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“I heard it in our hotel that a bet had been made for a correct scoreline of 5-1 against my club Inter Allies. “I decided to spoil that bet because I don’t condone betting."- Inter Allies defender Hashmin Musah
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.
Statement of Common Council President Cavalier Johnson November 11, 2020 In a year with so much uncertainty and confusion, there are very few things that we can know for certain. We do not know exactly when this pandemic will end, when things will return to normal, or when we can see some of our […]
The post Sacrifice and service of veterans resonates more deeply this year appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met with a main opposition rival on Wednesday and promised to pursue talks aimed at calming a standoff over the October 31 election, which has ignited clashes killing scores of people.
Ouattara met with opposition candidate and former president Henri Konan Bedie in Abidjan.
The election handed Ouaterra a third term, which some say violates a two-term constitutional limit.
\"It was a first meeting... to break the ice and restore trust,\" said Ouattara.
\" And we agreed to meet again very soon to continue this dialogue, which has got off to a good start and mutual trust is restored.\"
Both Ouattara, 78, a nd Bedie said the meeting was an important first step but did not indicate that they had made any concessions.
Bedie, 86, said: “In the days and weeks ahead, we will call each other and meet so that the country becomes what it was before.”
Ouattara was declared victor of the election with more than 94 percent of the vote, which was boycotted by the main opposition.
Up to 85 people have been killed in the clashes that ensued after Ouattara decided to run for a third term.
More than 8,000 people have fled the country to seek refuge in neighbouring states, fearing the violence last seen after the 2010 election, which killed more than 3,000 people, could reignite.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned the nation that, although the country has endured a lot, the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over.
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Hurricanes are keeping their staying power longer once they make landfall, spreading more inland destruction, according to a new study. Warmer ocean waters from climate change are likely making hurricanes lose power more slowly after landfall, because they act as a reserve fuel tank for moisture, the study found. With Hurricane Eta threatening Florida and the Gulf Coast in a few days, the study's lead author warned of more damage away from the coast than in the past. The new study looked at 71 Atlantic hurricanes with landfalls since 1967. It found that in […]
The post Hurricanes stay stronger longer after landfall than in past appeared first on Black News Channel.
Libya's warring sides agreed in UN-led talks on Wednesday a plan to hold elections within 18 months, as diplomatic efforts grow to end a decade of violence in the North African country.
Delegates from across Libya \"reached a preliminary roadmap for ending the transitional period and organizing free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections,\" interim UN envoy Stephanie Williams told journalists.
The talks in Tunisia aim to create a framework and a temporary government to prepare for elections as well as providing services in a country devastated by years of war, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Williams stressed the need to move quickly to \"national elections which must be transparent and based on full respect for freedom of expression and assembly.\"
The Tunisia dialogue comes alongside military negotiations inside Libya to fill in the details of a landmark October ceasefire deal.
Libya is dominated by an array of armed groups and two executives: the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, the product of a 2015 UN-led process, and a legislature elected in 2014 and allied with eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
The UN selected the 75 invitees to the political talks to represent existing institutions and the diversity of Libyan society, a move that has sparked criticism of the process and its credibility.
The talks took place as a joint military commission of senior pro-GNA and pro-Haftar commanders continued meetings in Sirte, the hometown of longtime dictator Muammar Gadhafi whose 2011 toppling sparked Libya's crumble into chaos.
Sirte is on the line dividing zones controlled by the two forces, after Haftar's year-long bid to seize the western city of Tripoli crumbled in June with a blistering GNA counter-attack.
The ceasefire deal and military talks since have triggered hopes of an accompanying political deal.
Wednesday's talks were overshadowed by the fatal shooting of a prominent lawyer and women's rights activist in the eastern city of Benghazi the previous day.
Hanan al-Barassi, a vocal critic of corruption, abuse of power, and violence against women, was killed in broad daylight by unidentified armed men.
\"Her tragic death illustrates the threats that are faced by Libyan women as they dare to speak out,\" Williams said.
Bemoaning a \"crisis of accountability\" across Libya, she called for justice for Barassi's killers but declined to comment on whether the lawyer's death was linked to the talks.
\"There will be obstructionists, there will be people who don’t want change,\" she said.
