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During the last two weeks of April, "more than 670 victims of sexual violence were taken care of" in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, alerted the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Tuesday evening.
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.
By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Pro-democracy legislators in Hong Kong began resigning Thursday to protest the expulsion of four other lawmakers, heightening a conflict with Beijing over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's future. Pro-democracy activists say China's ruling Communist Party, which has tightened control in Hong Kong in response to demands for more democracy, is destroying the civil liberties and rights that were promised the territory when Britain returned it to China in 1997. The 15 remaining lawmakers in the pro-democracy bloc said Wednesday they will resign en masse after China's central government passed a resolution this […]
The post Hong Kong pro-democracy legislators hand in resignations appeared first on Black News Channel.
A MUTARE woman is facing murder charges after stabbing her sister’s nine-month-old baby accusing her of crying non-stop. BY KENNETH NYANGANI The accused Natasha Mugwenjere (32) yesterday appeared before Mutare magistrate Prisca Manhibi who remanded her in custody to November 23. The court was told that Mugwenjere was a mental patient. The State alleges that on November 9, Charlotte Muromba left her daughter in the custody of the accused. The mother of the now-deceased had reportedly gone to fetch water at a nearby borehole. The baby reportedly began to cry and this irritated the accused, who stabbed her twice on the chest with a knife. When Charlotte came back, she found her baby bleeding. They rushed her to Mutare Provincial Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
According to his office, Mabuyane had flu symptoms which later led to him to take a COVID-19 test. He is currently self-isolating at home.
BY HENRY MHARA IN ALGIERS, ALGERIA BOURNEMOUTH defender Jordan Zemura could make his first senior national team appearance for Zimbabwe when the Warriors take on Algeria in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) group H qualifier here in Algiers tonight. Kick-off for the match is 9pm Zimbabwe time. The 20-year old who plays as a fullback for the English side, could be thrown in as a defensive midfielder in place of Marshall Munetsi who didn't travel because of an injury. Warriors probable line-up E Chipezeze, T Darikwa, A Mudimu, T Hadebe, D Lunga, J Zemura, M Nakamba, O Karuru, K Billiat, K Musona, T Kadewere
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is starting the 2021 budget year the way the old year ended, with soaring deficits. The Treasury Department reported Thursday that the federal government ran up a record October deficit of $284.1 billion, nearly double the red ink of the same month a year ago, as revenues declined while spending to deal with the impact of the coronavirus soared. The October deficit was almost double the $134.5 billion deficit logged in October 2019. It smashed the previous October record of a $176 billion deficit set in 2009, when the […]
The post US piles up record October budget deficit of $284.1 billion appeared first on Black News Channel.
Econet has partnered with Alphabet, Google’s parent company to provide new high speed broadband technology which uses beams instead of fibre, Alphabet’s subsidiary, X “Moonshot Factory” said on Tuesday. BY PRIMROSE HAISA “Our ‘Project Taara’ high-speed optical wireless broadband endeavour is working with internet provider Econet and its subsidiaries to begin rolling out its tech across Sub-Saharan Africa,” X said in a statement. “This deployment follows a series of small pilots in Kenya specifically, but now Taara and Econet are ready to start adding high-speed wireless optical links to supplement and enhance Econet service reach more broadly, starting with Liquid Telecom customers in Kenya.” X added: “Taara is yet another approach to extending the reach of broadband networks to parts of the Earth that have typically not had access or high-speed connections, due primarily to infrastructure challenges.” According to X, in a substitute of digging about two weeks to lay fibre cables, the new technology will be organized to connect two points 20 km apart and it currently delivers up to 10 Gbits of internet capacity. X’s Taara is essentially a fibre optic network cable without the cable which uses a narrow, invisible beam of light to transmit data between two terminals that can span up to nearly 12.5 miles, while providing transfer speeds of up to 20 Gbps. This, X said, means thousands of customers or households can be connected while still providing speeds high enough for streaming high-quality video. “Taara’s technology can essentially be used to patch gaps in traditional fibre optic networks, spanning rivers or crossing terrain that would be hard or impossible to span using either under or aboveground cable.” X has been piloting Taara in a number of deployments around the world and is moving towards commercialising the project.
