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.
With the holiday season upon us and many adventure seekers preparing for December road trips, father-and-son team Kingsley and Ross Holgate offer some valuable pointers for those hitting the open road.
South Africa is one of the hardest-hit countries in Africa with over 740,000 infections.
The country recorded 60 more virus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 20,011.
A reserve home to orphaned baby elephants in Kenya provides human care for these young elephants in the absence of their mothers.
It’s a rather expensive daily ration that park managers try to support thanks to the income generated from tourist activities. But for nearly three months, the site has not received any visitor. A risk for the conservation of the species and jobs.
“We are lucky we have our jobs but we are just worried the boss might end up not having enough cash to pay us because there are no tourists coming in so that is a big worry. We are lucky we still have our jobs and we thank God for that but we hope COVID-19 ends soon so that life goes back to normal”, said Edwin Lusichi, Project Manager and Head Keeper at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Kenya receives just over a million visitors every year. Despite a tense political climate, especially during election time, the country is one of Africa’s leading safari and eco-tourism destinations.
Travel restrictions due to the coronavirus allow conservation establishments such as this one to focus a little more on animal care. But overall, they are seeing an increase in poaching.
“Sadly we are seeing an increase in illegal activities, including bushmeat, and methods such as using wire snares don’t discriminate amongst the species they target so endangered animals such as elephants, the babies behind me and giraffes can get caught in the fray’‘, Kirsty Smith, Project administrator at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust said.
The fears of conservationists are taken very seriously by Kenyan authorities.
Despite containment measures still in force across the country, activities of rangers in national parks have been classified as essential to combat organized gangs of poachers at a time of general decline in activity.
AP
Vomos CEO Mark McNeil talks about the private jet air travel industry, the impact of COVID-19, and how men and women of color can succeed in the industry.
\"Witnesses have told police a shark attacked the teenager while he was surfing at Wilsons Headland at Wooli Beach, near Grafton,\" New South Wales police said in a statement.
\"Several board-riders came to his assistance before the injured teen could be helped to shore. First aid was rendered for serious injuries to his legs and despite CPR efforts to revive him, the 15-year-old died at the scene,\" police said.
Beaches in the area including Wooli, Diggers Camp and Minnie Water have been closed. Police are investigating the incident. This was Australia's fifth fatal shark attack this year.
Last week, a 36-year-old man in the Australian state of Queensland died after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing.
In June, a shark killed a 60-year-old surfer at Salt Beach near Kingscliff on the far north coast of New South Wales.
CNN's Angus Watson reported from Sydney, Australia, and Isaac Yee reported from Hong Kong.
The post Teen surfer dies in suspected shark attack in Australia appeared first on L.A. Focus Newspaper.
FILE PHOTO | NMG
The UK and the US have dealt local hospitality industry a fresh blow after postponing trips to late this year and next year amid travel restrictions over the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tom Blakey of UK's Wayfairer Travel said most of their customers had postponed their plans to late 2020 to 2021.
\"We have some bookings for those periods, but very few compared to 'normal' times,\" Mr Blakey said.
This came as latest Africa's safari company Safaribooking.com data shows that 93 percent of tour operators have lost three quarters of their bookings that they normally make during this time of the year.
The survey, which was done in June from 3 to 6, involved 308 tour operators in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, among others.
The standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger train services will resume Monday at a reduced capacity, raising the possibility of a rise in fares to compensate the Chinese operator.
In the last few decades, millions of unskilled workers from South Asia have migrated to Gulf countries due to limited opportunities at home.
In 2019, migrant workers from South Asian countries sent back $122 billion to their home countries, according to the World Bank.
The steep fall in oil prices slashes major source of revenues for the energy-rich Gulf states, a favorite destination of South Asia’s migrant workers.
Amnesty International reports that about 23 million migrant workers living in the Middle East have had their work hours cut short and lost their jobs, reducing their ability to send home money to families dependent on remittances.
This recent fall in remittances is the sharpest in recent history, World Bank projections show, adversely affecting millions of vulnerable unskilled workers.
With research showing there are no direct increased chances of COVID-19 transmission and complications, the real impact of COVID-19 on maternal health will be felt in two major areas:
lConstrained access to reproductive and maternal healthcare and a subsequent increase in adverse health outcomes.
In countries where COVID-19 pounded, for example United States, the health system was overwhelmed to the extent that maternal health distressed as resources were diverted to combating the spread of the virus.
