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Clashes between police and a pro-Iranian Nigerian Shiite group protesting against Israel's incursion into Gaza left one person dead and several injured on Thursday in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, AFP learnt from both sides.
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.
Nelson Mandela Bay, a COVID-19 hotspot, is an epicentre and, and the district may face stricter lockdown regulations as infections increase.
Black policy leaders will play a pivotal role in President-elect Joe Biden’s transition, marking one of the most diverse agency... View Article
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Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday that Maryland will provide an additional $70 million in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic amid a surge in state cases, with the funds going toward items such as personal protective equipment, vaccination supplies and food banks.
Taking Up Arms
A military operation has been launched by Morocco in the buffer zone of Guerguerat near Mauritania, as announced Friday.
The North African nation also denounced \"the provocations of the Polisario\" in Western Sahara — once a colony of Spain with a still undefined status. Classified as a \"non-autonomous territory\" by the United Nations (UN).
The aim of the ongoing operation is to \"put an end to the blockade situation\" and \"restore free civil and commercial movement\" on the road leading to Mauritania — whose existence is denounced by the Sahrawi independence fighters and which Rabat considers essential for its trade with sub-Saharan Africa.
For about three weeks, local sources claim militias of some 70 armed men have been \"attacking truckers, banning traffic and racketeering.\"
All this in spite of UN settlement efforts — as the organisation-led negotiations involving Morocco, the Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania have been suspended for several months.
Polisario in response has stated its Sahrawi troops will retaliate in self-defence in light of what it perceives as Morocco being \"aggressive\" and liquidating the 1991 cease-fire.
Background
The region of Guerguerat has already been at the centre of strong tensions between the Polisario and Morocco, particularly in early 2017. Morocco controls more than two-thirds of this vast desert territory in its western part, along the Atlantic Ocean and has seen friction for decades with the pro-independence Polisario Front supported by Algeria.
BY PATRICIA SIBANDA EPIDEMIOLOGY and disease control director in the Health and Child Care ministry, Portia Manangazira, has emphasised on the need for the unification of traditional and conventional medicines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing a workshop in Bulawayo on Wednesday, Manangazira said there was need to ensure the maximum use of locally available medicines and herbs in the supportive care and management of COVID-19 patients. She said her ministry had harnessed traditional medical practitioners, conventional medical practitioners and their communities together so that dual intervention is done to mitigate COVID-19. “So we must start, we should have continued and furthered that, and today, we would be having even a large manufacturing plant which we say, it's our marula tree or some other nutritious shrub,” she said. “Sometimes we end up having healthy animals and malnourished people and we haven’t really explored that. All I am saying is, we are living and failing to utilise our locally available medicines.” She said it was worrisome that the ministry had not taken traditional medicine on board. “We do have a lot of herbs and they form raw materials for the pharmaceuticals. If I heard correctly, the International Traditional Healers Association leader said uMsuzwane has got some anti-ceptive properties, a bit disappointing is that we have not taken our traditional medicine a step further so that we describe and display the content and the ingredients in the market places.” Manangazira said the late former Health minister Herbert Ushewokunze attempted to introduce the system, but died before his ideas were adopted. “I think we are also in the right place because at some time, we had a former Minister of Health, the late Herbert Ushewokunze. He operated the Marondera Clinic here in Bulawayo and that clinic was unique. It would treat you for modern medicine if you so wished or for traditional medicine and he had labels on his containers, but he died and that practice also died with him,” she said.
Mielle Organics and \"Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey\" are teaming up for the best holiday gift ever -- healthy hair and representation little Black girls with natural hair will love!