The Ministry of Health today said that one more person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has died.
The article Region Four man, 61, dies from COVID appeared first on Stabroek News.
OVER 350 families close to Gwayi-Shangani Dam are facing imminent displacement to pave way for the construction of the largest water body in Matabelaland North province. BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE The Gwayi-Shangani Dam pipeline was estimated to provide 147 mega litres a day and, therefore, ensure bulk water supply in the medium term to Bulawayo and Matabeleland North. Speaking during a tour of the project which was organised by Bulawayo Civic Society Organisation, the project’s assistant engineer Lucio Chayeruka said 350 families would be displaced. “I am aware of the 350 families that are going to be affected by the construction of the dam,” Chayeruka said. “We have done a survey and saw that 350 families need to be evacuated as they are going to be affected by the dam construction. “The matter is now with the Lands and Agriculture ministry, but as it stands, the matter is now urgent so urgent intervention is required.” Chayeruka said the Lands ministry would decide the fate of the families. “It is the sole responsibility of the ministry to decide when and where these families will be resettled. Once we start the construction process, the structures will have to be removed,” he said. Chayeruka decried lack of funding for the delay in the completion of the dam which is currently 39% complete after the contractor, China International Water and Electric Corporation, abandoned the project in January due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is being constructed to link Cowdray Park and the City of Bulawayo. In 2016, the contractor suspended operations due to lack of funding. “This dam is a US$121 million project. I haven’t seen the bill of quantities, but I know that this is a US$121 million project. Of that US$121 million, so far we have used about 39% of the money,” Chayeruka said. “The issue here is actually of funding as you will see that we have all the materials in place. The only material that we might need to buy is cement and when all funding has been put in place, the dam will only take one year to be completed.” Matabeleland Collectives chairperson Jenny Williams said civil society organisations needed to know if those families were going to be compensated. “It is important for us the civil society to empower the community that is within the 60km radius of the dam and what it will mean for them when the dam is constructed. They need to be empowered to know what is coming their way,” Williams said. “The communities need to be empowered so that people cannot come and take advantage of those communities.” The project is going to help improve the water situation in Bulawayo which is currently facing serious water shortages. lFollow Praisemore on Twitter @TPraisemore
Title: Victor Trammell for Your Black World | Photo courtesy of AMY HARRIS/INVISION/AP
SAD news broke yesterday about a pregnant Chivhu woman who beheaded her four daughters and set the family house on fire before handing herself to the police following a dispute with her husband over infidelity. EDITORIAL COMMENT It was indeed a sad day for motherhood in the country. No one can ever, even in their wildest dreams, expect such an unthinkable thing to happen. Life is precious and some people spend millions in hospital bills to boost their fertility and chances to have a child, but the Chivhu woman chose to take life. Not hers, but that of four innocent blooming flowers which she compounded by trying to drink poison while she was pregnant, in effect attempting to take two more lives. Cases of both domestic and gender-based violence are increasing, especially during these times when the country is reeling under harsh economic conditions. The situation will likely get worse, hence it is time we invested in counselling. Research has established that violent behaviour is often a result of an individual’s interaction with various situational and individual factors, meaning community and other cultural influences come to play, if not influenced by alcohol or drugs. Studies have also shown that children are the most victims of domestic violence. The violence can cause physical and emotional harm not only to children, but all people close to the disturbing behaviour. Children can suffer emotional stress, depression and even sleeping disorders. In this case, it is not only sad that the children lost their lives, it is devastating and unimaginable for any community. It is difficult to imagine what was going on in the mind of the woman, what sort of demons was she dealing with which made her lose her mind. This goes a long way in explaining the importance of mental health, which we have ignored for generations. Who can imagine a mother slitting her child’s throat in front of the others? Imagine the trauma they went through while watching the gruesome deed. Couples do have misunderstandings and it is very important to seek counselling and monitor each other until the emotional wounds are healed. It is important for people to learn how to diffuse violent situations, which should start with situational awareness and understanding of each other’s state of mind. Government should invest in counselling. In the past, traditional leaders were the custodians of ensuring peace in families, but with the advent of courts, home-grown solutions to solving domestic disputes have been discarded and this has brought about tension. People should seek counselling instead of engaging in needless loss of life. Mental health is an important issue and counselling is one of its biggest remedies. Government should also invest in social workers to conduct counselling in communities. As a country, we cannot afford to ignore this anymore.
