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Sall in May welcomed members of various parties, religious leaders and civil society to a multi-day national dialogue aimed at reducing political tensions. Proposals will be submitted to Sall who is expected to address the nation by June 25.
Announcement of the death of former President Rawlings pic.twitter.com/7ext0fp4sd
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) November 12, 2020
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Many People ranked the COVID-19 pandemic among the many prime elements in figuring out their vote for president. Now, President-elect Joe Biden seems to be hitting the bottom operating in…
Elizabeth Scaffidi: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 November 2020: Cristina Duarte of the Republic of Cabo Verde is the new Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General. A former Minister of Finance and Planning in her country, she intends to bring to her role a renewed strategic narrative of ‘Africa by Africa’ to help the UN…
Kat Stafford, Aaron Morrison and Angeliki Kastanis | Associated Press Power. Respect. Finally. When Eric Sheffield first saw Joe Biden take the lead in the vote count in Georgia, the 52-year-old Black man immediately thought about all the years he spent urging his Black friends and family to vote and all the times he saw […]
The post 'This is Proof': Biden's Win Reveals Power of Black Voters appeared first on Black Voice News.
President of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA)Norman Grant is seeking Government intervention to the tune of $200 million for a recovery programme for the country's coffee farmers.According to Grant, during a recent meeting of the JCEA, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Floyd Green committed to contributing $80 million to the coffee recovery programme through the Jamaica Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority.
Post-Electoral Crisis
Violence erupted in many parts of Côte d'Ivoire after the Constitutional Council officially validated on November 9 the re-election of President Alassane Ouattara for a controversial third term.
However, the political unrest in the small landlocked city of M'Batto was exacerbated by circulating false information. Dr Jean Serge Kouassi Kouassi, the director of the M'Batto hospital, shares his insight into the situation of the ground, \"When this information arrived on social media, the phone calls rained down on us to find out if it was true and what was going on. So that's it. Everyone reassured their parents stating that there were indeed skirmishes here, there were shootings and we could hear shots, and we would send the wounded to the hospital.\"
Problematic Fake News
M'Batto fell victim to fictitious gendarmerie reports and press releases about so-called fatalities — as well as misleading and inappropriate images trending online. All of which did not help the already tense political atmosphere. Abdoulaye Konaté, a teacher, outlines what was really happening to contribute to the regional tension, \"The rumours were: such and such shop was burned, so and so was killed, so every time one of the parties heard, everyone wanted revenge, so that's what made the situation even worse. It was the rumours themselves that made the situation worse.\"
Inter-ethnic Friction
An opposition demonstration degenerated into inter-community clashes between Agni (local ethnic group reputed pro-opposition) and Dioula (an ethnic group from the north reputed pro-Ouattara). The electoral unrest saw the loss of six lives. Nanan Béda Kadio II, the Chief of the Agnikro district, expressed his peaceful stance,
\"We don't want war here. We have been here for several years, there is no war between us. Before this year, we had never seen anything like this. So I wouldn't like it to happen again. I want peace in my village of M'Batto.\"
Armed forces have now been stationed across the city of 50,000 inhabitants to prevent any further confrontation and many shops have been closed.
STREAMED: Lil Nas X Is Finally Back With \"Holiday,\" Future & Lil Uzi Vert Connect For \"Pluto x Baby Pluto\" Album
Three contributors from MSNBC are contributors no more and one commentator from CNN has left the on-air position to join the Biden administration
Civilians Hit by Political Feud
As of Friday evening, at least 21,000 Ethiopians had crossed into eastern Sudan, according to the regional head of Sudan's refugee agency, Alsir Khaled.
Many are in fear of having lost their homes and livelihoods and some are even separated from their families as they fled the intense and traumatising fighting between the Ethiopian army and authorities of the Tigray region.
The Northern region — still under am officially declared state of emergency, continues to be under curfew and is currently seeing a communication blackout. Hence, the information provided by the exhausted and terrified refugees crossing the border into the neighbouring country is some of the first eyewitness accounts of the conflict which is now spanning around a week.
Fear, Trauma and Desperation
One Ethiopian shared his experience, \"I left with seven people, four of them are my nephews. Now I have no idea where my brother, his children and his wife are. Are they alive or dead? I don't know. But those who were with me brought them here, and when we arrived here, we could sometimes eat. The first time we saw water was when we arrived here. This is all because of the war.\"
Another Ethiopian woman seems devasted, \"They are abusing us, we came with five to six children on our backs. The children don’t have anything to drink and eat. All of us are suffering, we don't have clothes of our own, what clothes we have worn were borrowed from neighbours. We want the Tigray region and the federal government to look after us.\"
Inter-ethnic Political Conflict
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered military operations in Tigray last week in response to attacks on two federal military camps by Tigrayan regional authorities — whose political party once dominated the nation's politics and claim the ethnic group has been sidelined and unfairly targeted under the Ahmed administration.
Many in the international community have cautioned against all-out civil war and have made appeals on behalf of the civilians in the Tigray region.