By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Two workers were killed in an explosion Friday while repairing a steam pipe in a maintenance building at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Connecticut, officials said. Alfred Montoya Jr., director of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said the men were in the basement of the small outer building and had just finished routine maintenance on a leaky pipe. He said the explosion occurred just after 8 a.m. as the pipe was being refilled with steam. The names of those killed were not immediately released. One was a contractor and the […]
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By MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Chief Medical Writer A daily pill combining four cholesterol and blood pressure medicines taken with low-dose aspirin cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths by nearly one third in a large international study that's expected to lead to wider use of this 'polypill' approach. For more than a decade, doctors have been testing whether the cheap, all-in-one combo pills could make it easier to prevent heart disease, the top killer worldwide. Friday's results show their value — and not just for poor nations. 'It's for all sensible countries,' said Dr. Salim Yusuf of […]
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THE ability of Zimbabwean families to take care of children has been compromised by a collapsing economy, compounded by COVID-19. BY GUEST COLUMNIST: GETRUDE DADIRAI GWENZI About 4,3 million people in rural communities, including children, are food insecure this year. The World Food Programme indicates that at least 60% of the population of Zimbabwe needs food aid. The Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation in Zimbabwe has estimated that over 20 000 children have turned to vending as a means of survival since the COVID-19 lockdown. According to reports, child vendors in the City of Bulawayo are mostly selling fruit and vegetables. And in the capital, Harare, they sell a variety of goods from vegetables to used clothes and shoes. The phenomenon of child vendors in Zimbabwe has been topical for some time. But the situation appears to be worsening. There are no statistics about how much income vendors make due to the informal nature of this business and a lack of centralised co-ordination of their activities. Nevertheless, it’s clear that poverty is the reason children are on the streets. But in their efforts to help their families, they are exposed to risks such as exploitation, abuse and missing school. The situation calls for critical conversation about the capacity of families to protect and care for their children and the role of the social protection policy in the country. A national action plan for orphans and vulnerable children has been in place since 2004. The policy guides the provision of care for these children. My prior experience and observations as a social researcher suggest that the plan isn’t being put to practice. Firstly, there is no clear definition of what the term “orphans and vulnerable children” means, especially in the current economic climate and increasing vulnerability of children in the country. There is a danger that children will fall through the cracks and go unnoticed without any government support. Secondly, there is a lack of good data. The actual number of children at risk is not known due to a dearth of research on child deprivation and government response in Zimbabwe. Thirdly, government interventions aren’t reaching those in need. The government’s national action plan for orphans and vulnerable children is meant to be overseen by a multi-sectoral committee to mobilise resources. Under it poor households were to receive grants varying from US$10 (one-person household) to US$25 (four-person household) per month (paid bimonthly) through a cash transfer. The funds for this come from the Child Protection Fund. The first phase of the plan was between 2005-2010 and the second phase between 2011-2015. The evaluations of these two phases showed several gaps in service provision and targeting of orphans and vulnerable children in the country. By 2017 only 23 000 beneficiaries in eight districts had received the cash transfers. However, the number of families in need way surpasses the number that received assistance. According to social policy experts, the unconditional s
Popular outdoor heat sources for your yard, patio, or deck keep cold-weather gatherings warm while you're social distancing Cooler weather across most of the country, in addition to social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, is making it even harder to get together with family and friends. But installing an outdoor heat source is a quick […]
The post Consumer Reports: Best Ways to Crank Up the Heat Outdoors for Socially-Distant Gatherings appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
Three Guinean opposition figures surrendered to the police on Thursday after being put on a wanted list for their alleged role in post-election violence, one of their lawyers said.
Officers questioned Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, Abdoulaye Bah - both members of Guinea's leading opposition party, UFDG - and Etienne Soropogui separately, lawyer Salifou Beavogui said.
Police on Wednesday also arrested UFDG vice president Ibrahima Cherif Bah as part of a sweep targeting mainly opposition politicians and activists.
At a press conference on Thursday, opposition leader Cellou Diallo called for their immediate release.
The arrests came after President Alpha Conde, 82, won a controversial third term after topping an October 18 poll with 59.5 percent of the votes.
The country slipped into violence in the aftermath of the poll, when UFDG leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, 68, proclaimed himself victorious and alleged voter fraud.
The government said at least 21 people died in subsequent clashes between Diallo supporters and security forces. The UFDG party put the death toll at 46, however.
While observers from other African countries have backed the official election results, France, the European Union, and the United States have cast doubt.
In a statement on Tuesday, a public prosecutor in the capital Conakry said police had detained or tried 137 people.
It said police were actively searching for six people accused of having made \"threats likely to disturb public security and order\".
Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, Abdoulaye Bah, and Etienne Soropogui were among those six people. Only Soropogui, who is from a minor opposition party, is not a UFDG member.
Ibrahima Cherif Bah was also on the wanted list.
Political tension in Guinea centers on Conde's third term, against which there have been rolling protests since October 2019.
The president pushed through a new constitution in March which he argued would modernize the country. But it also allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidents.
A former opposition leader, Conde became Guinea's first democratically-elected president in 2010 and won re-election in 2015, but critics accuse him of veering towards authoritarianism.
By Greg Garrison | ggarrison@al.com The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute hosted a virtual roundtable of Black mayors on Thursday, moderated by TV Evangelist and best-selling author Bishop T.D. Jakes, and came away with $3,000 in donation pledges. After Jakes led a broad discussion with four Southern mayors of what they hope for from President-elect Joe Biden’s […]
By ASHOK SHARMA and SHONAL GANGULY Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — The crowds filling shopping areas ahead of the Diwali festival of lights on Saturday are raising hopes of India's distressed business community after months of lockdown losses but also spawning fears of a massive coronavirus upsurge. People who've restricted their purchases to essentials for months appear to be in a celebratory mood and traders are lapping it up, said Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders. 'The past three days have seen a tremendous increase in customer footfall in shopping markets for festival purchases,' […]
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By Associated Press Undefined PARIS (AP) — In silence and mourning, France marked five years since 130 people were killed by Islamic State extremists who targeted the Bataclan concert hall, Paris cafes and the national stadium in a series of coordinated attacks. It was France's deadliest peacetime attack, deeply shaking the nation. It led to intensified French military action against extremists abroad and a security crackdown at home. Five years later, Prime Minister Jean Castex was leading silent ceremonies Friday at the multiple sites targeted by coordinated attackers around the French capital on Nov. 13, 2015: the Stade de France […]
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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.
Persuading Black voters to vote despite the pandemic — coupled with the same obstacles that kept Black voting down in 2016 — rendered a numerically flat turnout a victory, local activists said.
President Donald Trump continues to refuse to concede defeat in the US presidential election even though major independent media outlets have called the race for Democratic presidential nominee and former vice-president Joe Biden. Instead, Trump has ranted and raved, in a somewhat predictable fashion, and at one time thrown aspersions on the culture of the...
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With these words, the president-elect, Joe Biden, set a new tone and a new mood in Washington. No longer will the bully pulpit of the White House be used to spew lies and insults or to fan division and hatred. The White House will once again call on the “better angels” of Americans and not our “darkest impulses.”
The post A White House That Once Again Calls On Our Better Angels appeared first on The Seattle Medium.
CHURCHES and residents in Bulawayo yesterday expressed displeasure over a proposed Bill which seeks to enable access to reproductive healthcare services by young people from the age of 12 years. BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE Church leaders and residents expressed reservations yesterday during a consultative meeting convened by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care to gather public views on the Bill . Zimbabwe Christian Alliance representative Mehlokazulu Ncube said the proposed Bill would affect innocent children. “This thing is against the Constitution of Zimbabwe and my question is why is Parliament pushing such an agenda? We elected parliamentarians to stand for us and it is their duty to deny such Bills which do not promote ubuntu and are against the Constitution,” Ncube said. “What have they done as parliamentarians to educate children and if this Bill is passed, where are they going to get money to buy these things when as a country we have a serious deficit?” A resident, Patricia Chininge, said most of the parents were not helping their children with issues of reproduction. “The society morality has broken down from parents to children and now there are so many child-headed families, but as a society and the government, we have failed to help those children and they end up being exposed to sex and other things,” she said. “Is giving children this type of education the only solution? I am totally against the Bill. Let’s rise up as the society, as the government as the people and find a solution to deal with this problem. The problem is that children are having sex at an early stage. There is no guidance, there is no education, so let’s bring better ways to deal with that.” Baptist Union of Zimbabwe member Godwin Moyo said the Bill seemed to put everything in one basket. “There are problems that are there concerning early pregnancies, child-headed families, but the solution is the one that we are saying no to,” he said. Nkulumane MP Kucaca Phulu said people had not properly understood the Bill. “The young people are having their own angle of understanding and the elderly are having their own interpretation. So, I wish to get time and have more discussions with both the youths and the elderly,” he said. Former Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa said they were sent by Parliament to gather public views. “As you can see, most of the parents and churches are saying ‘no, 12 years is still too young, they are too immature. We are really leading them into child prostitution’ and they are also challenging the age of consent,” he said. “The youths are saying, ‘let everyone have reproductive healthcare’ and so this is the discussion we were having. The parents’ morale is very low and parents have been complaining that not enough consultation was done. We should have consulted teachers, churches, parents and youths separately and I agree with them.”
