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As of Tuesday, Dec. 29, California only has one of its 58 counties in the orange tier (considered moderate risk) and three counties in the red tier (substantial risk), according to the state’s four-tier coronavirus tracking system. There are now 54 counties in the purple tier as of Tuesday’s updates. One less (Humboldt County is […]
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the criminal case against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn but pointedly noted that a pardon Flynn received from the president last month does not mean that he is innocent. The order from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan was expected in light of the pardon from President Donald Trump that wiped away Flynn's conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation. Sullivan acknowledged in his 43-page order that the president's broad pardon powers required dismissal and that the decision to pardon him […]
The post Judge dismisses Flynn case following pardon from Trump appeared first on Black News Channel.
PYRENEES, Spain — The search for British hiker Esther Dingley, who went missing while hiking in the Pyrenees, has been canceled due to snowstorms. Search parties in both France and Spain have looked for Dingley, [...]
Caribbean Cinemas and Movietowne say they are “extremely disappointed” with the latest government order to extend the closure of movie theatres in the country until December 31, 2020.
The article Movie operators disappointed over continued cinema lockdown appeared first on Stabroek News.
By SCOTT SMITH Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's political alliance claimed a sweeping victory Monday in congressional elections boycotted by the most influential opposition politicians and widely criticized internationally as being fraudulent. The win gives Maduro control of the last major branch of government outside his grasp. It plays out in the waning days of the Trump administration, which leaves office with Maduro firmly entrenched despite its efforts to bring about his departure through diplomacy and sanctions. 'We have recovered the National Assembly with the majority vote of the Venezuelan people,' Maduro said in a […]
The post Venezuela's Maduro claims sweep of boycotted election appeared first on Black News Channel.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent As citizens in Ghana are poised to pick the country’s next president, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, recalled the impact of former President Jerry Rawlings, who died on November 12, at the age of 73. “President Jerry Rawlings played a critical role in the history of Ghana, leading the country for twenty years and overseeing its transition to a stable, multiparty democracy,” Waters noted. “President Rawlings was democratically elected in 1992 and again in 1996 and presided over numerous economic and political reforms. When his […]
The post Waters Remembers Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings on Eve of Country's Election appeared first on Black News Channel.
S.E. Williams | Executive Editor California’s Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) Chair, Dr. Shirley Weber, recently teamed with California’s Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and hosted a virtual town hall to engage and inform the Black community and others around issues related to COVID-19. The timing was right as the virus is, once again, exploding […]
The post A Conversation with Black Leaders about COVID-19 and CA’s Black Communities appeared first on Black Voice News.
MSNBC is apparently betting on Black to make it more competitive against rival cable news networks. But the decision to promote Rashida Jones to be its top executive is far from a gamble.
Ben Stokes' father Ged Stokes, a New Zealand rugby league international, has died after a battle with brain cancer.
Los Angeles County hit another milestone, with the number of COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized surpassing 3,000 for the first time, the state reported Monday, Dec. 7, the same day the county’s health department reported that the number of health care workers testing positive for the coronavirus has more than doubled in one week’s time. Although […]
Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on a China's Sinopharm vaccine.
The first injections could come within days, a Health Ministry official told The Associated Press.
While Britain began its vaccination program Tuesday with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the U.S. and European Union are racing to approve a series of Western-made vaccines, other governments are looking to use vaccines from China and Russia.
Morocco is battling a resurgence in virus infections, with the number of recorded deaths from the virus surpassing 6,000. 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.
The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries.
Morocco’s government seeks to vaccinate 80% of its adults, or 25 million people, as soon as the vaccines are approved by domestic regulators. Priority will go to medical staff and other front-line workers, as well as the elderly.
It will start with the Sinopharm vaccine, which was tested on 600 Moroccans as part of clinical trials this autumn. Morocco has ordered 10 million doses of the vaccine.
The initial deliveries will come from China, but Morocco also plans to produce the vaccine locally, Abdelhakim Yahyan, a senior official at the Ministry of Health, told the state-owned news agency MAP.
In the Moroccan trial of the Sinopharm vaccine, carried out in Casablanca and the capital Rabat from August through November, healthy volunteers received two separate doses of the vaccine. In the advanced trial, volunteers either received the vaccine or a placebo.
According to the health minister, early results have proven the vaccine to be “safe and effective” with no severe side effects reported.
Sinopharm’s shot relies on a tested technology, using a killed virus to deliver the vaccine, similar to how polio immunizations are made.
Leading Western competitors, like the vaccine made by Oxford and AstraZeneca, use newer, less-proven technology to target the coronavirus’ spike protein.
AP
A 90-year-old woman in the United Kingdom on Tuesday became the first person in the world to receive a coronavirus vaccination outside of clinical trials, marking a watershed moment in the fight against the crippling worldwide pandemic.