But, she added, most Libyans \"have an overwhelming desire to reclaim their sovereignty and restore the legitimacy of their institutions.\"
After days of counting in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, President Obama’s former Vice President, Joe Biden, and California Senator, Kamala Harris, won the 2020 race for the White House. News of their victory sparked spontaneous celebrations around the country. In Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta people took to the streets on foot and in cars in celebration … Continue reading \"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Defeat Trump and Change History\"
DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties see Tier 2 restrictions By Diane Pathieu and ABC 7 Chicago Digital Team Governor JB Pritzker's Tier 2 COVID-19 restrictions take effect in four suburban Chicago counties Wednesday as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the state. Illinois public health officials reported 12,623 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday along with […]
South African prosecutors on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for Ace Magashule, the secretary-general of the ruling African National Congress party.
It’s alleged that Magashule benefitted from a contract to audit how many houses in the province still had asbestos roofs, which was given to his close associates.
The contract was for $15 million, but only $1.2 million was spent on the audit, according to testimony at a government inquiry into corruption during former president Jacob Zuma’s time in power from 2009 to 2018.
Magashule’s pending arrest follows that of other co-accused, currently out on bail, and the seizure of assets including luxury properties and vehicles believed to be purchased from the proceeds of the contract.
Magashule has been implicated in other corruption scandals, including one where more than $19 million to help poor black farmers in the Free State province establish a large dairy business was instead funneled to Zuma’s associates.
The dairy fund was allegedly looted when Magashule was the leader of the Free State province.
Magashule’s prosecution will be the most high-profile since President Cyril Ramaphosa became president in 2018. Having put the fight against corruption high up on his list of priorities during his campaign for the presidency of the country, Ramaphosa is under pressure to show that he can effectively fight graft.
The judicial inquiry, known as the Zondo Commission, is receiving testimony describing significant corruption during former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure, from 2009 to 2018. Zuma, already facing corruption charges, has publicly lambasted the commission.
Magashule said Tuesday that he was not aware of his pending arrest and he would consult his lawyers. He spoke to reporters while campaigning for local elections in Soweto township.
Schools will open again and children will benefit from in-class instruction. But only when it’s safe for all concerned. We have not reached that moment yet.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Wednesday, 11 November 2020, giving an update on the country’s efforts to counter the spread of COVID-19
Beyoncé
Ramaphosa said all South Africans should demonstrate their remembrance, of all those who have departed, through five days of mourning.
THERE is much debate about the 2020 US elections. However, there are neither cogent arguments nor consistent scientific analysis that explain what is going on. This article seeks to cut through the noise and bring rationality and reason to the discourse. GUEST COLUMNIST: AUTHOR. G. O. MUTAMBARA A new electoral system In their national efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the November 2020 electoral process, the United States, through its various States, introduced a new electoral system with the following provisions: Postal ballot voting for anyone who wants to use it; Early in-person voting for anyone who wants to do so; Election day, in-person voting. This contrasts with the old system: Election day, in-person voting (as the primary electoral method); Postal ballot voting for a few who apply and justify; Early in-person voting; only for a few exceptional cases. Although the new electoral system was put in place to mitigate COVID-19, it presents different and better voting opportunities to citizens than the old system. It is not equivalent to the old system. Why do we say this? The new system makes it easier and less onerous for a citizen to cast a vote. The new system leads to a higher turnout for every candidate who embraces it. For purposes of illustration, if a candidate has 100 supporters, under the old system, we can assume 60 will vote, whereas under the new system the number will increase say to 80. There are various reasons why supporters do not cast their votes. Under the new system, those reasons are reduced, hence the increased turnout. Another impact of the new electoral system was to remove voting logistical constraints experienced in some constituencies such as few polling stations, prohibitive documentation requirements, and other voter suppression shenanigans. The new system radically enabled the voter. Trump’s strategic error Donald Trump did not embrace the new system, while Joe Biden did. Trump's wrong assumption was that all his supporters would show up on election day, November 3, 2020. He did not understand that the new system has the potential to affect the turnout for every candidate. Biden and the Democrats whole-heartedly embraced the new system and mobilised their supporters to take advantage of postal votes and early in-person voting. In some cases, Trump did the opposite by casting aspersion about the new system, thus discouraging his supporters from utilising postal voting and early in-person voting. This was disastrous. Trump practised voter suppression against himself. If he did not like the new system, he had two options: Launch legal challenges at the state level to stop the new system in all the states, way before the election date. Of course, this was not going to succeed because the states have the power to run elections in the United States. The Federal Government has no role. Having failed to stop the new system, Trump should have embraced it and encouraged his supporters to utilise it maximally. He did not exercise either of these two opti
Many world leaders secretly aspire to the methods and priorities that made Trump such a sinister authoritarian figure of formidable power
Here we look at five things we learned from the 2020 IPL tournament, which was played behind closed doors in the United Arab Emirates.
