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Rio de Janeiro's deadliest police raid in history left 25 people dead, including one police officer, on Thursday.
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.
The Ministry of National Security has received personal protective equipment valued at over $2 million from the Chinese community in Jamaica to assist frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We appreciate this gesture as it will support the Ministry’s effort to ensure that our frontline workers are protected as they seek to protect the community during this COVID-19 Pandemic,” said Chang during a handover ceremony at the Ministry’s Oxford Road offices on Thursday.
“The Chinese community has contributed greatly by not only providing equipment but also by continuing to provide care packages and jobs to Jamaicans in need,” Chang added.
Meanwhile, Stephen Lyn Kee Chow, CEO of Pickapeppa Company Limited and a representative of the Chinese community said, “the donation is a token of our love for Jamaica.
Lyn Kee Chow said the Chinese community would continue to do its part to assist in the fight against COVID-19.
The seditious libel case involving Sierra Leone’s former minister of social welfare and journalist – Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, was adjourned today to Friday 12 June 2020, after prosecution witness who is the lead police investigator – Detective M.K. Alieu, was cross-examined by Blyden who is representing herself in court.
On Friday, 22nd May 2020, Dr Blyden was charged with seditious libel under Sections 33, 32 and 27 of the notorious Public Order Act No 46 of 1965, which successive governments of Sierra Leone have used to harass, intimidate and persecute those with whom they disagree, especially journalists.
According to Section 33 (1): “Any person who (a) does or attempts to do, or makes any preparation to do, or conspires with any person to do, any act with a seditious intention; or (b) utters any seditious words; or (c) prints, publishes, sells, offers for sale, distributes or reproduces any seditious publication; or (d) imports any seditious publication, unless he has no reason to believe it is seditious shall be guilty of an offence and liable for a first offence to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to a fine not exceeding one thousand leones or to both such imprisonment and fine, and for a subsequent offence shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding seven years, and every such publication shall be forfeited to the government.”
Section 32 (1) states: “Any person who publishes any false statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear or alarm, to the public or to disturb the public peace shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding three hundred Leones or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twelve months, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Section 27 states: “Any person who maliciously publishes any defamatory matter shall be guilty of an offence called libel and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding seven hundred leones or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”
Bank of Kigali (BK) Group has approved shareholders' dividends to the tune of Rwf14.4 per share in dividend payout for the year 2019.
Financial institutions globally are undergoing economic stress due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it hard for some banks to return capital to their shareholders.
BK Group's chief executive, Diane Karusisi touted the BK's capital position, saying it's strong and that shareholders will be able to receive payouts once BNR approves.
We believe we shall be in position to distribute dividends,\" she told shareholders at the bank's annual general meeting.
BK says its clients have been affected, forcing some to close operations, and Karusisi indicated that the bank was ready to avail more capital to facilitate struggling businesses.
It should create a special purpose vehicle -the DOVE (Debts of Vulnerable Economies) fund -- that will demonstrate to the financial markets how a responsible creditor treats African debtors in crisis.
The fund will also pledge that once the global economy begins to grow again it will work with African debtors to ensure that the debt does not become an unreasonable burden on their efforts to rebuild their economies.
Third, the DOVE fund will advocate that all private sector creditors should participate in a comparable standstill, both on debt payments and bond trading, and should applying the same principles as the DOVE fund in determining what to do with the debt of the participating countries after the crisis ends.
Fourth, the fund needs to be large enough to be an influential voice in any discussion among bondholders about the treatment of the participating African countries' debts.
The DOVE fund could encourage these groups to participate by issuing a social impact bond which would only offer holders a return that is linked to the post-crisis growth rate of sub-Saharan Africa and/or to the level of debt payments actually received by the DOVE fund after the crisis.
London — The shortlist for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced, featuring five stories that “speak eloquently to the human condition” through a diverse array of themes and genres.
Each of these shortlisted stories speak eloquently to the human condition, and to what it is to be an African, or person of African descent, at the start of the second decade of the21st century.
“Together, this year’s shortlisted stories signal that African literature is in robust health, and, as demonstrated by the titles alone, never predictable.”