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations Rights Chief issued a warning on Friday of possible war crimes in Tigray. The UN's Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide, Pramila Patten, also \"condemned reports of targeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnicity or religion.\"
Afro Solidarity at Home and Abroad
Journalists on the ground have reported the kind gestures of solidarity by the Sudanese villagers to help the Ethiopian refugees. However, as many Ethiopians continue to arrive many are concerned about the strain their already very limited resources and more aid will most likely be necessary from governments, organisations or charities.
Temperature and COVID-19 symptom checks like the ones used at schools and doctor's offices have again proved inadequate for spotting coronavirus infections and preventing outbreaks. A study of Marine recruits found that despite these measures and strict quarantines before they started training, the recruits spread […]
The post Study: Temperature checks, symptom screenings not very effective in detecting COVID-19 infections appeared first on The New York Beacon.
[Premium Times] Countries that have recently suffered large measles outbreaks include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Central African Republic (CAR), Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Samoa, Tonga, and Ukraine.
By Demetrius Dillard Special to the AFRO The Baltimore Ravens didn’t let the adversities they faced over the past week distract them from handling business on the road against the Indianapolis Colts top-five defense. Last week, the Ravens had a player test positive for coronavirus, forcing them to play without one of their premier cornerbacks. […]
The post Ravens show resilience in comeback win appeared first on Afro.
A sub-committee of Cabinet will today be meeting to discuss the COVID-19 containment protocols which will govern the fast approaching Christmas season, even as the coronavirus spread continues to trend down nationally.
SUSPENDED Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya and her three alleged accomplices in the gold smuggling case were yesterday denied bail by Harare magistrate Ngoni Nduna who remanded the matter to November 27. BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA Their Pakistani accomplice, Ali Muhammad, who was said to be the owner of the 6kg of gold intercepted at the Robert Mugabe International Airport a fortnight ago, was however released on $100 000 bail. Nduna ruled that there were no compelling reasons to deny Muhammad bail since he was not mentioned as having attempted to obstruct the course of justice. Rushwaya, two Central Intelligence Organisation operatives Stephen Tserayi and Raphinos Mufandauya and her ZMF colleague Gift Karanda were denied bail on the basis that they were likely to abscond trial as they had connections abroad and means to flee the country. The five are being jointly charged for smuggling, illegal possession of gold, criminal abuse of office and defeating the course of justice. The court also heard that Tserayi had allegedly orchestrated the switching off of the CCTV at the airport to facilitate Rushwaya’s passage while Karanda allegedly threatened the arresting officers by claiming to be connected to the First Family. Nduna said Rushwaya was the principal suspect in the case, since she was the one found in possession of the gold she allegedly wanted to smuggle to Dubai. In her bail application, Rushwaya however denied attempting to smuggle the 6kg gold saying she had taken the wrong travel bag unknowingly. She told the court that she was confident of her acquittal in the case and would claim her gold back. Nduna also said that Tserai, Mufandauya and Karanda were closely linked to Rushwaya. But Mufandauya denied the allegations saying he only got to know Rushwaya on the day of her arrest.
S.E. Williams It made national news when Texas reached the alarming milestone of one million COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, November 11 and it took only one additional day for California to join the lone star state as a member of the one-million-coronavirus-case club—a group no other state wants to join. Although it was just a […]
The post With One Million Cases and Counting in California, COVID Widespread in IE appeared first on Black Voice News.
LIMA, (Reuters) - At least 27 people have been wounded in clashes between police and protestors as thousands of Peruvians took to the streets to demonstrate against the dismissal of President Martin Vizcarra, police and rights groups said yesterday.
The article Dozens wounded in Peru as protesters and police clash amid political crisis appeared first on Stabroek News.
BY TIM DARNELL THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/TNS ATLANTA — The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Thanks giving coronavirus guidelines on Monday and Tuesday, warning against travel and recommending much smaller gatherings during the annual American tradition. Thanksgiving travel is typically the nation’s busiest transportation day of the year. “Staying home is the […]
The post CDC warns against Thanksgiving travel; urges small gatherings appeared first on Florida Courier.
School systems in Detroit, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and suburban Minneapolis are giving up on in-person classes, and some governors are reimposing restrictions on bars and restaurants or getting more serious about masks, as the coast-to-coast resurgence of the coronavirus sends deaths, hospitalizations and new infections soaring. The crisis deepened at hospitals, with the situation so bad […]
The post Virus surge: Schools abandon classes, states retreat appeared first on DefenderNetwork.com.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the economy as we knew it is a thing of the past as the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we work
Ethiopia on Friday appointed a new head of Tigray region, one week after parliament voted to remove the executive Addis Ababa deems rebellious.
Mulu Nega's appointment was announced by PM Abiy Ahmed via Twitter.
On the basis of the decision of the House of Federation and the Council of Ministers Regulation "Concerning the Provisional Administration of the Tigray National Regional State", Dr. Mulu Nega has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Tigray Regional State. 1/2
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) November 13, 2020
He replaces Debretsion Gebremichael, whose immunity from prosecution was removed Thursday.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Thursday that scores of civilians were killed in a \"massacre\" in the Tigray region, that witnesses blamed on forces backing the local ruling party.
