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South Africa and Spain enjoy warm relations and have cooperations in the areas of education, science and technology, defence, arts and culture, and sports.
The president also stressed the importance of keeping the economy open after months of stifling movement restrictions.
He urged citizens not to drop their guard and continue adhering to the health rules, such as wearing face masks and respecting curfew times.
South Africa has recorded just over 800,000 coronavirus infections - more than a third of the cases reported across the African continent - and over 20,000 deaths.
AFP
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he's pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump, whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicization of the issue. That's made many people reticent to embrace a practice that public health experts say is one of the easiest ways to manage the pandemic, which has killed […]
The post Among first acts, Biden to call for 100 days of mask-wearing appeared first on Black News Channel.
South Africa’s long-distance passenger train service has returned in time for the festive season.
With report cards coming out for students in several area ISDs, many teachers, school administrators and parents are concerned about student failing rates and questioning how to move forward with instruction — in-class or virtual — with the coronavirus pandemic seemingly not going anywhere anytime soon. During the current school year’s first grading period, the […]
The post Houston-area schools report card: failing students, overburdened teachers appeared first on DefenderNetwork.com.
CONFEDERATION of Zimbabwe Miners (CZM) president Rangani Chauke has called on government to urgently regularise the operations of artisanal miners to avoid disasters and integrate the sector into the mainstream economy. By Stephen Chadenga Chauke’s call came in the wake of a rise in the number of fatal accidents involving gold panners in disused mines shafts. Cases of trapped artisanal miners were on the rise with 30 illegal miners feared dead after a shaft from which they were panning gave in at Ran Mine in Bindura recently. “As miners’ bodies, we have always reiterated that the formalisation of artisanal miners is a matter of urgency to avoid the unnecessary loss of lives,” Chauke said in an interview yesterday. “Regularisation of the sector would not only improve safety of miners, but would decriminalise the activity. “That is why we have always said the Mines and Minerals Bill should address the formalisation of the sector.” He said, despite contributing immensely to gold production in the country, artisanal mining continued to be a dangerous enterprise claiming many lives every year. Chauke said there was need to bring legality and stability to the sector to avoid negative consequences associated with artisanal mining. “There is need for laws and support from government on the legal and policy frameworks that ensure safety and good standards in the formalisation process,” he said. CZM is an association of small-scale-miners. In recent years, artisanal miners have resorted to mining in decommissioned mine shafts. Government continues to dither on plans to regularise artisanal mining.
Growing Food Insecurity Threatens West Africa
With these words, experts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Food Crisis Prevention Network and Sahel Club sounded the alarm on Thursday. It is estimated that more than 16 million people have been facing a situation of acute food crisis in West Africa and the Sahel since October,
And the already dire situation could get even worse in West Africa as unless swift action is taken, up to 24 million people could go hungry between June and August 2021, one of the most difficult periods to obtain food just before harvest season begins in the fields.
The Problematic Presence of Islamist Terrorism
There is a lack of resources, mainly due to challenges of insecurity which have gradually grown more complicated to overcome in affected nations. In Nigeria alone, where Islamist extremists have been wreaking havoc in the north of the country, the number of people threatened by hunger could reach 13 million, i.e. half of the total West African population.
In the Sahel, four million refugees displaced as a result of jihadist terrorist attacks are also at risk of food insecurity.
In spite of the diverse efforts of various governments and their international allies, the next six months could be catastrophic for millions of people.
In the drought-hit south of Madagascar, people are forced to fill their bellies with white clay mixed with tamarind to cope with famine. More than a year of no rain is slowing leading locals to the brink of famine. The staple food like cactus fruit cannot be produced because of the drought.
\"If we had something to eat, if our saliva was enough, we would never have eaten that. But it's true that we didn't know that white clay was edible before. We tried to mix it and it worked\", Dame Zafendraza, a charcoal producer said.
In a nearby village of Ankilomarovahetsy, 9 people starved to death in September. Toharano is a housewife. She says she's quite certain that the death of her children was due to the famine.
\"My children didn't eat for three days and then died, because I, their mother, did not manage to feed them. I'm sure it was the famine that killed them. It's not something else, it's not the disease, but famine. I left early in the morning and came back in the evening, and I saw the body of my child with his eyes open\", she said.
