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BY Own Correspondent THE Japanese government has donated 20 000 metric tonnes of maize to government’s Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy (FDMS) through the World Food Programme (WFP) to assist almost half the population facing hunger. In a statement yesterday, the Japan embassy in Harare said the donation would meet the food security needs of vulnerable households. Last year in June, the Japanese government donated 30 000 metric tonnes of maize to government. “In this valuable partnership between Japan and Zimbabwe, WFP played a fundamental role — using its expertise in supply chain management to procure maize from South Africa and deliver it directly to the government’s Grain Marketing Board silos in Harare and Bulawayo. “The donation comes at a time the country is facing serious food shortages induced by drought, inflation and COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased vulnerability levels in the country as the livelihoods of informal sector workers have been affected by the lockdown,” read the embassy statement. Zimbabwe experienced three successive years of drought, resulting in severe food shortages. However, crop production is expected to improve this year, but might be 30% below the five and ten-year averages. “The total number of food insecure people now stands at 7,7 million — almost half the population — but the number is expected to go down as the country’s prospects of a good harvest are high.” Public Service minister Paul Mavima received the donation on behalf of government. “The gesture was extended as a way of complementing government efforts in ensuring food security to vulnerable households in the country. This came against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused depletions of the sources of livelihoods of our populace, hence, exacerbating their food insecurity,” Mavima said. Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Satoshi Tanaka said: “The government of Japan decided to provide this donation of maize given the severity of the current humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. I hope that, through WFP and FDMS, it will reach the most vulnerable households as soon as possible so that they can meet their basic needs.” WFP country representative and director, Francesca Erdelmann said the organisation would work closely with government to improve food security and strive towards zero hunger by 2030. Follow us on Twitter @NewsDayZimbabwe
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 Associated Press Undefined LOS ANGELES (AP) — California authorities sent a cellphone text alert Tuesday to two major regions of the nation's most populous state to tell millions that the coronavirus is spreading rapidly and asking them to stay home except for essential activities. The noon blast to the state-designated 11-county Southern California region and 12-county San Joaquin Valley region was sent by the state Office of Emergency Services. The text also urged people to wear masks and physically distance. Both regions came under increased restrictions this week after the capacity of hospital intensive care units dropped below 15%. […]
The post California uses text alert to warn millions of virus spread appeared first on Black News Channel.
There has never been a second round in Ghanaian elections and the two parties have handed over power peacefully seven times since the return of democracy more than 30 years ago.
\"I'm feeling fine, happy that the process is going well and peacefully,\" the 76-year-old Akufo-Addo said.
Mahama, 62, of the National Democratic Congress party (NDC) was less gushing.
\"It’s too early to make an assessment, but I understand there have been a few hitches,\" Mahama said.
A few polling stations opened late and isolated cases of ballot tampering were reported by the electoral commission but there were no major incidents across the country's 38,000 polling stations.
-Symbolic peace pact -
The stability in Ghana contrasts with that of other countries in the region, with deadly unrest this year in Guinea and Ivory Coast.
EU's chief observer Javier Nart told AFP that in Ghana \"it's not the Kalashnikov that commands, it is the ballot box.\"
The two major parties have always pursued their grievances through the courts.
To ensure its continued tradition of peaceful polls, Akufo-Addo and Mahama on Friday signed a symbolic peace pact.
\"The one thing we think is worth laying emphasis on is the overall message by the major contesters that peace matters,\" former South African president and current head of the African Union observer mission, Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe told AFP.
\"There are lessons to be picked up, good practices to be shared with other African Union members.\"
The coronavirus pandemic has posed a challenge in this year's election, with 10,000 more polling stations than usual set up for the nation's 17 million registered voters.
Hand sanitisers were made available for voters, who underwent temperature checks before being let into polling stations.
COMEDIAN Ian 'Ity' Ellis is reminding young people about the importance of saving.Drawing on part of a quotation from Earl Jarrett, chief executive officer of The Jamaica National Group, Ellis pointed out that 'savings are not only the fuel for investments', but that the money, which is put aside when times are good, is often what individuals and their families turn to in challenging financial times.
A homeless count typically conducted in the Los Angeles area that relies on the help of thousands of volunteers during the month of January could be canceled amid concerns that it would be unsafe and impractical in the middle of a pandemic. In recent years, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has been conducting […]
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s largest mobile network operator, Econet Wireless, has revised its voice, data and SMS bundle prices upwards, by an average 20 percent increment, in an effort to recover value eroded due to currency devaluation and other rising costs of key network inputs. The new tariffs are effective 10 December 2020. The mobile operator incurred exchange losses of ZW$10,3 billion in the half-year to August 2020 as a result of exposure in foreign currency denominated obligations. “The business continuously reviews its pricing in line with changes in the operating environment to ensure it remains viable, while retaining good quality of service and offering affordable products,” Econet said. The listed telecommunications company earlier said it was transforming itself into a digital service provider, and remained “committed to innovative approaches to deliver these (digital) services and ensure our customers get the best quality voice, data and SMS-based products”. Econet last adjusted its voice and data tariffs in September, but since that time, the price of many goods and services that constitute critical costs to the business, have skyrocketed, putting pressure on the company’s bottom line. In particular, the price of electricity has doubled (gone up 100%) while diesel has gone up by 32% since September. Econet and other telecommunication companies rely on electricity and diesel-generated power to keep their network services up and running. According to the latest schedule, Econet has reviewed its Bundle of Joy voice bundles from ZW$4,04 to ZW$4,25 per two minutes, while a 20 megabyte (MB) daily data bundle now costs ZW$17, up from ZW$13. A monthly 100MB data bundle has been reviewed upwards from ZW$67 to ZW$84, while the 8GB Private Wifi bundle has been adjusted from ZW$960 to ZW$1 500. At the same time, subscribers are now be required to pay ZW$0.36 to send an SMS, up from ZW$0.32. Although Econet service delivery has been affected by electricity load shedding like many Zimbabwean companies, stimming its revenue generation capacity, the group has however devised methods of continuing to provide quality services to its subscribers. “We maintained quality of service despite the numerous challenges facing businesses in Zimbabwe. In particular, limited foreign currency and disruptions in power supply continue to put a significant strain on our ability to provide uninterrupted excellent service,” said the company Chairman James Myers in a statement accompanying Econet’s half-year results to August 2020. “Our mitigation strategies, which include moving to remote monitoring and operation of our network, as well as reducing our reliance on power from the grid through DPA, were critical to our success,” he said, adding that the company expected at least an additional 18 MW of power to be availed by DPA (an Econet group Solar power company) by the end of the financial year.
The City of Cape Cape Town will be closely eyeing liquor outlets this festive season, as alcohol-related trauma incidents could place an unnecessary burden on the city's hospitals amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