THE majority of residents in Zimbabwe’s major urban areas are drinking sewage-contaminated water due to poor management systems by local authorities, Auditor-General Mildred Chiri has revealed in her latest audit report. BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA An assessment by the Auditor-General on six major cities in the country showed that urban local authorities were failing to attend to sewer blockages within 24 hours, resulting in raw sewage mixing with drinking water. This ultimately gives rise to outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera, among others. Unattended sewer blockages also result in sewage back-flowing, which further weakens the pipes, according to the audit findings for the period 2013 to 2017 following a public outcry over sewer bursts. “The assessment of the urban local authorities’ management of sewerage system revealed a number of weaknesses which contributed to the increase in the number of sewer blockage complaints from consumers,” Chiri said. “If local authorities fail to attend to blockages within the stipulated eight to 24 hours, raw sewage is lost into the environment before reaching the treatment plants, thereby contaminating water bodies. “According to interviews conducted, engineers cited that they were doing more of reactive maintenance rather than planned maintenance.” Results of the assessment also showed that Harare, with the highest population of over 1,5 million people, records the highest number of sewer blockages on average each year, which places residents in the capital city at high risk of contracting waterborne diseases. The United Nations Environment report of 2013 ranked Lake Chivero, Harare’s main water source, as one of the most 10 polluted lakes in the world. Statistics from the audit show that Harare discharges about 4 000 megalitres of raw or partially-treated water into water systems. In responding to the audit, city fathers blamed residents over sewer blockages, citing dumping of kitchen utensils and other items in sewage pipes as the major contributor to infrastructure damages. Although with a higher population, the audit report said Bulawayo had a better sewer system compared to other councils. In 2013 alone, 560 people died of waterborne diseases, while close to 600 000 others contracted the diseases countrywide. In 2008, five years before the audit, Zimbabwe recorded its worst cholera outbreak, which claimed over 5 000 lives, with Harare’s Budiriro and Glen View high-density suburbs the worst hit. Harare and Bulawayo are staring another crisis due to recurrent water shortages, with Harare declaring incapacitation to buy water treatment chemicals. Last week, Harare City Council confirmed four cases of typhoid, a bacterial infection that can be transmitted through contaminated water. The local authorities do not have modern equipment and technologies for sewer system inspection and maintenance and Chiri stated that the government was losing about US$194 million annually owing to poor sanitation practices. The Auditor-General also noted that poor service
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Senior National Correspondent The Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” is on the line, and so is health insurance for millions of Americans as the U.S. Supreme Court will review the law on Tuesday, November 10. With a 6-3 conservative super-majority, thanks to outgoing President Donald Trump and […]
The post Supreme Court scheduled to hear arguments that will determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act appeared first on North Dallas Gazette.