Children have particularly struggled to digest the clay and tamarind mixture. According to the World Food Programme (WFP) in the country this causes ''belly swelling''.
Half of the population in the southern region of the Indian Ocean Island, is currently in need of emergency food aid, the UN agency said.
Théodore Mbainaissem is head of the Ambovombe office for the World Food Programme (WFP).
\"People could not go out because of the lockdown. The trucks, the bush taxis that have to commute, were not allowed and people stayed more or less in the villages. Add to that the food insecurity caused by climate change, which has been very severe this year\", he said.
The WFP said about 31 million euros are urgently needed to feed the hungry in southern Madagascar.
Climate Change
A few kilometres away in the town of Beraketa, global charity Action Against Hunger (ACF) has put up a centre in partnership with the WFP.
The centre caters for around 50 severely malnourished children and 100 other patients every week. The children are at risk of death, especially if malnutrition is complicated by diarrhoea, respiratory infections or malaria.
While droughts are not uncommon in the area, this dry spell has been compounded by climate impact. The WFP's Mbainaissem said \"for three years in some communities, two in others, there has been no rain.\"
Rising insecurity and livestock thefts have exacerbated poverty and complicated humanitarian relief efforts. The government has deployed the military to distribute food and first aid in the area. In October, President Andry Rajoelina, his wife and son gave out rations in villages.
The local head of the WFP Mbainaissem has warned of a disaster if emergency food assistance are not provided.
Vice President-0elect Kamala Harris has selected Tina Flournoy as her chief of staff joining two other women of color in senior roles.
After the winning numbers of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were drawn in Tuesday's Powerball, some of the lucky winners have revealed the method behind the madness.
Flames have engulfed an oil refinery in Wentworth on Friday morning, following an enormous explosion at the Engen-run facility.
America’s employers sharply scaled back their hiring last month as the viral pandemic accelerated across the country, adding 245,000 jobs,... View Article
The post US hiring slows sharply to 245,000 jobs as virus intensifies appeared first on TheGrio.
HARARE lawyer, Advocate Thabani Mpofu will stand trial at the Harare Magistrates Court on charges of obstructing the course of justice charges on February 10, next year. BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA Mpofu, who is out on bail, yesterday appeared before magistrate Trynos Wutawashe where he was given the trial date. The State is alleging that Mpofu falsified information by submitting an affidavit of a non-existent person to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in January 2019 while challenging the appointment of Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi. It is alleged that he invented one Simbarashe Zuze, who signed an affidavit in the ConCourt challenge. But in his application for bail earlier this year, Mpofu, through his lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said Zuze had been to the police several times to prove that he was a real person and that the police had collected 15 samples of his signature. Mpofu is also facing another charge of concealing a transaction in a 2017 case. Teddy Kamuriwo appeared for the State.
Cabinet was briefed on progress made by the Department of Public Enterprises in implementing the SAA Business Rescue Plan
A yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria has killed 172 people so far, the World Health Organisation says.
By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Several thousand combatants have been killed in Ethiopia's embattled Tigray region, an official with the fugitive regional government is asserting, although claims remain difficult to verify after a month of fighting between Ethiopian and regional forces. Getachew Reda, a senior adviser to the Tigray leader, in an interview with Tigray TV aired Thursday urged young people and others in the region to 'rise and deploy to battle in tens of thousands.' His call came days after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over the weekend declared victory in a power struggle that […]
The post Thousands killed in Ethiopia's conflict, Tigray side asserts appeared first on Black News Channel.
Rep. Joyce Beatty will chair the Congressional Black Caucus for the 117th Congress as the caucus embarks on its 50th anniversary as the voice of Black America on Capitol Hill.
South Africa has recorded 94 more Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the recorded death toll to 21 803.
… the interview when asked about African Americans potentially being skeptical about taking … , particularly in the African American community, we are -- African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans …
South Africans can take advantage of heavily discounted airfares from Lufthansa for early 2021 - but you have to book now.