FOLLOWING THE announcement of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, and speculation on the logistics and priority order...
The post COVID vaccine for children: To immunise or not to immunise? appeared first on Voice Online.
To date, the U.S. has exceeded 10 million COVID cases and as the colder months draw near that number will only climb. Many parents have been infected and plenty more will be infected. So while an emphasis on prevention is important, it is also necessary to discuss how to deal in the event of a positive diagnosis.
Hospice Savannah recognizes there has been no global, national, or local collective grief response to the loss we have all experienced this year. Because of the coronavirus, many have been denied attending traditional funerals, family and memorial gatherings. From the safety of home, community members are invited to virtually join Hospice Savannah’s grief counselors on Sunday, December 6, 2020 at … Continue reading \"Hospice Savannah Celebrates 29th Annual Tree of Light\"
WASHINGTON, DC - The Food and Drug Administration is facing mounting calls to stop making pharmaceutical companies test drugs on dogs while the world waits for an effective coronavirus vaccine. The agency has for decades [...]
A down payment has already been made for Jamaica to access the coronavirus vaccine for a sliver of the population once it becomes available, but failure to immunise a significant number of nationals is unlikely to eliminate COVID-19 in the north...
BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA HARARE magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa yesterday castigated Hopewell Chin’ono’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa for embarrassing State prosecutors after she told the court that corruption was stopping prosecutors from owning cars. This was after prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti had pleaded with the court to adjourn early so that they could be able to catch Zupco buses to ferry them home. “Your Worship, I pray that the court be adjourned, considering the predicament of many of us who rely on public transport so that we knock off early and we catch the Zupco buses,” he said. Mtetwa then interjected, saying: “If there was no corruption, they should have bought cars by now and will not be using public transport. I was a prosecutor and I bought a car in my first year of practice because there was no corruption.” Mutsokoti’s co-prosecutor Fungura Shambadzeni then asked the court to order Mtetwa to withdraw her statement. Gofa then ordered both the State and defence councils to meet her in her chambers over the matter. “Allow the court proceedings to run smoothly without humiliating each other. Meet me in my chambers. If you don’t come, I will bring this matter in this court,” she said. Addressing journalists outside the Harare Magistrates Court, Mtetwa said she withdrew the statement and apologised to the State since she had uttered them out of jest. Gofa dismissed Chin’ono’s application to be removed from remand, arguing that the tweet which he posted constituted an offence as it jeopardised the Judiciary system. Chin’ono is being accused of posting information that impaired the dignity, reputation and authority of the courts. Through his lawyers, Mtetwa and Gift Mtisi, Chin’ono yesterday applied for bail which was, however, opposed by the State. In challenging bail opposition by the State, Mtetwa said Chin’ono was eligible for bail since he was out of custody on another pending more serious case which attracted a five-year jail term. She also said the investigating officer, Naison Chirape, was opposing bail out of malice because Chin’ono had told the truth which the prosecution was not happy about. The bail hearing continues today.
Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris rode huge margins among Black voters in decisive swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin last week to become the declared winners in an historic and volatile presidential election.
The post Biden, Harris declared White House victors appeared first on The Bay State Banner.
In a fight to revive a rare cultural heritage and heal a nation scarred by conflict a Central African Republic band and dancers are trying to revamp the country's traditional music and dance style - known as \"Motenguene\".
Its name translates into \"the dance of the caterpillars,\" and was handed down by the Pygmies, who gathered for food in ancestral forests in the southwest.
In the capital Bangui, the band Zokela gets the audience on its feet with its jangle of guitars.
It is one of four such traditions in the CAR, along with the \"bird dance\" from the north, the \"fish dance\" of the southeast and the \"savannah dance\" of central regions.
Zokela have been trying to revamp Motenguene's image for nearly 30 years.
In their shows, traditional bead necklaces and antelope skins are usually swapped for city-slicker clothes, while the kora -- a delicate, long-necked harp lute favoured in much of West Africa -- has given way to the electric guitar.
Social fabric
\"We are using this dance to distinguish ourselves a bit from our brothers in Congo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon,\" Saint-Pierre Dibaba Alagomme, the founder of Zokela, tells AFP.
Keeping the sound alive is also vital to the country's social fabric,
The CAR has been ravaged by decades of violence, corruption and nepotism.
In 2013, a coalition of armed groups from the Muslim minority ousted president Francois Bozize, plunging the country into a maelstrom of communal bloodshed.
But the musicians have another battle to fight.