The shortlisted writers for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize are:
ERICA SUGO ANYADIKE (TANZANIA) for ‘How to Marry An African President’ published in _adda: Commonwealth Stories _(2019)
CHIKODILI EMELUMADU (NIGERIA UK) for ‘What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata’ published in _The Shadow Booth:Vol.2_ (2018)
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JOWHOR ILE (NIGERIA) for ‘Fisherman's Stew’, published in _The Sewanee Review_ (2019)
RÉMY NGAMIJE (RWANDA NAMIBIA) for ‘The Neighbourhood Watch’, published in _The Johannesburg Review of Books_ (2019)
IRENOSEN OKOJIE (NIGERIA UK) for ‘Grace Jones’ from \"Nudibranch\", published by _Hachette_ (2019)
Joining Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp on the 2020 judging panel are Audrey Brown, South African broadcast journalist; Gabriel Gbadamosi, Irish-Nigerian poet and playwright; Ebissé Wakjira-Rouw, Ethiopian-born nonfiction editor and policy adviser at the Dutch Council for Culture in the Netherlands, and James Murua, Kenyan based journalist, blogger, podcaster and editor.
Participants in the 12th session of the Advisory Board for Women, Peace and Security in the Great Lakes region conducted via videoconference on May 12, said gender-based violence was on the rise at a time women are seeking protection and participation in upcoming electoral processes in the Great Lakes region, particularly in Burundi, Central African Republic and Tanzania.
FemWise-Africa, is a network of African women in conflict prevention and mediation which was established July 2017, and is working to help implement the African Union Silence the Guns by 2020 agenda.
The meeting explored ways to promote women's protection and participation in upcoming electoral processes in the Great Lakes region and in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (of 2000).
It further acknowledged that equal participation by women in the maintenance of international peace and security, an expansion of women's roles in preventing and resolving conflict, and women's protection can all contribute to the Council's fulfilling its mandate of promoting and maintaining international peace and security.
While noting the role of women in creating more peaceful and equitable societies on the continent, speakers demanded that women be placed at the centre of efforts to prevent or resolve conflict in Africa, and particularly the Great Lakes Region.
Telemedicine is perhaps one of the most popular forms, but it is only one of many ways that telehealth can be used to ensure continuity of care, especially if a patient is unable to visit a doctor’s office.
Telehealth is defined as “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical healthcare, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration” ( www.healthit.gov).
In 2018, the Government, through the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, launched the eCare pilot project as part of plans to improve community access to healthcare services.
I believe this is a good time to do so, since we now have more people’s attention where technology use is concerned, and telehealth is being viewed more and more as part of the normal and acceptable means of seeking care.
The use of telehealth, especially with continuity of care, will facilitate a more comprehensive and accurate electronic health record for patients.
Before the coronavirus outbreak abruptly disrupted the livelihoods of millions of people, the sight of masks worn in public spaces in the Western world conjured up images of malevolent clowns and terrifying fictional villains.
At the start of the pandemic, the lack of masks led many people to resort to home-made solutions.
A few hundreds metres down the road, people running errands at a big-chain supermarket mostly wear the surgical, disposable version of the mask — the one available for less than one euro in pharmacies — with no aesthetic airs at all.
It's the daily sight of cheap, disposable gloves and masks thrown away in the streets of her neighbourhood that convinced her to start producing her own during the health crisis.
Cochoy thinks the dichotomy between the handcrafted and surgical masks offers a preview of the trend that will shape life after COVID-19 – supporters of sustainable development facing off against “growth at all costs” strategies.
As Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni bore down on rights groups and the opposition, the European Union (EU) Parliament responded with the threat of sanctions against Ugandan individuals and organizations they hold responsible for abuses during [...]
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] After years of unsuccessfully campaigning for an anti-FGM law in Mali, rights groups file complaint at the ECOWAS court.
Angola's billionaire former first-daughter Isabel dos Santos and her husband are seeking to revoke a court order that froze their assets last year as part of a massive corruption probe, their lawyer said Tuesday.
Dos Santos and her Congolese husband Sindika Dokolo are accused of diverting billions of dollars from Angolan state companies during ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos' 38-year rule.
The couple's lawyer Walter Tondela told AFP he had filed a case against Angola's public prosecution for \"presenting false documents\".
Dos Santos said her lawyers unearthed the falsified evidence after they were given access to the court documents last month.
Dos Santos has built up a vast business empire over the past two decades, with stakes in several Angolan and Portuguese companies.
Milwaukee Area Technical College is one of five colleges across the country joining the Achieving the Dream (ATD) National Network, ATD announced Tuesday.
The network includes 250 community and technical colleges “focused on helping their students, particularly low-income students and students of color, achieve their goals for academic success, personal growth and economic opportunity.”
“COVID-19 has further exposed equity gaps for many of the students served by community colleges, and student success work is now more important than ever,” said Stout.
