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.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won a decisive re-election victory on Saturday, elections officials said, but his main rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud and said citizens should reject the result. Museveni won 5.85 million votes, or 58.6 percent, while main opposition candidate Wine had 3.48 million votes (34.8 percent), the electoral commission said at a news conference on the final results from Thursday's election. The United States and an African election monitoring group complained of election irregularities and Wine, a 38-year-old singer-turned-lawmaker who had rallied young Ugandans behind his call for political change, called the results a 'complete fraud”. 'It’s an election that was taken over by the military and the police,' he said in a phone interview from inside his home in the capital, Kampala, which was surrounded by soldiers who he said had forbidden him from leaving. 'It further exposes how dictatorial the Museveni regime is,' added Wine, who campaigned to end what he called widespread corruption. 'It's a mockery of democracy.” The army's deputy spokesman, Deo Akiiki, told Reuters that security officers at Wine's house were assessing threats he could face by going out: 'So they might be preventing him in the interest of his own safety.' After the results were announced, many neighbourhoods in normally bustling Kampala were unusually quiet as nightfall approached. Soldiers and police who had patrolled throughout the day remained on the streets in large numbers, witnesses said. Hundreds of the president's supporters rode motorcycles from the election tallying centre to downtown, where people danced with posters bearing the president's face. Museveni, 76 and in power for 35 years, campaigned for another term arguing his long experience in office makes him a good leader and promising to keep delivering stability and progress. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, galvanised young Ugandans with his calls for political change and pledged to end what he calls dictatorship and widespread corruption. On Friday, Wine said he had video proof of voting fraud and would share the videos as soon as internet connections were restored. The government ordered the internet shut down the day before the election, and the blackout was still in place. Electoral Commission Chairman Simon Byabakama said on Friday that under Ugandan law, the burden of proof rested with Wine. Reuters has not independently verified Wine's claims. No EU or US observers The Africa Elections Watch coalition, which deployed 2,000 observers in 146 districts, said in a statement that they had observed irregularities, including the late opening of most polling stations, missing ballot papers and illegally opened ballot boxes. The African Union and East African Community sent observer teams to the election, but neither group of officials responded to requests for comment about possible irregularities. The European Union and the US did not deploy observer teams, but the US State Department’s top diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, said in a t
Critics have called it a stunt to invite sympathy. Yet Amuriat says campaigning without shoes is a protest and that those who do not get its symbolism are missing a point.
Uganda is due to hold a general election on January 14. Amuriat and another opposition candidate, Bobi Wine have had their rallies violently dispersed by security forces or been arrested.
In mid-November, scores of people were killed as security forces attempted to quell protests against the arrest and detention of Bobi Wine.
Police has accused the candidates of addressing huge gatherings in contravention of regulations on COVID-19 prevention.
Swollen feet
In an interview with one of the dailies in Uganda, Amuriat said his feet hurt a lot and has to pour cold water on them in between campaign stops for some relief.
Doctors have cautioned him on the potential danger of contracting tetanus from cuts to his feet.
Yet Amuriat remains adamant. He says by refusing to wear shoes, he’s standing in solidarity with people whose wealth and opportunities have been stolen by the country’s longtime ruler Yoweri Museveni.
JUST IN: FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat has been arrested at the border of Rubirizi and Bushenyi districts. The reason for his arrest is yet to be known📹 @MukhayeD#MonitorUpdates#UGDecides2021 pic.twitter.com/xopK4FMoD0
— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) December 4, 2020
Museveni, in power since 1986 is seeking a new term. In 2017, he changed the constitution to remove age limits that would have stopped him from seeking re-election.
FDC is Uganda’s largest opposition party. In 3 previous elections, the party fronted veteran activist and retired army colonel Kizza Besigye for president.
The Chinese Embassy has rejected remarks made by outgoing United States Ambassador Donald Tapia, accusing China of eavesdropping on his telephone conversations via a Jamaican domestic network. In denouncing the US top diplomat’s comments, Xia...
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator shared a message for people who may have traveled or gathered in... View Article
The post Birx: People who gathered on Thanksgiving should assume they're infected appeared first on TheGrio.
[Monitor] Finance minister Matia Kasaija was last night on the defensive following accusations that he irregularly dangled a top government job to secure the exit of his opponent in a parliamentary contest.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Around 100 people were detained in the Belarusian capital on Sunday during anti-government protests that were prompted by the reelection of the country's authoritarian leader and continued for over four months. Crowds of people have taken part in dozens of small rallies scattered all around Minsk — a new tactic used by the opposition instead of one large gathering intended to make it harder for security forces to target the protesters. Demonstrators carrying red-and-white flags, the symbol of the protest, gathered in groups and marched down residential areas of the city, demanding the resignation of President […]
The post About 100 anti-govt protesters detained in Belarus capital appeared first on Black News Channel.
Uganda’s inter-religious council called off the eagerly awaited presidential candidates’ debate.
The council said the debate, that was due on Thursday 03 was cancelled due to limited resources.
Local media reported that a total of ten presidential candidates were expected to grace the occasion.