For all the lively rhythms, it's difficult for the music to survive as concerts are poorly paid.
The CAR has no professional record industry and musicians must make do with the meagre fees from playing clubs and private functions such as weddings.
These events bring an average income equivalent to 75 euros (about $90) to be shared by 12 to 15 people.
Royalties
Recordings made in local studios are also considered too amateur for export. To make matters worse, professional musicians are also owed copyright fees dating back over 30 years.
\"It is our duty to promote this sector of activity, but there is one thing that must also be recognised, and that is that artists and cultural actors as a whole, are not receiving their royalties,\" says cultural promoter Yvon Eka.
\"Culture is the identity of a country. The crisis that the Central African Republic is going through today is cultural.\"
This year, The government drew up a national cultural policy to help.
\"We started with the realisation that the public consumes a lot more products from abroad, because there is no promotion of Central African culture as such,\" says Philippe Bokoula, director general of the ministry of arts and culture.
In July, a law was passed to make the Bucada operational.
\"The major part of the finance will come from the state, while we spread awareness among the radio stations and consumers and draw up charts with a scale of tariffs,\" Bokoula says.
Yet, the initiative -- awaited for decades -- remains in limbo, pending the publication of a
BY SILAS NKALA FORMER Botswana President Festus Mogae and Choppies managing director Ottapathu Ramachandran have been sucked into the legal battle between former Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko and retail group, Choppies Enterprises. Mogae and Ramachandran are expected to explain their role in allegedly helping Choppies bypass provisions of Zimbabwe’s Indigenisation Act. The developments came after Mphoko and his son, Siqokoqela, recently sued Nanavac Investments in Bulawayo, Choppies Enterprises and Choppies Distribution Centre (Proprietary) Limited both in Gaborone, Botswana, demanding payment of their 51% shares which they held before they were “unlawfully” divested of their entire shareholding by the company. Latest revelations are that, in a letter addressed to Mphoko when the fallout started, Mogae who is former Choppies chairperson, had informed the Mphokos that they entered into partnership “with a clear understanding of the shareholding of 93% shares to Choppies Enterprise and 7% to the Mphoko family, free of charge”. The Mphoko family has since denied the 7% shares prescribed to them by Mogae indicating that they were the majority shareholders in terms of Zimbabwean laws. In their application filed at the Bulawayo High Court, the Mphokos claimed that at all material times, they were majority shareholders in Choppies, holding an aggregate of 51% shares therein. Mphoko and his son reportedly owned 25,5% each in a joint venture trading as Nanavac Investments, while Choppies Enterprises held the remaining 49%. Through their lawyer Zibusiso Ncube, the Mphokos said in or about 2018, a dispute arose between Siqokoqela and Choppies, which resulted in Choppies instituting legal proceedings against the former Vice-President’s son, his wife and Choppies in the High Court. Siqokoqela and his wife were immediately arrested for fraud. In order to secure their freedom, Siqokoqela on January 9, 2019 signed a deed of settlement with Choppies Enterprises in terms of which the Mphokos disposed of their shareholding to the company. The lawyers said as per the deed of settlement, the Mphokos were to be paid US$2 900 000 by Choppies for the acquisition of the Mphokos full rights and title to the first defendant’s shareholding. The lawyers said that deed of settlement was void because the Mphokos signed it under duress after the arrest and detention of Siqokoqela and his wife on malicious and false charges. The Mphokos are seeking an order declaring as unlawful the deed of settlement in terms of which they were divested of their entire shareholding in Choppies. They are also claiming US$22 585 714, representing the value of the 51% shareholding which they claim control in the retail group.
… Rep. Maxine Waters said of African Americans who voted for the president …
WESTERN BUREAU: Face-to-face classes were completed successfully at Somerton All-Age and Infant in St James on Tuesday as a 17-school pilot got under way with COVID-19 social-distancing and sanitising protocols. Somerton was one of three schools...
By BEN FOX and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Some dramatic moves on immigration are expected in the early days of the Biden administration. Joe Biden will likely use executive orders to reverse some of President Donald Trump's most controversial actions, rolling back moves that were a central feature of his administration and important to his base. The Biden administration plans to restore protection for people brought to the U.S. illegally as minors and stop using Pentagon funds to build a border wall. Biden unveiled a detailed, highly ambitious plan on immigration, but it will take time to […]
The post Some big, early shifts on immigration expected under Biden appeared first on Black News Channel.
It's estimated that a total of '30 000 hijackings' took place in South Africa,over the past 12 months - here's what you need to look out for.