Nigeria is Blacklisted by the USA
On Monday, the United States placed Nigeria - for the first time, on a religious freedom blacklist; A core issue for the outgoing administration which often counted on strong evangelical Christian support while playing down other human rights concerns among allies. Mixed Reactions
Frank Tietie, a local human rights lawyer, shares his reaction to the news, \"I think it's coming quite a bit late because we are looking at facts that have been on the ground for many years, a situation where religious minorities in this country suffered helplessly, persecuted and the most painful part of it is there hasn’t been that kind of strong commitment on the part of the government.\" Nigeria is the base of Boko Haram, Islamist extremists whose 11-year insurgency has taken over 36,000 lives and spread to neighbouring countries.
Anegbe Gideon, a civil servant, takes a defiant stance - believing that national issues should be resolved internally, \"Nigeria cannot lay low to the US whatsoever because what binds them is different from what binds us together. We are Africans, they are out there on their own and they cannot force us to dance to their own tune, it is not possible.\"
A Religious Melting Pot
Isaac Akpegi, a trader, wants more visibility and respect for all Nigerians found within the country's borders, \" The sentiment that is in this country is the same one religion, they ((Referring to President Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim) didn't even put any other religion. It is only one religion that is ruling and the ruling that they are doing now is bondage to indigenous (tradition) of Nigerians.\" As a multi-religious society, Nigeria navigates a delicate balance between Muslims, Christians and others in between. However, the Nigerian people's rising concerns require action for a truly harmonious co-existence.
Rashida Jones, a cable news industry veteran, will be MSNBC's next president, NBCUniversal News Group Chair Cesar Conde said Monday.
Title: Victor Trammell for Your Black World | Photo credits: NBA/The Associated Press
By SARAH BLAKE MORGAN Associated Press FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nicole Walcott's lip started to quiver as she turned her misty gaze away from a reporter's question. 'I don't want to cry on camera,' the 33-year-old said when asked why she's fought tooth and nail to keep her small business open amid a pandemic that's crushing countless others. Three years ago, Walcott, a U.S. Army veteran, opened an alternative health and wellness center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a short drive from Fort Bragg, one of the largest military installations on the planet. It was going well, but then COVID-19 hit […]
The post Amid pandemic, grants keep Army veteran's business afloat appeared first on Black News Channel.
Georgia is once again at the forefront of a highly contested political contest. A Jan. 5 runoff race will determine... View Article
The post Voting rights groups question reduction of early voting locations in Georgia prior to Senate election appeared first on TheGrio.
An Eco-Friendly Manufacturing Plant is Turning Plastic into Bricks
After Kenya imposed a ground-breaking law in 2017 on the use, manufacturing and import of plastic bags as part of global efforts to limit plastic waste, four engineers in Nairobi saw an opportunity in the estimated 500 tonnes of plastic waste the city generates daily and founded Gjenge Makers — a company that recycles plastic bottle tops and cooking oil containers into environmentally friendly bricks. Nzambi Matee, a co-founder of Gjenge Makers, explains how it came about.
\"So we started by collecting plastic waste and selling it to recyclers. That was in 2017, and then we realised three to six months later that we were collecting more waste than we could sell, than the recyclers could absorb. So that's when we decided what more we could do with the remaining plastic, as a value-added aspect, to see if we could put a product on the market using the plastic waste, and that's how we started making the paving stones\".
Grey pavers sell for around 8 euros per square meter, while coloured pavers sell for around 10 euros.
Matee describes the logic behind the ecologically-sound operation, \" Once the manufacturers package the soft drinks, or whatever product they are packaging, once the consumer finishes with that product, they have nowhere else to take it other than the litter box. And so, with that, we decided why don't we create a plug where instead of having the plastic to go the dumpsite, we intercept it on the way, and hence we started the making business.\"
The waste is then crushed into small pellets, sorted according to colour, mixed with sand and the desired colour pigment — before being taken onto the production line where they are moulded and put into a hydraulic press.
Ann Muthoni, the Programme Coordinator at Mukuru Slums Development Projects, shares some inside information, \"We had used the ballast before, but most of the trainees were complaining the ballast was damaging their shoes, so the Gjenge pavers, we find them very friendly. Walking on them feels like you are walking on rubber*
Gjenge Makers can currently produce up to 1,500 bricks a day with homeowners and schools as clients.
The West Dumping Plastic Waste in Africa
Although many African countries are making an effort to overcome the pressing issue of plastic waste, their efforts are often thwarted — as many countries in the Western world have used many nations in Africa as their plastic waste dumîng ground.
In April, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) - whose members include Shell, Exxon, Total, DuPont and Dow, companies already guilty of polluting many rivers in Africa via oil drilling and oil spills, proposed investments in recycling in Kenya with a catch.
The recycling investment deal is one only provided that the recipient country accepts US plastic waste i.e. Kenya would get about 500 million tonnes of plastic waste exports from the US per year.
