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.
An appeals court in Rabat handed down the sentence after a hearing in which the frail 81-year-old Ziane — once known for his loud and combative rhetoric — was silent as a form of protest.
The court enjoys global jurisdiction.
Investigators will now need the authorization of the court’s judges to open a probe. Bensouda appealed for support from Nigeria’s government.
She said the army has dismissed accusations against government troops after examining them.
Boko Haram strictly opposes formal education. In 2015, Nigeria enlisted the support of neighbors Chad, Cameroon and Niger to try and defeat the group.
While the joint operations made the group lose considerable territory, they have not been able to wipe it out.
The ICC has conducted investigations in several African countries. In Sudan, Libya and Ivory Coast, former leaders were indicted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity after the investigations.
Garikai Mafirakureva Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACCc) investigating officer, Lindiwe Sabeka this week gave evidence against two Chiredzi Town Council officials who were facing criminal abuse of office charges. The two council officials, town Engineer, Wesley Kauma and town planner Consider Kubiku, appeared before Chiredzi Regional magistrate Judith Zuyu, after the corruption case was transferred from the magistrate’s court. Sabeka in her findings nailed the two top council executives when she took to the witness stand. Kubiku and Kauma were arrested by the Zaac on four counts of criminal abuse of office early this year after United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (Uchirra) wrote to ZACC informing them of underhand dealings involving residential stands by council officials. They are currently out on $10 000 bail each. Kauma and Kubiku are facing four counts of criminal abuse of office dating back to 2015 when Kubiku, who was the acting Housing Director, facilitated their acquisition of stands measuring 3 609 square metres and 3 610 square metres respectively at a ridiculously low price of $500 which they did not even bother to pay. Kubiku later sold his stand to Kauma, and the agreement of sale was produced in court by the investigating officer, which showed that he never paid anything to council as was required. Kauma proceeded to construct buildings without following proper council procedures. According to the investigating officer the two executives’ actions resulted in depriving the local authority of its revenue collection by allocating themselves land which they did not pay for. “We received an anonymous report at our office sometime in May 2020 that Chiredzi Town Council employees are abusing their office. “We then visited the local authority in September this year. “We went through the files and we noted that most of the stands in question belonged to Wesley Kauma and Consider Kubiku, the executive members of council,” Sabeka said. Sabeka also said the accounting system indicated that all stands in question were never paid for while one of them which measured 3457 square metres was only paid US$200 leaving a balance of US$800. Sabeka said Kubiku had the duty to ensure developmental control of stands in Chiredzi, to ensure that no illegal developments are mushrooming and that building inspection fees are paid for but he ignored because Kauma was his best friend. Prosecutor Noel Muranda for the State said the stand measuring 451sq m was fully-developed despite the fact that no payment was made. The duo is being represented by Wellington Muzenda of Muzenda and Chitsama Attorneys and the case was remanded to December 14, 2020 for judgment.
BY MOSES MATENGA/VANESSA GONYE/MIRIAM MANGWAYA HUMAN rights groups yesterday said Zimbabwe witnessed severe increased violations of people’s rights this year due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown and pleaded with government to end the use of State agents against the people. In statements to commemorate the International Human Rights Day yesterday, activists said there was need for government to end torture, arbitrary arrests and abductions of citizens. This year’s commemorations were held under the theme Recover Better — Stand Up for Human Rights. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said State actors were used to violate basic rights in Zimbabwe. “Sadly, in Zimbabwe, State actors have over the past year abused and exploited enforcement of regulations enacted to curtail human mobility and interaction thereby providing government with a smokescreen to escalate a systematic assault on human rights defenders and ordinary citizens and restricting their fundamental rights and freedoms in a bid to consolidate executive power,” the ZLHR statement said. They said human rights violations in Zimbabwe had been followed keenly by regional and international blocs, with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) issuing Resolution 443 on the human rights situation in the country, which condemned the deteriorating situation and implored government to stop curtailing freedoms of expression and assembly. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) weighed in saying: “The advent of the lockdown in Zimbabwe saw citizens being subjected to human rights violations by State security agents deployed to enforce lockdown regulations. “Frontline personnel such as healthcare professionals operated with minimum or no access to personal protective equipment, leaving them exposed to COVID-19.” The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said: “In Zimbabwe, human rights violations in the form of abductions, torture, arbitrary arrests, as well as intimidation of journalists for exposing corruption, have been prevalent.” Some of this year’s victims of government’s human rights abuses include journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, who was arrested on spurious charges, trainee journalist Tawanda Muchehiwa, and MDC Alliance MP Joanah Mamombe (Harare West), Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova who were allegedly abducted and tortured by State agents and tortured. The Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (Viset) also said human rights violations were witnessed in Zimbabwe this year after armed forces were unleashed onto the streets and harassed people while forcing vendors out of business. “For vendors and informal traders, the advent of the lockdown also brought the pain of destruction of marketplaces and loss of wares through 'clean-up' operations by local authorities countrywide,” Viset executive director Samuel Wadzai said. ZimRights said COVID-19 impacted on the economic rights of youths as enshrined in section 20 of the Constitution which guarantees access to education, the right to participate, and protecti
(NNPA) - Before the November election, politics prevented successful negotiations for a new coronavirus stimulus package. One month later, politics continue to play a central theme in the still failing talks between Democrats and Republicans, with many on Capitol Hill pointing to the all-important Senate runoff elections scheduled to occur in early January that could […]
(Partner Content) Global equity markets were broadly positive in November as investors welcomed the news of three prospective Covid-19 vaccines and their imminent global rollout.