ZIMBABWEANS mainly in urban areas are relying on second-hand undergarments smuggled into the country and sold at flea markets across the country as economic hardships continue to take a toll on the population. BY RICHARD MUPONDE This was revealed in an audit report by the Auditor-General Mildred Chiri which monitored the quality of goods imported in the country by the Industry and Commerce ministry between 2013 and 17. According to the report, hard-hit Zimbabweans have resorted to buying second-hand undergarments and clothes being smuggled into the country. Flea markets selling second-hand undergarments and clothes have sprouted in major towns and cities. In her report, Chiri said the Industry and Commerce ministry was not adequately monitoring the smuggling of substandard goods, leading to the proliferation of the second-hand undergarments and clothes which is having a negative bearing on the clothing industry in the country. “Audit also noted that second-hand clothes and undergarments were being smuggled into the country and sold at designated flea markets such as Mupedzanhamo in Mbare (Harare) and Chinotimba Flea Market in Victoria Falls. My visit to Mbare revealed that there were 10 warehouses which were packed to capacity with bales of second-hand clothing,” part of the report read. “In Mutare and Bulawayo, second-hand undergarments were being sold on the streets, despite the ban on the importation of second-hand undergarments through Statutory Instrument 150 of 2011.” She also said there was rampant smuggling of goods along the borderlines, entry points and through transit fraud due to lack of monitoring. “Smuggling syndicates have mushroomed at Zimbabwe’s busiest ports of entry and along the borderlines after government’s enactment of Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 (repealed by SI 122 of 2017), Statutory Instrument 19 of 2016, Statutory 150 of 2011 which imposed restrictions on imports of basic commodities, second-hand clothes and banning of undergarments,” she said. Chiri, however, noted that in an effort to control the influx of cheaper products which was directly affecting local producers, the Industry and Commerce ministry introduced SI 64 (repealed by SI 122 of 2017). “According to the inspector responsible for anti-smuggling monitoring at Beitbridge Border Post, the introduction of SI 64 necessitated the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee on border management. The role of the inter-ministerial committee is to facilitate identification, prosecution of smuggling offenders and to enable intelligence and security surveillance. The committee is made up of Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe National Army, Mineral Border Control Unit, President’s Office and Zimra [Zimbabwe Revenue Authority],” she said.
Australia and New Zealand will play a trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition next year with five teams from each country competiting.
THE trial of two Beitbridge policemen who allegedly assaulted citizens under the guise of monitoring compliance to the COVID-19 lockdown regulations failed to kick off because their lawyer was absent. BY REX MPHISA Carrotnos Wafawanaka and Hardlife Shoko are accused of assaulting Tafadzwa Mukutiri who sustained serious head injuries on April 17 this year. Resident magistrate Toyindepi Zhou acknowledged receipt of Wafawanaka and Shoko’s Bulawayo lawyer Tatenda Razemba’s letter to the court indicating that he had a commitment at the High Court. “The State has indicated it is ready for trial, but we will note that it is your constitutional right to access legal representation of your choice. I have a letter from your lawyer stating he is committed at the High Court,” Zhou said. Prosecutor Tsitsi Mutukwa suggested that since it was the defence that was not ready, it should propose a date suitable for trial and next Tuesday was agreed upon. Allegations against the two are that they assaulted Mukutiri while he was in handcuffs, accusing him of breaking COVID-19 regulations. Mukutiri, who was in the company of Cyprian Badze and Ronald Kapfunde, was allegedly bashed on the head and sustained deep cuts for which he sought medical attention. The two cops, however, allegedly destroyed his medical affidavit to conceal the crime and ordered Mukutiri to pay a fine. Zhou has already nullified the fine and ordered the police to refund him. Wafawanaka, Shoko and other policemen at Beitbridge Urban face another charge of beating up civilians during arrest while their colleague, Constable Utete from the Canine Unit, faces a charge of setting his dog on non-violent citizens. Up to 20 people were bitten by dogs and treated at Beitbridge District Hospital during the lockdown period. Follow us on Twitter @NewsDayZimbabwe
MONTEGO BAY, St James - The loss of flights to Jamaica from the United Kingdom (UK), stemming from the recent declaration of a new four-week coronavirus lockdown, will negatively impact the island, but Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett is confident that projected arrivals from Britain will start to rebound again by mid-December to January.His confidence is hinged on a strong bookings out of the European market.
MORON De La FRONTERA, Spain-Police in Spain have arrested five people after discovering a state-of-the-art cannabis laboratory hidden underneath tennis courts. More than 551 pounds of marijuana were recently seized from the 2,153-square-foot, underground plantation [...]