Achieving the Dream (ATD) leads a growing network of 277 community colleges committed to helping their students, particularly low-income students and students of color, achieve their goals for academic success, personal growth, and economic opportunity.
ATD is making progress in closing academic achievement gaps and accelerating student success through a unique change process that builds each college’s institutional capacities in seven essential areas.
WORKING TOGETHER to maintain a healthy relationship that has spanned 30-odd years and counting, Tommy Cowan and his life-partner, Carlene Davis, shared that being stuck at home together during the pandemic has proven to be a plus for their family.
Touching on the keys to marital survival during a crisis and while quarantining together, Cowan told Family & Religion that the mechanics may differ from person to person.
Outlining some of the activities that they participate in as a family, Cowan said: “We try to cook a variety of healthy meals, taking our vitamins to enforce our immune system and staying fit.
“We spend time to reach out to friends and family to see how they are doing, write songs, revisit productions, and finalising projects, for example, Fun in the Son.
We also organise care packages for needy families, following the protocols issued by Government and even watch birds giving birth on our balcony, which was very special,” he said with a chuckle as he quickly included that while he does Bible studies with his men’s group, his wife, Carlene, participates in her church’s intercessory prayer team and care group.
My name is Dr. Eve M. Hall and I am proud to be the president and CEO of the Milwaukee Urban League.
For just over a century, the Milwaukee Urban League has empowered communities and changed lives through our economic and social justice efforts.
The Milwaukee Urban League condemns all acts of racial discrimination and joins with all of those who believe the anguish we have seen in the past week tells us it is past time for systemic change.
Today, the Milwaukee Urban League is announcing we are using our historic role as a convenor to bring together those who understand we must work together to move Milwaukee forward.
Over the coming weeks, the Milwaukee Urban League will reach out to our friends and partners across the city, county, and state, inviting them to come together as we work collaboratively to identify solutions to the challenges our communities face.
Kenyan police have been involved in the killing of 15 people since the country put a nighttime curfew in place in March to combat the coronavirus, the policing oversight body said in a statement seen by AFP Friday.
The Independent Policing Oversight Body (IPOA) said it had received 87 complaints against police since the dusk to dawn curfew and heightened security measures were imposed on March 27.
The IPOA statement was released earlier this week as the United States was gripped by anger over racism and police brutality that has prompted protests in the country and around the world.
\"Although many killings by the police have been well documented by both state institutions and rights organisations, the security officers have rarely been held to account, including by the police oversight authority,\" said HRW.
On Thursday the IPOA announced six police officers would be arrested and prosecuted, one for the killing of Moyo, another for shooting dead a secondary school teacher while responding to a burglary at a market in western Siaya, and four others for seriously assaulting a man during an arrest.
As trucks stacked up for days, Rwanda and neighboring Tanzania worked out a deal that scrapped plans for relay drivers but mandated transferring cargo at the border, “except for trucks carrying perishable goods and petroleum products destined to Rwanda,” the Kigali government said in a news release Friday.
Kenya last week began mandatory COVID-19 testing for truckers, ordering that they undergo tests 48 hours before leaving the Port of Mombasa — a shipping hub in the country’s second-largest city — or before entering Kenya from elsewhere in East Africa.
But Wednesday, a day after Kenya announced the return of more than 180 foreigners to Tanzania because of positive COVID test results, a Tanzanian regional official accused the Nairobi government of faulty testing.
Zambia also had closed its border with Tanzania for several days last week after several truck drivers, immigration officers and sex workers tested positive for COVID, Reuters reported.
Several heads of state in the EAC bloc — including Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Salva Kiir of South Sudan — last week agreed to double testing of truckers.
By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — A coalition of 180 rights group on Wednesday called for a boycott of next year's Beijing Winter Olympics tied to reported human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in China. The games are to open in one year, on Feb. 4, 2022, and are set to go forward despite the pandemic. The coalition is composed of groups representing Tibetans, Uighurs, Inner Mongolians, residents of Hong Kong and others. The group has issued an open letter to governments calling for a boycott of the Olympics 'to ensure they are not used to embolden […]
The post Rights groups call for boycott of Beijing 2022 Winter Games appeared first on Black News Channel.
After almost two decades of remaining vacant, the death house in Braeton, St Catherine, where seven men were controversially killed in a police operation exactly 20 years ago, now has its first occupant. Rudolph Lewis, a Rastafarian returning...