Signifyin’-Sept 30, 2020 I was selecting books from my 200-plus collection for give-away Sunday, when I ran across Bill Dahlk’s historical epic ‘Against the Wind: African Americans-the Schools in Milwaukee, 1963-2002.’ Instead of being placed in my pass-along to the ‘ill-informed, brainwashed or confused’ box, Dahlk’s classic work quickly made a bee-line to the […]
The post Still Walking Into A Strong Wind appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
(NNPA) - Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has sounded the alarm about the increasing number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. With approximately 273,000 reported deaths in 2020, Dr. Redfield said this week that the nation is on course to reach about 450,000 deaths by February. […]
The nation's top infectious diseases expert, Anthony Fauci, recently addressed skepticism among the Black community surrounding the safety of a coronavirus vaccine, stating that one of the major vaccine candidates has been worked on by an African
BY MOSES MATENGA PARLIAMENT has summoned Local Government and Public Works minister July Moyo for grilling over the mass demolition of houses in Harare, which have brought President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration under the spotlight for human rights abuses. The august House, exercising its oversight function, also wants Moyo to give a ministerial statement explaining the rationale behind the demolitions. The also wanted a plausible explanation especially given that the demolitions were happening at a time Zimbabwe has received heavy rains and was in the middle of a major fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. About 200 houses were demolished by the City of Harare City in Budiriro, Harare, after the local authority obtained a High Court order to destroy the structures arguing they were illegally erected. The demolitions attracted censure from the civil society, opposition political parties and other stakeholders who questioned the timing of the move. Pictures of people braving the heavy rains, which included women and children crying and men battling to salvage and secure their belongings exposed to the vagaries of the weather, went viral on social media, triggering an outpour of sympathy. Some of the pictures showed furniture strewn all over in the mud, with only a few people having managed to ferry their property to safer places. Opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, who visited the area on Thursday, described the demolitions as “callous, disproportionate and inhumane”. Parliament is keen to establish why the government allowed the demolitions to proceed in the current unfavourable weather conditions that have left thousands of people, mainly children exposed. The affected residents under the Tembwe Housing co-operative, chaired by a Zanu PF official and 2018 losing candidate in the party primary elections Caleb Kadye, were left to face the rains and exposed to waterborne diseases at a time COVID-19 cases were also soaring. Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya demanded answers on Thursday on why the government was allowing that to happen. “However, in respect of Section 51 of our Constitution which provides for human dignity and Section 52 of the Constitution which provides for personal security, I implore the Government to properly consider its timing when demolishing illegal houses,” Chikwinya said. “Just yesterday (Wednesday), illegal settlements in Budiriro were destroyed amidst rainfall and bad weather. My call today and my prayer is that yes, whilst the laws may provide that the houses are illegal, I implore the executive to consider the timing of destroying such in respect of human dignity and personal security.” Ironically, Chikwinya said, the demolitions came on the day Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating International Human Rights Day. He said the demolitions were a violation of people’s rights and dignity especially coming when the government has not provided an alternative. “Zimbabwe having enacted the new Constitution in 2013 enacted Section 44 of that Constitution that provid
In a resurgence of the federal death penalty at the end of President Donald Trump’s tenure, his administration has scheduled executions this week for two men convicted in separate Texas murders on military property. Brandon Bernard, 40, and Alfred Bourgeois, 56, are set to die in the federal death chamber in Indiana on Thursday and Friday evenings, respectively. They […]