This comes amid numerous complaints majorly from the opposition who have constantly blamed the security apparatus for rights violations.
Uganda opposition have in most cases face wrath of the police especially the renowned musician-turned politician, Bobi Wine.
Two weeks ago, 54 people died in protests after Wines supporters called for his release following a brief arrest at campaign rally.
They have defended themselves by claiming that they were only implementing Covid-19 guidelines to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
Bobi Wine was later charged with violating pandemic restrictions on gathering of crowds and granted bail.
The embattled singer later met the electoral commission and asked them to ensure that there should be equitable campaigns and police should be stopped from intimidating the opposition leaders and their members.
guest column:Frank Mattheis/Ueli Staeger The African Union (AU) has developed ambitious plans for the continent, ranging from security to trade. But when it comes to financing these ambitions the organisation is caught between a rock and a hard place. Since the AU does not have an independent source of income, it either has to affront members for their irregular payments or remain dependent on external partners. Financing the AU goes to the heart of its pan-African agenda, which is driven by decolonial integration and development objectives. Having examined the finances of numerous organisations in the Global South, we observe that the double dependency on member states and external donors poses important challenges for the establishment of independent and powerful administrations. The AU is a particularly telling case of this trend. Unsustainable funding has hindered the AU from developing its full potential. Irregular payments from member states and fragmented external funding have led to repeated cash flow crises, often with serious consequences. For instance, in 2016 the AU’s mission in Somalia failed to pay allowances to its soldiers for six months. Achieving financial autonomy requires member states to improve their payment record. Simultaneously, the AU needs to wean itself from external funding, even if its administrative and institutional reforms make it ever more attractive to external partners. AU sanctions and member states’ arrears Although the 55 member states have in principle agreed to provide the AU with reliable and adequate financial means, African governments do not always consider it a priority in practice. Many states pay their yearly fees late or only in part. However, the AU is not powerless. In 2018, a three-stage sanctions regime came into effect to deal with defaulting states. The longer a member state fails to pay its financial contributions, the more rights it loses (see table below). While some consequences are primarily symbolic, others severely curtail their leeway in foreign policy, such as losing the right to host summits or run for office. AU sanctions regime for non-payment of assessed contributions. Author’s compilation based on AU Assembly decisions In an institution that traditionally prefers consensus over confrontation, the imposition of sanctions constitutes a drastic measure. In one recent case, the new assertiveness has proven to be effective. In June 2020, it became public that South Sudanese officials had been barred from attending AU meetings. The country rushed to reduce its arrears just enough to have their sanctions lifted. In another recent case, Tunisia’s foreign minister publicly lamented his country’s first ever sanctions for non-payment. However, the implementation of AU financial autonomy is much harder to achieve than general political agreements as it generates conflict over public finances at the national level. The urgency to cover AU membership dues is doubtlessly relayed by ambassadors in Addis Ababa, but time and time again, domestic budgeting issues unde
Washington (CNN)Senate Democrats are outraged that a witness invited to testify before a congressional hearing on Tuesday is being given a public platform for her discredited ideas that could endanger the US response to thecoronavirus pandemic. They say Dr. Jane Orient is a vaccine skeptic […]
The post Republicans invite discredited vaccine critic to testify appeared first on The New York Beacon.
TEXAS, United States (AP) - American Airlines is taking its long-grounded Boeing 737 Max jets out of storage, updating key flight-control software and flying the planes in preparation for the first flights with paying passengers later this month.The airline invited press reporters and photographers on board one of the planes yesterday to demonstrate its confidence in the plane's safety.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought countries to a standstill. Meanwhile, vaccinations have already started in some countries as cases continue to rise. Follow here for the latest.