Zimbabwe, like many other African countries, embarked on a lockdown which saw law enforcement agents manning roadblocks and demanding letters of travel exemptions in order to reduce the movement of people.
Limited resources — Major focus in all health facilities seems to be on COVID-19 care.
Considering the above factors, it is incumbent upon authorities to consider some of the following strategies to mitigate against possible maternal complications:
lHave full-time antenatal clinics with enough staff at all health centres.
Limited resources and economic diversification in Eastern Caribbean countries, compounded by their small size and remoteness, constrain development.
While spending on health varies across the region (between three and seven per cent of GDP), Eastern Caribbean health systems perform substantially below the global average, forcing this region on the back foot as it tackles this health crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for Caribbean countries to reassess their preparedness against a wider range of increasing risks – including health pandemics.
Accustomed to the impact from natural disasters, the Caribbean will not only need resilience against global warming but also against a new wave of health risks that threaten the lives and livelihoods of its citizens.
This is why the United Nations COVID-19 Multi-sectoral Response Plan and Funding Appeal for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean states was launched on the May 6 to support the region to tackle this crisis with resources it urgently needs.
In a country like Kenya, artisanal and small-scale mining represents a significant proportion of gemstone mining.
Taita Taveta County is the largest producer of gemstones, with artisanal and small-scale mining accounting for over 60% of its annual production.
The COVID-19 measures have slowed down artisanal mining activities, which has affected the livelihoods of miners and mining communities.
This involves developing robust mining data and market information systems, mapping gemstone supply chains, developing a calculated risks index, and establishing a well-organised market infrastructure.
It can also coordinate efforts to build capacity for gemstone identification, valuation, marketing and value addition, and artisanal mining financing.
Dear Mr Brown,My study permit was granted and I would like to thank you for your assistance. Based on all that's going on with COVID-19 and Canada's travel ban, when will I be able to travel to Canada to begin my programme, which starts in September?- NC�Dear NC:
Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith (“Bricktop”), vaudevillian actress, singer, nightclub owner, and international celebrity host, was born August 14, 1894 in Alderson, West Virginia, to Thomas and Hattie Thompson Smith. Her father passed away in 1898 and Mrs. Smith moved Ada and her three older siblings to Chicago, where her mother managed rooming houses and worked as a maid. Smith began performing at the age of five, playing Harry in Uncle Tom’s Cabin at Haymarket Theater in Chicago. By age 14 Smith earned a permanent chorus role at the Pekin Theatre. A truancy officer tracked her down, however, and she was forced to quit performing and return to school.
At age 16 Smith began touring with the Theater Owners’ Booking Association (TOBA) and Pantages vaudeville circuits. The young performer appeared alongside vaudevillian entertainers such as Miller and Lyles and the Kinky-Doo Trio. It was during this time that she earned the nickname “Bricktop” which referred to her bright red hair and freckles. Throughout her twenties Smith performed in a wide variety of locations including Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver, and New York. Baron’s Exclusive Club in Harlem became one of her regular venues and during her time there she convinced the owner to hire Elmer Snowden’s Washingtonian’s band, which included an undiscovered Duke Ellington.
Smith first performed in Paris, France in 1924 at the Le Grand Duc nightclub. It was at this time she began hosting and entertaining at charity events and parties for celebrities, where she befriended influential artists such as the authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck, and the composer and musician Cole Porter. Porter wrote a song for Smith titled, “Miss Otis Regrets She’s Unable to Lunch Today.” In 1926 Smith became more involved with the Paris nightclub scene, regularly performing at The Music Box and Le Grand Duc.
In 1929 Smith married New Orleans musician Peter Conge and moved her nightclub to 66 Rue Pigalle, where singer Mabel Mercer became the main
Level 1 is a tantalising prospect, but experts warn that we can't afford to get complacent, with new strains of the virus possibly emerging.
Social and environmental vulnerabilities facing the Eastern Caribbean
High unemployment and aging populations, with a concomitant prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), add to this region’s troubles.
While spending on health varies across the region (between three and seven percent of GDP), Eastern Caribbean health systems perform substantially below the global average, forcing this region on the back foot as it tackles this health crisis.
Accustomed to the impact of natural disasters, the Caribbean will not only need resilience against global warming but also against a new wave of health risks that threaten the lives and livelihoods of its citizens.
South Sudan's unity government of President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, which has been in power since March 12, reacted early and restricted the movement of its people to prevent the virus from spreading across the country.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, too, the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO has had to change its work routines, according Benno Müchler, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the DRC.