BY MOSES MATENGA/WINSTONE ANTONIO PARLIAMENT has exposed government for its failure to address the plight of soldiers by not providing essentials that include medical aid and allowances, as well as adequate food rations, resulting in the military personnel “marching on empty stomachs”. This was revealed on Wednesday in a report by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs chaired by Umzingwane MP Levi Mayihlome (Zanu PF) which was presented during debate on the Finance Bill to do with the 2021 National Budget. Mayihlome said as a result of poor budgetary support of the army, morale was low, hence, the need to boost determination in the army and equip the soldiers with modern technology as the current one was archaic. Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, in his 2021 budget statement announced in November allocated the Defence and War Veterans Affairs ministry $23,75 billion instead of their proposed budget of $158,4 billion. Mayihlome said the 2021 salary allocations showed that the Finance ministry did not take into cognisance the approved military salary concept. “An army marches on its stomach. Rations are an institutional requirement, but the allocations are so paltry, one would get the impression that someone thinks he is doing the military a favour,” Mayihlome said. “The most seriously distressed expenditure items in the ministry were employment costs that currently do not reflect the approved military salary concept. On funeral benefits for the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), no funds were allocated for funerals, yet it is part of their conditions of service,” he said. The report said ZDF members, their families and war veterans were failing to access healthcare services, posing a danger to the effectiveness of the army. He said the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) was grossly or not funded on funeral and medical expenses for the military and their dependents. “Currently, using PSMAS (Premier Service Medical Aid), but the claims are not being honoured. Thinking of PSMAS — can someone tell me how soldiers on operations or on important training exercises are expected to access or benefit from the use of PSMAS?” Mayihlome said the ZDF had not been paid travel and subsistence allowances (T&S) paid when soldiers were deployed and as a result a huge backlog has been accumulated. “The ZDF has accumulated a backlog on T&S, medical supplies and services where the war veterans, the ZDF members and their dependents are failing to access free health services,” he said. On allocation of food, he said it was too paltry to serve that purpose. He said as a result of Ncube’s paltry allocations to the army, the focus was now on the welfare of soldiers, instead of focusing on their training and acquisition of new combat technology. “The military need to have the appropriate tools of the trade, when there is peace so that they practice with those tools for there is no room for trial and error in actual combat. The military must not exist to be paid monthly salaries, they must be equipped and trained for war. It foll
By NOMAAN MERCHANT and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — More than half of House Republicans, including their top two leaders, are backing a Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden's victory in an extraordinary display of the party's willingness to subvert the will of voters. Seventeen Republican attorneys general and 126 members of Congress have joined Texas and President Donald Trump in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out millions of votes in four battleground states based on baseless claims of fraud. On Friday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Minority Whip Steve […]
The post Republicans line up behind Trump's attack on the election appeared first on Black News Channel.
It It is a story that's decades-old but still rings true today.
HBO documentary '40 years a prisoner' revisits Philadelphia in 1978 when the black liberation group Move was involved in an epic police siege and shootout.
A police officer was killed in the shootout for which nine Move members were convicted and sentenced to 30 years to life.
The Philadelphia police said they received complaints from neighbors, under orders from mayor Frank Rizzo, who ordered the group to vacate. But the situation escalated into violence.
The story documents the past event and follows Mike Africa Jr, whose parents were arrested in the raid and how he tried to free them.
\"The story captures the deep-seated racism and issues in the city of Philadelphia that we can see, that we can really begin to make some changes on,\" said Africa.
\"'40 Years a Prisoner' captures the human-ness of us, of who we are, and it shows who we are versus the image that we've been portrayed as. And that is the element that I think is so valuable in it, because people get to see us for us, who we are and how we interact with each other, the love we share with each other.\"
The film shows the shocking footage of one of the Move members, Delbert Africa, is beaten by three police officers while he is unarmed, showing how police brutality and systematic racism ensues to this day.
Director Tommy Oliver finished editing the movie in June, just days after George Floyd was killed under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis.
