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Egyptian rights researcher, Patrick Zaki, sentenced to three years in prison for article on discrimination against Coptic Christians
Nationwide protests have taken place since October 7 despite the disbanding of the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit.
The demonstrators have been accused of attacking police stations and personnel.
The rallies which are mostly attended by young people have become avenues to vent against corruption and unemployment.
Rights groups say at least 15 people have been killed the demonstrations began in early October.
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has announced that three private labs have been approved to offer testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). They are Caribbean Genetics (CARIGEN), Microlabs Limited, and Technological...
Panama-based carrier Copa Airlines has resumed service to Guyana following a seven-month hiatus over the Coronavirus pandemic.
The article Copa Airlines resumes flying to Guyana appeared first on Stabroek News.
Content Editor
TANZANIANS went to vote on October 28, elections which returned the incumbent President John Pombe Magufuli and his Chama Cha Mapinduzi party to power for another five years. Magufuli’s re-election, however, according to independent observers, cannot be said to be free and fair or pass the credibility test. In the run up to the election, opposition and human rights groups said Magufuli cracked down on critical voices, closed media outlets and prevented the opposition from holding campaign rallies. All institutions critical to regulating the conduct of elections are compromised, with no independent electoral commission and courts that would normally arbitrate disagreements. Magufuli also turned away foreign independent observer missions and some of the most respected domestic election observers. In its preliminary report on the polls, the Tanzania Election Watch says: “the 2020 electoral process presented significant security challenges, particularly because of the high-handed nature with which State security agents executed their mandate during the electoral period. The conduct of the security forces created a climate of fear and intimidation prior to, and during the election day itself”. “Reports of arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, sexual violence, torture, outright intimidation of opposition candidates and their party agents and violence against women have raised questions on the role of the security forces as provided under Article 147 of the United Republic of Tanzania Constitution.” Magufuli’s main challenger, Tundu Lissu, was shot 16 times in 2017 and the case remains unsolved. Among foreign missions, the United States referred to “reports of systematic interference in the democratic process” during the election. It said the irregularities included the use of force against unarmed civilians, pre-ticking of ballots, the detention of opposition officials and restrictions on political party agents to access polling stations. Since his election for the first term, Magufuli has evolved from being the great hope of democracy in a region that has seen precious little of such to something approaching a dictator and his governance style turned into one of intolerance and populism. Apart from harassing the opposition, he also curtailed space for their operations, including that of the media and civic groups, which he followed up by closing the internet. His approach is being compared to that of Uganda’s grand old man of politics, Yoweri Museveni. Some have linked him to Zambia’s Edgar Lungu and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who have simply veered to the extremes since assuming office. So, the southern Africa region is falling back into the hands of a group of leaders who are eschewing democratic principles and the Big Man syndrome is coming back in full force. Cry the beloved continent.
NEW RESEARCH released by the YMCA has exposed the shocking numbers of young, Black children...
The post Research finds that 95% of young, Black children experience racism at school appeared first on Voice Online.
The Berlin branch of Madame Tussauds Wax museum has made clear its expectation of Tuesday's presidential election by placing a... View Article
The post Berlin's Madame Tussauds throws out Trump statue appeared first on TheGrio.
Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap?Ophelia: No my LordHamlet: Did you think I meant country matters?Ophelia: I think nothing my LordHamlet: That's a fair thought, to lie between maid's legs.- Shakespeare, Hamlet, 3, 2�
By JIM SALTER and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson steadfastly refused to mandate mask-wearing even as the coronavirus spread across his state this year, telling a group of cattlemen in July, 'You don't need government to tell you to wear a dang mask. If you want to wear a dang mask, wear a mask.' In late September, the Republican governor and his wife both tested positive for the coronavirus, and COVID-19 is now spreading rapidly throughout the state, with rising cases and deaths. Parson, who took office in 2018 after Eric Greitens resigned, […]
The post Races for governor take top billing in Missouri, Montana appeared first on Black News Channel.
President Donald Trump's repeated stance that the United States is 'rounding the turn' on the coronavirus global pandemic has increased... View Article
The post Fauci warns of COVID-19 surge, opposes Trump's response appeared first on TheGrio.
Landslide Win?
The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party candidate - who according to the electoral body won 84% of the vote while rival Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party received 13%, affirmed his win and announced that he has no intention of seeking a third term. Magufuli appealed to the nation, \"We cast our votes in a peaceful way, we also witnessed Tanzania receive the results in a peaceful way, this has proven to the world that Tanzanians are mature when it comes to elections and democracy, but we have also proven to the world that Tanzanians love peace. Now that the election is over, it is time to go back to work.\"
Allegations of Political Foul Play
Regional experts of Tanzania Elections Watch noted a heavy deployment of military and police whose conduct created a “climate of fear” as others allege election-related fraud and intimidation. The opposition alleges widespread irregularities including double-voting and ballot box-seizing by security forces or other authorities. Main rival Lissu has rejected the result and called for peaceful protests.
The East African nation is one of Africa’s most populous countries and fastest-growing economies. Magufuli has highlighted the country’s achievement of lower-middle-income status as justification for him deserving a second time.
National Context
Some observers believe that Tanzania’s reputation for democratic ideals is crumbling as Magufuli has been accused of severely stifling dissenting voices in his first five-year term.
Opposition political gatherings were banned in 2016, the year after he took office. Media outlets have been targeted. Some candidates were arrested, blocked from campaigning or disqualified ahead of the vote.
There are still concerns about post-election violence.
Space City Shows, the first and only Black-owned drive-in movie theater in Houston, Texas, is open for business. 26-year old Khairi Sharif says he launched the venue to provide entertainment in the midst of the pandemic for people who love going to the cinemas just like him. 'I enjoy going...
By Jill Lawless and Bob Thomas The Associated Press Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as the suave secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an Oscar-winning career in other rugged roles, has died. He was 90. Connery's wife and two sons said he 'died […]
The post Sean Connery, the 'Original' James Bond, Dies at 90 appeared first on Afro.
Help Next Avenue publish the best 2020 election coverage we can
Guinea's electoral body has called opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo's self-proclaimed victory in the first round of a presidential election \"void\".
“Despite the serious anomalies that marred the smooth running of the … election and in view of the results that came out of the ballot boxes, I am victorious in this election in the first round,” Diallo told supporters on Monday, a day after the vote was held.
Diallo's supporters chanted \"Cellou, president\". But elsewhere in the city, joyous celebrations by supporters devolved into clashes with security forces.
Diallo, 68, is the main challenger to Guinea’s 82-year-old incumbent President Alpha Conde, who is seeking a controversial third term after he pushed through constitutional reforms in March.
The move sparked mass protests and subsequent crackdowns, which killed dozens of people.
But Mamadi Kaba, a spokesman of Guinea electoral commission said on Monday: \"I would therefore like to reassure the people of Guinea who voted yesterday in peace, without violence, that no provisional results have been proclaimed for the time being.
\"The Independent National Electoral Commission is the only institution empowered to proclaim provisional results.\"
Although Sunday, the day of the vote, was mostly calm, Diallo's self-proclaimed election victory has set the stage for a showdown with Conde.
The government insists the vote was fair and that the official electoral authority must declare the results.
Conde's RPG party said in a statement Monday that it condemned \"with the utmost firmness the irresponsible and dangerous declaration\" by Diallo.
It called for its activists to remain calm.