\"The health crisis is exacerbating already existing threats to security in Africa,\" said Paul-Simon Handy, the head of the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Department at ISS, during a virtual discussion on the effects of COVID-19 on Peace and Security in Africa held last week.
COVID-19 also complicates the distribution of aid and communicating with people who are in need, says Jens Laerke from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
African countries are already producing ventilators and protective clothing for their needs, a necessary development and an indication of a multilateral post-COVID-19 world order.
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News.
Obama urged his supporters to back his former vice president, Joe Biden, who is trying to unseat Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
Trump has criticized the Obama administration in relation to his own administration’s response to the outbreak.
Yet Trump’s contention that his administration inherited “a broken system and a broken test” from Obama’s is false; the novel coronavirus did not exist until late last year.
Obama has generally kept a low profile on current political events, even when Trump would disparage him or his administration on Twitter.
Arusha — Training courses have commenced at East Africa's eight international airports on prevention of Covid-19 ahead of resumption of flight schedules as the region is cautiously easing travel restrictions.
The trainings implement parts of the EAC Covid-19 Response Plan.
EAC recently described airports as 'high risk areas' for the spread of highly infectious diseases such as Covid-19.
Official statistics on EAC web-site indicate Covid-19 confirmed cases in the region are 3,146 with no deaths reported in Rwanda and Uganda.
One of the key interventions to slow the spread of the disease under the EAC Covid-19 Response Plan is to strengthen surveillance at the border points.
A lockdown that was instituted at Kwebanna, in Region One, has been extended by another week to ensure that the COVID-19 outbreak in the community is under control, resulting in a call by the Village Council for assistance to help residents who did not prepare for additional time at home.
The article Kwebanna COVID-19 lockdown extended appeared first on Stabroek News.
THE Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) says the 2020 revenue performance will relatively decline to the initial projections in view of the anticipated economic slowdown and turbulences in the operating environment exacerbated by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Indeed, revenue collection has greatly been affected due to the lockdown-related factors that include shutdown of borders, travel restrictions that have disproportionately reduced imports, thereby affecting revenue collection from excise duty and customs duty, reduced receipts from tourism,” Chimanda told NewsDay Business.
Chimanda said a 6,86% below target revenue collection for the month of April 2020 in net terms after adjusting for refunds was recorded.
“In view of the anticipated economic slowdown and turbulences in the operating environment exacerbated by the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 revenue performance will decline relative to the initial projections,” he said.
During the first quarter of 2020, Zimra managed to collect cumulative net revenue of $13,88 billion against a target of $12,57 billion, 10,42% above budget.
Western Kenya Hospitality Leaders’ Association chairman Robinson Anyal said the move to ease some of the virus containment restrictions came as a reprieve for the sector.
DISGRUNTLED RESIDENTS of Elgin Town, Hanover, blocked a section of the North Coast Highway on Tuesday to protest the police shooting of a man who recently returned to Jamaica from the Cayman Islands.
Lineka Williams, 28, was reportedly shot and injured by the police last Friday night.
The injured man’s mother, Benieve Jowrey, said that her son, who resides in the Cayman Islands but returned to the island late last year to finalise divorce arrangements, was not involved in any crime.
Williams’ mother said that her son had just left her yard to attend a wake close to the house when he was shot by the police.
The police said that shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday, they received reports that men were at a wake in the community.
Dealers forced to reduce costs by up to Sh1.2 million on some popular models to try to clear stocks.
A spectre of food crisis is haunting East Africa, preceded by an unfortunate axis of locust invasion, Covid-19 pandemic and adverse weather.
In its Global Report on Food Crises, WFP is particularly worried about Covid-19 spreading to vulnerable communities such as those with high levels of acute malnutrition, refugee settlements and IDP camps, arid and semi-arid lands and informal settlements.
The UN agency warned that “there’s no time to waste” as more than 27 million people were in “emergency” levels of acute food insecurity prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the restrictions that have come with containing the spread of Covid-19, WFP warns hundreds of millions of people could be “just one shock away from severe acute food insecurity” as at least 135 million people experienced “crisis” and worse levels of acute food insecurity while a further 183 million people were on the edge in “stressed” food security conditions.
According to the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group March 2020 update, 16.95 million people in the four most food insecure countries in East Africa are in need of humanitarian assistance due to drought, floods, economic crises, conflict and displacements.