\"It's a cautionary tale in a big way, because when we forget our history, we're doomed to repeat it. And this was something that, like you said, you didn't know about it, your parents barely knew about it,\" said Oliver
\"And here we are fighting for the same thing some 40 years later, fighting against police brutality, wrongful incarceration, systemic racism, abuse of power.\"
The siege ranks as one of the most violent clashes of the black liberation struggle involving Move and the Black Panthers in the late 1960s and 1970s.
But systemic racism and police brutality are not the only themes of the film.
\"But it's also a story about love. It's a story about a child's love. It's a story about romantic love. It's a story about the love of a city,\" Oliver said.
It also ends on a somewhat upbeat note with his parents released 40 years later and the film captures the first hug between mother and son.
MANY people view the British government’s handling of COVID-19 and the Brexit negotiations as incompetent and lacking common sense. GUEST COLUMN: Gina Miller But beneath all the controversies about test and trace, PPE and deal or no deal, what if there is an ideological agenda being cunningly and cynically executed during this time of crisis? Boris Johnson once described COVID-19 as an “invisible mugger”. I am starting to wonder if that is how we will come to see his government’s impact on our country. That is because Johnson has used his parliamentary majority, and the Conservatives’ innumerable business and media friends, to systematically relieve us of our democratic checks and balances, and even our freedoms. Consider Johnson’s actions: he has been willing to resort to emergency legislation to avoid awkward questions or debate in the House of Commons; clauses in the Internal Market Bill would have allowed him to break nternational law; his covert Intelligence Bill (known as the “licence to kill” Bill) implicitly permits undercover agents to break the law if they perceive a threat to national security. Further to this, he has used hundreds of statutory instruments (which allow him to evade parliamentary scrutiny), and introduced a judicial review, aimed at denying access to the courts for those who wish to challenge the government, and giving the prime minister the power to appoint judges. And now he has set up a review of the Human Rights Act. In addition to all these, Johnson has piled powers on himself under the Coronavirus Emergency Act — a power grab on a scale unseen in this country for 400 years. Britain has not only operated for centuries on the basis of checks and balances, but earned a global reputation based on them. It is significant that the supreme court, now in Johnson’s line of fire, found for me and my legal teams in our actions to uphold parliamentary sovereignty, first against the government of Theresa May and then his. We have already witnessed how Johnson’s ministers refuse to publish reports, COVID-19 procurement contracts, Brexit impact studies. They even scorn scrutiny by parliamentary committees: the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, refused to appear before the Treasury select committee, and the business secretary, Alok Sharma, shunned the Business select committee. Johnson’s is emphatically not a “one nation” Conservative government, but is being guided by principles of isolationism, authoritarianism and economic elitism. His ideas can be found in a booklet published in 2012 called Britannia Unchained that was once seen on the floor of his car. Its authors — Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore and Liz Truss — spoke scornfully of Britain being a bloated State, with too many taxes and regulations for businesses and employers, and of our workers being “among the worst idlers in the world”. All of its authors have served in Johnson’s government. In 2016 Sunak, then a backbench MP, wrote a report for the rightwing Centre for Policy Studies stating that “free ports” — areas with l
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is one of several contenders under consideration by President-elect Joe Biden for the role of attorney general, a person with knowledge of the search process said Friday. The other three contenders at the moment include former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, said the person, who cautioned that no decision had been reached and no announcement was expected imminently. The person was not authorized to discuss the search process by name and spoke on condition of […]
The post AP source: Cuomo among contenders for attorney general pick appeared first on Black News Channel.
As Covid-19 cases spiked and a racial reckoning exploded over the summer, more than half of Black and Latino adults felt angry about the state of the country.The number of Black adults who said they were angry dropped to 41% in the weeks after Nov. 3 from …
ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) is confident the 2020/21 domestic cricket season will progress smoothly despite recording five COVID-19 cases on the eve of the Logan Cup competition that got underway in Harare on Wednesday. The positive cases were confirmed after up to 100 players and support staff members were tested for the coronavirus during a screening exercise conducted before they could enter into a bio-secure bubble set up for the first-class tournament. All the five infected individuals are not showing any symptoms and have since been isolated, with the ZC medical team constantly monitoring them. Having set up the bio-secure bubble as part of stringent measures aimed at greatly minimising the risk of players and support staff contracting COVID-19, ZC is expecting all its domestic competitions to be played and completed in a safe environment without any disruptions. Logan Cup matches that started today with Mountaineers facing Eagles at Harare Sports Club and Tuskers taking on Rhinos at Old Hararians Sports Club marked the beginning of the 2020/21 season. The five provincial teams taking part in the first-class championship, including Southern Rocks, are all staying at a strictly controlled accommodation facility in the capital. Accordingly, all those in the bio-secure bubble — which apart from the accommodation also encompasses the practice and match venues as well as buses that are all regularly sanitised and cleaned — are not permitted to have access to families, visitors, friends and relatives for the duration of their stay in the controlled environment. Besides being expected to adhere to all COVID-19 protocols such as the regular sanitising of hands and observation of physical distancing, all individuals within the bio-secure bubble are monitored daily through temperature and symptom checks. At ZC, the health and welfare of all employees remains the top priority. — ZC
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu said SASSA is currently piloting the automation of social grant applications.
