to the Mityana Chief Magistrate's Court to take plea while prostrate after allegedly being tortured in police custody back in April were as distressing as they could be.
Up in arms over the Egyptian President's state visit to France, around 20 protesters gathered outside the Paris National Assembly late on Monday, shouting \"down with dictatorship\".
The demonstration outside the parliament painted a very different picture to earlier in the day when France welcomed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi with a cavalry parade through Paris.
Before the three-day visit, rights groups accused France of indulging President al-Sisi's \"brutal repression of any form of dissent\".
\"We've come across a President of the Republic who welcomes the butcher of Cairo, the butcher of Egypt, in great pomp, on a state visit, with the Republican Guard,\" said François de Roche, chief of the NGO Justice and Rights Without Borders.
\"We have fallen on our heads. This is unacceptable. France, the country of Human Rights, cannot accept this.\"
But French President Emmanuel Macron refrained from direct criticism of former army general Sisi, who has cracked down on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, as well as on leftists and liberals.
Macron told a joint press conference with Sisi that he would not condition the sale of weapons to Egypt and trade ties on human rights as he did not want to weaken Cairo’s ability to counter-terrorism in the region.
\"I think it is more effective to have a policy of dialogue than a policy of boycott which would reduce the effectiveness of one of our partners in the fight against terrorism and for regional stability,\" he said.
To force the issue of human rights would be both \"ineffective on the subject of human rights and counter-productive in the fight against terrorism, that's why I won't do it,\" he added
By LISA MARIE PANE and RACHEL LA CORTE | Associated Press Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to more than 2,200 a day on average, matching the frightening peak reached last April, and cases per day have eclipsed 200,000 on average for the first time on record, with the crisis all but certain […]
Congress is working to extend government funding for one week in order to continue talks on a government spending bill and a coronavirus relief package.
[Nation] The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has named Professor Daniël Christiaan de Wet Swanepoel the winner of the 2018 Olusegun Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Breakthrough and Technological Innovation.
There has never been a second round in Ghanaian elections and the two parties have handed over power peacefully seven times since the return of democracy more than 30 years ago.
\"I'm feeling fine, happy that the process is going well and peacefully,\" the 76-year-old Akufo-Addo said.
Mahama, 62, of the National Democratic Congress party (NDC) was less gushing.
\"It’s too early to make an assessment, but I understand there have been a few hitches,\" Mahama said.
A few polling stations opened late and isolated cases of ballot tampering were reported by the electoral commission but there were no major incidents across the country's 38,000 polling stations.
-Symbolic peace pact -
The stability in Ghana contrasts with that of other countries in the region, with deadly unrest this year in Guinea and Ivory Coast.
EU's chief observer Javier Nart told AFP that in Ghana \"it's not the Kalashnikov that commands, it is the ballot box.\"
The two major parties have always pursued their grievances through the courts.
To ensure its continued tradition of peaceful polls, Akufo-Addo and Mahama on Friday signed a symbolic peace pact.
\"The one thing we think is worth laying emphasis on is the overall message by the major contesters that peace matters,\" former South African president and current head of the African Union observer mission, Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe told AFP.
\"There are lessons to be picked up, good practices to be shared with other African Union members.\"
The coronavirus pandemic has posed a challenge in this year's election, with 10,000 more polling stations than usual set up for the nation's 17 million registered voters.
Hand sanitisers were made available for voters, who underwent temperature checks before being let into polling stations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the closing address at the ANC NEC meeting.
Shorter Time in Office for Liberian Lawmakers?
Long queues at polling stations in Monrovia — suggesting a high turn out as Liberians voted Tuesday on a referendum by President George Weah to shorten office terms for the president and lower-house lawmakers to five years instead of six. President George Weah shared a few words, \"I asked all Liberians to be peaceful, to come to the polling centre, exercise their franchise, select their candidate and leave with peace. And at the end of the day, the results will come and those that were elected, those that you voted for, will win. But this country needs to be peaceful. We don't need to tear our country down.\"
Hundreds of thousands of Liberians are thought to reside overseas, having fled war and poverty. Upon acquiring another nationality, they lose their Liberian citizen and are thus barred from owning property at home — among other restrictions.
Dual Nationality for Liberians in the Diaspora
In a move that some hope could be an economic boost for the West African nation of 4.8 million people, voters are also choosing whether to repeal a 1973 ban on dual nationality as Patience Teegbeh, a local who came out to vote, shares her contentment with the voting process, \"It’s free and fair and transparent. I love the way it is going on and it's okay for us.\"
Opposition politicians in Liberia suspect that Weah - elected in 2018 and still in his first term, could use the office-occupation length constitutional change to cling to power. The 54-year-old president has denied the claim.