(Reuters) - India on Friday became the fourth country to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, authorising the vaccine’s rollout in coming weeks in the country with the second highest number of infections. The following is what we know about the race to deliver vaccines to help end the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 1.8 million people worldwide: WHO IS FURTHEST ALONG? U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German partner BioNTech have been the COVID-19 vaccine trailblazers. On Nov. 18, they became the first in the world to release full late-stage trial data. Britain was the first to approve the shot for emergency use on Dec. 3, followed by Canada on Dec. 9 and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 11. Several other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Mexico, have also approved it. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the shot on Dec. 21 and India is accelerating its review. The World Health Organization on Thursday listed the vaccine for emergency use, in a move seeking to speed access to it in the developing world. WHAT ABOUT MODERNA? Moderna Inc was a close second to Pfizer in many countries after it released a full data analysis for a late-stage trial on Nov. 30 showing a 94.1% efficacy rate for its vaccine. The United States authorised Moderna’s vaccine on Dec. 19, while Canada approved the shot on Dec. 23 and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will do so on Jan. 6. ASTRAZENECA India approval of a two-dose version of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, COVISHIELD, which has also been given the green light by Britain, Argentina and El Salvador, is a major win for a shot seen as crucial for mass immunisations. Questions about the robustness of its trial data have complicated the approval process. The British company announced interim late-stage trial data in November showing two full doses were 62% effective while a half-dose followed by a full dose had a 90% success rate - but UK regulators the more successful outcome had not stood up to analysis. AstraZeneca is also in discussions with the European Union’s European Medicines Agency, which is conducting a rolling review of the vaccine. WHO ELSE IS IN THE RUNNING? U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson plans to deliver trial data in January, teeing it up for U.S. authorisation in February if its shot is effective. It reduced the enrolment target for its clinical trial to 40,000 volunteers from 60,000 on Dec. 9, potentially speeding results that are tied to how quickly participants become infected. U.S. firm Novavax is running a late-stage trial in Britain with data due in the first quarter of 2021. It expects to start a large-scale trial in the United States this month. France’s Sanofi and Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline, however, announced a setback on Dec. 11 in their attempts to develop a vaccine. The drugmakers said that it showed an insufficient immune response in older people in mid-stage trials and that they would start a new study in February. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE TRIALS? The companies usually test their vaccines
Ambassador Maria Brewer: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 08 January 2021: The United States Congress has completed its Constitutionally mandated count of the Electoral College vote and affirmed the election of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Kamala D. Harris. They will be sworn into office and a peaceful transfer of power that will occur on January 20,…
By LAURAN NEERGAARD and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press British officials authorized a COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, greenlighting the world's first shot against the virus that's backed by rigorous science and taking a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. The go-ahead for the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech comes as the virus surges again in the United States and Europe, putting pressure on hospitals and morgues in some places and forcing new rounds of restrictions that have devastated economies. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which licenses drugs in the U.K., recommended […]
The post UK authorizes Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use appeared first on Black News Channel.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States (a neutral country at the tim
Hospitals across the United States are being put under immense pressure as the nation continues to hit record levels of new Covid-19 cases, adding more than 1 million new cases in the first five days of December. 'We're seeing day-by-day increasing numbers of patients with Covid-19, both those who are a little bit sick and those who are really sick,' […]
Many are Happy About President Nana Afuko-Addo Re-election
In light of Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo’s re-election for a second term in office on Wednesday — a result his rival John Mahama's camp said it would appeal, supporters of the president’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) are celebrating the win. Prince Ofori, an NPP Supporter, is ecstatic to know his chosen president will stay in office, \"NDC, the opposition party. We have retired them. They don't have anything to do anymore. We are the government in power, our president Nana Akufo Addo. The champion president. The number one.\"
According to the electoral commission, Akufo-Addo received 51.59% of the vote in the presidential race — beating opposition leader and former president Mahama's 47.36%.
The announcement on Wednesday was greeted with chanting and dancing by a crowd of supporters in the seaside capital Accra. On the other hand, the opposition has called the election \"flawed.\"
Nyarko, another NPP Supporter, could not contain his pleasure in knowing that the opposition will not take power, \"The NDC are liars. We no longer like John Mahama. We want peace in Ghana. We want Nana Akufo Addo.\"
Polling was observed as fair in the West African country known for its stable democracy.
However, the political climate soured late Tuesday resulting in 5 people dead and 19 injured in electoral-related violence.
[Ethiopian Herald] For a long, vaccines have been considered as one of the important human discoveries and reliable ways of preventing deadly diseases; equally true, these discoveries have been surrounded by contentious controversies and conspiracies. The digital era has only intensified the mistrust of vaccines.
THE AFRICAN Union (AU) has launched the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In an...
The post African Continental Free Trade Area launches appeared first on Voice Online.
[Algerie Presse Service] BIR LEHLOU -- President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) Brahim Ghali, called upon the African Union (AU) to put pressure on Morocco to end \"the illegal military occupation of parts of the territory\" of Western Sahara.
[The Exchange] President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to prepare harmonised COVID-19 protocols that will ensure participants are safe during the African Union meetings scheduled for February next year.
The racial awakening in the United States last year after the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd may have propelled a sweep for Democrats in the January 5, 2021 Georgia Senate runoffs, paving the way for President-elect Joe Biden to push his legislative agenda without fear of obstruction. With about 3,000 absentee votes remaining outstanding from Chatham County […]
The post Warnock and Ossoff Wins Georgia Senate first appeared on The Florida Star | The Georgia Star.
[Africom] U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Stuttgart, Germ -- Ambassador Andrew Young, U.S. Africa Command's deputy commander for civil-military engagement, spoke with the Central African Republic's Minister of Defense Marie-Noelle Koyara last week.
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, has called on African countries to focus efforts on crafting policies and programs that can create skills and technological advancement on the continent. Delivering a statement on behalf of His Excellency, Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, at the African Union (AU) 14th Extraordinary Session on Sunday, December 6, 2020, via virtual in Monrovia, the Liberian Foreign Minister reminded heads of state o
Information about the characteristics of the new COVID-19 variant that emerged in Europe is rapidly being released. Scientists are working to learn more about how easily they might spread, whether they could cause more severe illness, and whether currently authorized vaccines will protect people against them. While many are extremely concerned about the new strain […]
Today is the 343rd day of 2020. There are 23 days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT1995: The World Health Organization announces that a new case of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in the Ivory Coast. Ebola killed 250 in Zaire earlier in 1995.�OTHER EVENTS1776: George Washington's retreating army crosses the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.