A Deutsche Bank research team proposed remote workers pay a 5% tax for working from home after the pandmedic to subsidize income lost by low-wage workers.
[New Times] France's return to total lockdown has forced Paris Saint-Germain to again delay opening its football academy in Rwanda.
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images President-elect Joe Biden has joined dozens of transition workers and spans several federal agencies, in a sign of the comprehensive approach that Biden is planning to take to combat the worsening pandemic. The Covid-19 team has not yet […]
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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 JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday became one of the last major countries to congratulate U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to make few changes to U.S. policy in conflicts with Beijing over trade, technology and security. China, along with Russia, avoided joining the throng that congratulated Biden last weekend after he and vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris secured enough Electoral College votes to unseat President Donald Trump. 'We respect the choice of the American people,' said a foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. 'We congratulate Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris.' Wang gave no […]
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BY HENRY MHARA IN ALGIERS, ALGERIA ALGERIA . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) 3 ZIMBABWE . . . . . . . . . . (0) 1 ZIMBABWE missed a glut of chances and were made to pay by a clinical Algeria in this 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played in an empty Stade 5 Juliet 1962 Olympic last night. This is a match that the Warriors could have easily run away with had they managed to utilise at least half the chances that came their way. They will rue some defensive mistakes that gave away the three goals. France-based striker Tino Kadewere, who arrived in camp on the back of a good scoring form, somehow missed his team’s best chances, twice failing to put the ball at the back of the net. He, however, managed to score a consolation with 15 minutes remaining to the match, but the damage had already been done. Algeria striker Baghdad Bounedjar capitalised on Marvellous Nakamba’s mistake to put the hosts in front in the 31st minute. Eleven minutes later, Sofiane Feghouli added his team’s advantage with a header after some poor marking by the defenders. Superstar Riyad Mahrez sealed the points with a brilliant solo goal as the African champions strengthened their position at the top of Group H with nine points. Zimbabwe remained on second position with four points ahead of their second match against yesterday’s opponents at the National Sports Stadium on Monday. Zambia are on third position with three points, while Botswana anchor the table with one point. The top two teams in the group qualify for the finals in January 2022. Khama Billiat should have put Zimbabwe in front two minutes into the game, but his point blank shot from inside the six-yard box was blocked by the keeper’s legs. Sixteen minutes later, in-form Kadewere headed over after yet another freekick. Algeria’s first real chance came in the 22nd minute when Alec Mudimu needlessly conceded a freekick just outside the box, but the hosts couldn’t capitalise. Algeria got their goal when Nakamba lost possession and Divine Lunga slipped as he tried to recover, only to lose his man Sofiane Feghouli, whose free hit was parried back into play by Chipezeze for Baghdad Bounedjah to tap in the rebound from close range. Buoyed by the goal, Algeria began to control proceedings, and their dominance reflected on the scoresheet when Mahrez crossed for Feghouli to head past the exposed Elvis Chipezeze. Lunga could have done better when he allowed the ball to run past him for Mahrez instead of pushing it out before it reached the winger. As the referee sounded for halftime, Musona, probably incensed by the way the team had given away the goals, called his lads for a quick meeting on the centre circle and could be seen giving them a tongue lashing. Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic made an injury-forced substitution at halftime, bringing in goalkeeper Talbert Shumba after Chipezeze appeared to have injured himself with the last kick off the first half. Kadewere then wasted another good opportunity when he was put through clean early in the second half, but his tame shot was flicked over by