Liberia’s constitution sets a maximum of two terms — as is also the case in two other nations in West Africa whose electoral process saw the maximum term limit be side-stepped.
Regional Track Record
In Guinea, 82-year-old President Alpha Conde won a controversial third term in October after pushing through a new constitution that allowed him to bypass a two-term limit. The same month, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, 78, was elected for an equally contentious third term, after having revised the country's constitution.
By ZEKE MILLER and JONATHAN LEMIRE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump celebrated the expected approval of the first U.S. vaccine for the coronavirus as the White House worked on Tuesday to instill confidence in the massive distribution effort that will largely be executed by President-elect Joe Biden. Trump declared that the expected approvals are coming before most people thought possible. 'They say it's somewhat of a miracle and I think that's true,' Trump said. He led the event celebrating 'Operation Warp Speed,' his administration's effort to produce and distribute safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19. The first […]
The post Trump takes vaccine victory lap, boosting shots confidence appeared first on Black News Channel.
Now that Zimbabwe has reopened its land borders to visitors, why not explore 'The Smoke that Thunders'?
TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) - The Honduran economy is expected to shrink by a record 10.5% this year due to the combined crisis of the coronavirus and two deadly hurricanes last month, President Juan Orlando Hernandez said yesterday, its worst performance in more than six decades.
The article ‘Hard hit’ Honduran economy tumbles on virus, back-to-back hurricanes appeared first on Stabroek News.
Lewis Hamilton said he has suffered \"one of the hardest weeks for some time\" after testing positive for coronavirus.
Social media users were mourning the death and celebrating the life of Patrice O'Neal on what would have been the comedian's 51st birthday.
The United Nations Security Council on Monday struck Burundi off its political agenda citing peaceful elections recently conducted in the country.
In a statement presented by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, the 15-member body said the broadly peaceful elections had marked a new phase for central African country.
South Africa holds the Council's presidency for December.
The development means Burundi is close to ending nearly six years of international isolation.
\"Burundi has received, with joy, the noble decision taken by the UN Security Council of withdrawing Burundi from its political agenda,\" government spokesman Prosper Ntahorwamiye said in a statement aired on the state broadcaster.
The government of Burundi had stated on many occasions that the country no longer posed a threat to regional peace and security, and demanded that the Security Council end its mandatory reporting on Bujumbura.
Le Conseil de sécurité de l’#ONU a pris note de l’amélioration des conditions de sécurité au #Burundi et des priorités annoncées par le Président #Évariste_Ndayishimiye pour son gouvernement en juin 2020,à la suite d’élections qui se sont déroulées de façon globalement pacifique. pic.twitter.com/N3pCn4lg1T
— MAECD (@MAEBurundi) December 7, 2020
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.
By ROBERT BURNS, MICHAEL BALSAMO, JONATHAN LEMIRE and ZEKE MILLER 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 […]
The post Biden picks Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense appeared first on Afro.
The majority of recent coronavirus outbreaks in D.C. can be traced to schools and day care centers, according to data released Monday by the city health department.
The Hoa Binh Group launched the Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake Hotel - the first gold-plated hotel in Hanoi - earlier this year.
Olivia Jade Giannulli, the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin, is set to break her silence about her parents’ role in... View Article
The post Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade talks college bribery scandal on 'RTT' appeared first on TheGrio.
MSNBC is apparently betting on Black to make it more competitive against rival cable news networks. But the decision to promote Rashida Jones to be its top executive is far from a gamble.
Outgoing President Donald Trump is considering a final, dramatic White House event to in an effort to outshine President-elect Joe Biden's Inauguration
Tanu Henry | California Black Media This past weekend, Martin Jenkins, California’s first openly gay and currently only African American Supreme Court Justice, swore in former California State Sen. Holly Mitchell to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. For the first time in history, the five-member leadership team that Mitchell is joining, which represents nine […]
The post Holly Mitchell Sworn in to Serve on All-Women LA County Supervisors Board appeared first on Black Voice News.
If you were ever under the impression that Dionne Warwick isn't the mastermind behind her viral Twitter account, the legendary... View Article
The post Dionne Warwick shuts down 'naysayers' who question Twitter account appeared first on TheGrio.