The \"massacre\" is the first reported incident of large-scale civilian fatalities in a week-old conflict between the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize.
\"Amnesty International can today confirm... that scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra (May Cadera) town in the southwest of Ethiopia's Tigray Region on the night of 9 November,\" the rights group said in a report.
Amnesty said it had \"digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers.\"
The dead \"had gaping wounds that appear to have been inflicted by sharp weapons such as knives and machetes,\" Amnesty said, citing witness accounts.
Witnesses said the attack was carried out by TPLF-aligned forces after a defeat at the hands of the Ethiopian military, though Amnesty said it \"has not been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings\".
It nonetheless called on TPLF commanders and officials to \"make clear to their forces and their supporters that deliberate attacks on civilians are absolutely prohibited and constitute war crimes\".
Abiy ordered military operations in Tigray on November 4, saying they were prompted by a TPLF attack on federal military camps -- a claim the party denies.
The region has been under a communications blackout ever since, making it difficult to verify competing claims on the ground.
Abiy said Thursday his army had made major gains in western Tigray.
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled across the border into neighboring Sudan, and the UN is sounding the alarm about a humanitarian crisis in Tigray.
Amnesty International that scores of civilians were killed in a "massacre" in Ethiopia's Tigray region that witnesses blamed on forces backing the local ruling party in its fight against the federal government.
He was Ghana’s longest serving leader.
Jerry John Rawlings who died after a short illness in Accra on Thursday morning, was known as an influential figure in Ghanaian politics.
He rose to prominence as a former flight lieutenant to become the first democratically elected president of the 4th Republic in the West African nation in the 90’s.
His charisma and charm is beloved across the country. But not everyone was for him even while he was alive.
During his rule, the 73-year old expected ‘’ probity, transparency and accountability’’ from public office servants.
Those who criticized him said he fell short of these expectations. The late Rawlings faced accusations including human rights abuses and misuse of state resources.
But Rawlings has been hailed for stabilizing Ghana’s politics and economy at his time and left a legacy of democracy for 20 years.
In 2001 when his National Democratic Congress party lost the general elections, he ensured a smooth transition of power to then opposition leader, John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party.
The Election is Over But the Pandemic is Not
About 53,000 people were hospitalized for coronavirus on Thursday in the United States and deaths were over 1,000 for the fourth day in a row as the country broke its record for the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a single day on Friday, with 128,000 additional new infections, according to the Washington Post.
In light of the alarming spike, some state and local governments across the nation are implementing new restrictions - such as out of state travel testing requirements, gathering limitations, and the shutting down of businesses.
All towards combating the surging virus within an already pandemic crippled economy.
Political Rush for a Coronavirus Vaccine
Meanwhile, the outgoing president who just recently lost the election to the Biden-Harris camp appears unconcerned, \"Case levels are high, but a lot of the case levels are high because of the fact that we have the best testing program anywhere in the world. We have developed the most and the best test, and we test far more than any other country, so it shows, obviously, more cases. This administration will not go into a lockdown. Hopefully, whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be, I guess time will tell, but I can tell you this administration will not go to a lockdown.\"
Trump has also touted the coronavirus vaccine announced on Monday by US-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer — the same company which was forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of US dollars in legal settlements to several Nigerian families as financial compensation for conducting an allegedly illegal clinical trial of meningitis drugs in 1996 on around 200 children in Kano.
Many of these children consequently ended up paralysed from the trials and four children even died.
Pfizer Has a Track Record to Look Into
\"Pfizer announced on Monday that its China virus vaccine is more than 90% effective. This far exceeds any and all expectations. Nobody thought that they would get to that level, and we have others coming which we think will be at an equal level. Maybe more, if that's possible. So, the Governor, Governor Cuomo will have to let us know when he is ready for it. Otherwise, we can't be delivering it (vaccine doses, ed) to a state that won't be giving it to its people immediately. And I know many -- I know the people of New York very well. I know they want it, so the Governor would let us know when he's ready. \"
Experts heed caution as much remains unknown about the safety of this vaccine for the virus which has already claimed over 200,000 lives in the US.
In addition, the vaccine's efficiency is as yet unproven as the company has not released full details on its preliminary analysis and many believe it necessary to have \"independent and unvested eyes\" thoroughly scrutinize the findings before it is administered to the general public.
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] Dakar -- A promising new coronavirus vaccine must be kept at Antarctic temperatures, raising concerns for delivery in Africa
By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British serial killer known as the 'Yorkshire Ripper,' a man who instilled terror and fear across northern England in the 1970s, died Friday at a hospital there. He was 74. Peter Sutcliffe, a former grave digger, was serving concurrent life sentences for killing 13 women in Yorkshire and northwest England between 1975 and 1980. British media reported he had refused treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 and was suffering from a number of underlying health conditions. His death will be investigated by the coroner. Sutcliffe's barbaric attacks on young women were […]
The post UK's 'Yorkshire Ripper' serial killer Peter Sutcliffe dies appeared first on Black News Channel.