The army's involvement in the takeover of the MDC Alliance headquarters by a rival faction has been described by lawyers as unconstitutional and a dangerous precedent.
Soldiers and armed police last Thursday helped the Thokozani Khupe faction of the MDC to seize the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, a building in central Harare that has housed the country's main opposition party for years.
\"We are particularly concerned by reports that the army and the police were deployed to evict some members of the MDC party who were in occupation of the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House,\" the LSZ said.
\"Young people, who had come with [MDC Alliance secretary-general Charlton] Hwende, were too many and, therefore, violating the Covid-19 rules and regulations and you know the police and the army are working together on Covid-19 issues,\" Komichi claimed.
MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora claimed they intercepted messages by MDC Alliance officials mobilising people to gather at the party headquarters.
Nkurunziza’s sour relations with international organisations began in 2015 when he insisted on running for a for a third term.
Later in 2017, Burundi became the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, amid accusations by African countries that the court was targeting Africans for prosecution.
Lewis Mudge, Human Rights Watch director for Central Africa said Nkurunziza betrayed his call.
“When Pierre Nkurunziza was sworn in as president in 2005 at the end of a brutal civil war, many hoped he would lead the country on a path of democratic reforms,” Mr Mudge said.
“Nkurunziza was willing to isolate Burundi almost entirely from the international community, with devastating consequences for the Burundian population.
The Supreme Court has shut down an attempt by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) to compel the country’s chief prosecutor to file murder and other charges against two cops over a controversial fatal shooting. At the centre of...
Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith says Prime Minister Andrew Holness was truthful when he told the nation on Friday that his administration did not reject the United Kingdom’s offer to help build a prison here.
But on January 13, 2017, that's almost a year after Holness became prime minister, Johnson Smith told the Jamaican Senate that the government rejected the offer because the terms were “not beneficial to Jamaica as a whole” and that the matter was closed.
IN PHOTO: In this September 30, 2015 file photo, then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller introduces then Opposition Leader Andrew Holness to David Cameron, then prime minister of the United Kingdom, on his arrival to the island.
In media appearances, Johnson Smith reiterated the position of the Holness administration, including on Television Jamaica’s Smile Jamaica morning programme on January 16, 2017.
On his visit to Kingston in September 2015, UK Prime Minister David Cameron made the controversial prison offer to Jamaica.
Elders and political leaders from the Rift Valley are mounting pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to sit down and talk over the thorny issues in Jubilee Party, saying this will ease the rising tension.
Members of the Kalenjin Council of Elders said the escalating cold war between the President and his deputy, which has seen allies of the DP removed from their plum leadership positions in the Senate, is not good for the country at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is ravaging the world.
\"This country is at war with Covid-19, locusts and floods hence political games should be put aside but it is very unfortunate that it is taking place when people are suffering,\" Myoot Council of Elders Chairman Emeritus John Seii, who is also a member of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force, said.
They had earlier hinted that Mt Kenya residents should not be forced to vote for Mr Ruto in 2022 in order to succeed President Kenyatta even as some allies of the DP insist that the promise ought to be respected.
Speaking separately at an Eldoret hotel Wednesday, a section of North Rift MCAs called on the President and his deputy to put aside their differences and work together during this pandemic and put in place a Covid-19 recovery plan.
South Africa has the most reported cases – 18,003, with deaths numbering 339.
Other most-affected countries include Egypt (14,229 cases), Morocco (6,652), Algeria (7,133), Ghana (6,269) and Nigeria (6,677).
The numbers are compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (world map) using statistics from the World Health Organization and other international institutions as well national and regional public health departments.
For the latest totals, see the AllAfrica clickable map with per-country numbers.
Also see: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization Africa and African Arguments.
Around 200 people turned out Monday for a protest in a poor Nairobi neighbourhood against police violence linked to the deaths of 15 people nationwide since the authorities imposed a curfew to fight coronavirus.
Kenya's Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) reported last week it had received 87 complaints against police since the dusk-to-dawn curfew and heightened security measures were imposed on March 27.
In recent days, cities around the world have seen massive protests against racism and police violence prompted by last month's police killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man in the US state of Minnesota.
In April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the police of imposing the coronavirus curfew in a \"chaotic and violent manner from the start\", sometimes whipping, kicking and teargassing people to force them off the streets.
On Thursday, the IPOA announced six police officers would be arrested and prosecuted - one for Moyo's death; another for shooting dead a secondary school teacher while responding to a burglary at a market in western Siaya; and four others for seriously assaulting a man during an arrest.