Plastic But Not a Superficial Issue
According to a 2018 United Nations (UN) report, an esti
[Nation] Mr Morrison Njeru,60, complained of difficulty in breathing yesterday and was rushed to the Embu County Referral Hospital.
The office of the Zambian President Edgar Lungu has released this photo showing Mr Lungu (centre) meeting the Africa head of the International Monetary Fund, Abebe Aemro Selassie (second from right). Mr Lungu did not release any statement but the meeting comes after Zambia became the first African country during the coronavirus pandemic to default on its debt repayments. A default makes it harder for the country to borrow more funds. In October, it missed a repayment of $40m (£30m) - the country was given a month's grace period but failed to come up with the money. Coronavirus has aggravated pre-existing financial pressures in Zambia. Last month, the IMF said it was in talks with the Zambian authorities about how best to support the country, but its help would depend on the country taking steps to make sure its debt was sustainable.- BBC
An Ethiopian spokesman on Tuesday said that the country's forces fired on a UN team, claiming they ignored instructions and drove through government checkpoints in the northern region of Tigray.
The shooting came as the UN and aid agencies are continuing to seek access to northern Ethiopia, more than a week after fighting there was declared over on November 28.
\"Some of the UN staff were actually detained and some were shot at,\" said Redwan Hussein. \"They broke two checkpoints to drive to areas where they were not supposed to go, and that they were told not to go. When they were about to break the third one, they were shot at and detained.\"
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Addis Ababa, Redwan insisted the UN staffers were to blame for Sunday's incident close to the town of Shire, claiming they had \"indulged themselves in a kind of adventurous expedition\".
\"This country isn't no man's land. It has a government,\" he said.
\"If anybody is told not to go, then they have to abide by it. You cannot ignore a government warning and then try to run roughshod (over) everybody,\" he added.
Thousands have been killed in fighting that began November 4 between government forces and those loyal to the leadership of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
Close to 50,000 have fled to Sudan while around 600,000 living in Tigray depended on food handouts even before the fighting began.
Last week the UN said it had signed an agreement with the Ethiopian government guaranteeing \"unconditional access for humanitarian assistance\".
However, Redwan contradicted this on Tuesday.
\"The agreement we entered is in the belief that the UN would collaborate with us and we the government would call the shots, so we coordinate, we lead, but we need assistance and a partner,\" he said.
\"For some partners to drive alone, to move alone, isn't allowed. There is no such thing as unfettered access in every corner of Ethiopia.\"
With COVID-19 case levels in Los Angeles at record highs – nearly three times higher than those in San Francisco and twice those in New York City – Superintendent Austin Beutner today announced the suspension of all school-based instructional and childcare programs for the rest of the Fall semester.
Los Angeles Unified has been providing one-on-one and small-group tutoring for students, and those efforts will now shift to online. Los Angeles Unified is also temporarily suspending childcare which was provided on campus for children of school-based employees and high-needs families, as well as athletic conditioning programs for student athletes. The changes on school campuses will all be in effect by December 10.
The post Superintendent Austin Beutner Suspends School-Based Instruction And Childcare Due to Dangerous Increase of COVID-19 appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.
… make history as the first African-American to lead the country’s … Pentagon, and is the only African-American to have headed U.S … in the Army, especially among African-American officers and enlisted soldiers, as …
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, along with former prime ministers PJ Patterson and Bruce Golding say they are willing to roll up their sleeves and take the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available. Holness said he would have no problem taking the vaccine, Patterson is willing to have his vaccination live-streamed to reassure the public that it is safe, and Golding said he would encourage all his family members to get the shot.
Technology’s impact on the work environment was profound well before the pandemic – streamlining processes, increasing productivity, and making remote work seamless. Now, given the rapid changes in an uncertain economy affected by the virus, knowing how to utilize and navigate technology in the post-COVID world will be even more crucial for entrepreneurs, college […]
The post How Technology Can Steer You Through The Fast Lane Of The Post-COVID World appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
Travel regulations have been revised to make flying less cumbersome over the December holidays.
Michigan Rep. Cynthia Johnson released voicemails in which her life was threatened, including one that insisted she would hang “from... View Article
The post Michigan lawmaker told she’ll be ‘hanging from the gallows’ in threatening voicemails appeared first on TheGrio.
If you're still wondering why social distancing, quarantines and mask-wearing is so important, consider what's going on in Washington state.... View Article
The post Multiple nursing home patients died of COVID-19 linked to a wedding attended by staff appeared first on TheGrio.
Congress is working to extend government funding for one week in order to continue talks on a government spending bill and a coronavirus relief package.
By Victor Trammell Photo credits: Sipa USA via AP Images On Monday (December 7), New York Magazine published an eye-opening article about the COVID-19 public health crisis, which is still wreaking havoc on the American people nearly a year after its arrival. David Wallace-Wells (the writer of the New York Magazine article) suggested in his […]