Statement of Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II December 11, 2020 I would like to congratulate Walnut Way Conservation Corp, a neighborhood-based nonprofit known for its innovative work in economic and environmental health and wellness, and their leadership for cutting the ribbon this week on the second phase of the Innovations & Wellness Commons (“The […]
The post Walnut Way leading the way with second phase of Commons project in Lindsay Heights appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
By JONATHAN LEMIRE and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is introducing five top picks for his new administration on Friday, drawing on leading names from the Obama White House while also tapping an Ohio congresswoman and a congressional committee veteran. Appearing at the afternoon event are Biden's choice for director of White House Domestic Policy Council, Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama's national security adviser and U.N. ambassador; and Denis McDonough, Obama's White House chief of staff, now nominated as veterans affairs secretary. Also attending will be Biden's selection for agriculture secretary, […]
The post Biden unveils top picks with deep Obama administration ties appeared first on Black News Channel.
It is going to be a hard Christmas for many Americans. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is soaring. The virus is spreading faster than ever. Families and small business owners whose incomes have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic are being hurt by the U.S. Senate’s refusal to provide any relief since April. This […]
The post Demand Republicans to stop blocking COVID-19 relief appeared first on Daytona Times.
The tiny New England state has added about 123 new cases per 100,000 people each day over the last week.
Namibia has appointed a technical team to look into logistical requirements of importing a COVID-19 vaccine.
The southern African country’s minister of health said the team was instructed to study the storage, transport and distribution needs, local newspaper The Namibian reported on Friday.
Namibia lacks the infrastructure needed to store or distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. Most of the vaccine candidates so far require ultra-cold conditions for storage and distribution.
Namibia has paid $1.9m to the COVAX programme, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to ensure equitable access to safe and effective vaccines - to secure the medicines for her people.
The country targets to vaccinate 20% of its population. Frontline health workers and people of advanced age will be the first recipients of the jabs.
Namibia has recorded 16,097 cumulative cases, 14,332 recoveries and 160 deaths.
The country has a population of nearly 2.5 million people.
Neighboring Angola on Thursday said it expected to receive five million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021.
Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta said seven million more doses would be delivered in April in partnership with COVAX.
Angola has so far reported 15,925 positive cases, 362 deaths, and 8,679 recoveries.
Egypt on Thursday took delivery of the first batch of China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
Morocco on Wednesday announced that it was gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month.
The North African kingdom is pinning its hopes on two vaccine candidates, one developed by China’s Sinopharm and the other by Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
It seeks to vaccinate 80% of its adults, or 25 million people, as soon as the vaccines get regulatory approval.
This year, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was slated to be Marvel Studios’ first big Disney+ original series, but unfortunately,... View Article
The post 'Falcon and the Winter Soldier' with Anthony Mackie trailer released appeared first on TheGrio.
By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — India is facing two public health emergencies simultaneously: critically polluted air and the pandemic. And Surinder Singh, a bus driver in the capital New Delhi, is trapped between them both. In previous years, the government encouraged more people to use buses that run on cleaner fuels, like the one he drives, as an emergency air quality measure. But this year there are limits on passengers to maintain social distance. The air stings Singh's eyes and he worries about contracting the virus every time a person gets on board. Still reeling […]
The post India's pandemic recovery plan could cost air quality goals appeared first on Black News Channel.
The Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, along with the Ward 7 Business Partnership, has been awarded a DC Main Streets Grant by the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development.
Nigerian authorities have warned on Friday against the circulation of fake coronavirus vaccines in the country, where 10 million real doses of the shots are expected in March.
Cleary the hope is that if the information comes from Black people who work in the medical field and public health, the information will be more readily received.