IN a tragic incident that left Mutoko residents shocked, a 20-year-old A-Level student died on the spot after she was struck by a bolt of lightning while on her way from writing an examination. by JAIROS SAUNYAMA The body of Constance Machemedze, a student at Mutoko Central High School was found charred after the strike. It was taken to Mutoko District Hospital for post-mortem. Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza confirmed the incident and urged the public to exercise caution during this rain season. “Members of the public must always take precautionary measures as stated by the Meteorological Department to avoid such disasters,” he said. It is reported that on December 2, at around 1:30pm, the A-Level student was in Chinzanga Primary School soccer ground on her way home from Mutoko Central High School where she had sat for her examinations. Upon realising that Machemedze had fallen to the ground and was motionless, a villager who witnessed the incident went to the scene and discovered that she had severe burns on her right side. A report was made at ZRP Mutoko whose officers attended the scene and rushed her to hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. In a related matter, nine-year-old girl, Fortunate Chifamba of Wedza died after she was struck by a bolt of lightning while seated in a hut in the company of her parents. On December 1, the deceased and her parents were in a kitchen hut while it was raining before a bolt of lightning struck, lifted the juvenile up before throwing her outside where she died on the spot. The hut immediately caught fire and the parents were assisted to escape by a fellow villager. They discovered the lifeless body of the juvenile. A report was made at Wedza Police Station which despatched officers to the scene. The body was taken to St Mary’s Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.
By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — IBM security researchers say they have detected a cyberespionage effort using targeted phishing emails to try to collect vital information on the World Health Organization's initiative for distributing COVID-19 vaccine to developing countries. The researchers said they could not be sure who was behind the campaign, which began in September, or if it was successful. But the precision targeting and careful efforts to leave no tracks bore 'the potential hallmarks of nation-state tradecraft,' they said in a blog post Thursday. The campaign's targets, in countries including Germany, Italy, South Korea and […]
The post Phishing ploy targets COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort appeared first on Black News Channel.
LONDON (AP) — U.K. regulators went on the offensive Friday to beat back criticism that they rushed their authorisation of a COVID-19 vaccine, saying they rigorously analysed data on safety and effectiveness in the shortest time possible...
Days before the Reserve Bank must release funds it quietly froze to Chinese rail group CRRC, the taxman goes to court to preserve them and prepares to claim billions from CRRC based on evidence that it paid kickbacks to the Guptas.
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In a modern twist on old-fashioned war games, the U.S. military dispatched cyber fighters to Estonia this fall to help the small Baltic nation search out and block potential cyber threats from Russia. The goal was not only to help a NATO partner long targeted by its powerful neighbor but also to gain insight on Russian tactics that could be used against the U.S. and its elections. The U.S. Cyber Command operation occurred in Estonia from late September to early November, officials from both countries disclosed this week, just as the U.S. […]
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Vibrant, diverse, and plentiful are a few words that describe the UAE’s culture and art scene, which also serves as a hub for regional creatives stemming from the Middle East and North Africa to share their work, before the pandemic.
To maintain this active community during the COVID-19 pandemic, the country supported residing artists across 25 fields of innovation in the creative sector by giving out about 140 financial grants.
Leading these efforts is the country’s Minister of Culture and Youth, Noura Al Kaabi.
The young minister is a staunch advocate of cultivating the arts locally and globally, seeing the culture and innovation industry as a way to promote UAE culture and innovation across the globe, in addition to contributing the emirate’s economic sustainability and growth.
Creative access
Noura Al Kaabi speaks to Inspire Middle East
Despite facing the challenges of empty cinemas and previously locked down art venues, Al Kaabi believes culture is never on hold, with the UAE’s response to the pandemic being proof of cultural resilience.
Looking at a post-COVID art scene the minister believes it will be reconstructed in a better way, taking advantage of practices developed during the pandemic.
“The advantage of getting your content or getting your work [to] transcend beyond a gallery border ... is how can we utilize such a platform,” Al Kaabi told Inspire Middle East, speaking about digitisation. “Isn't the role of culture for it to be accessible to everyone? Not make [it] just [for] the ones who are privileged to be able to travel or be able to enjoy visiting a museum?”
Intellectual property protection
With many artists sharing their work online, the question of intellectual property has been a heated topic of debate. Al Kaabi says the Ministry of Culture and Youth is working closely with its economic counterpart to develop IP protection and other policies to secure the original ideas of artists.
The minister also highlighted the importance of spreading awareness to artists about how they can protect their own artwork, which she hopes will encourage them to share their work more frequently.
“Nowadays it’s a sector that is very vibrant, and it’s a sector that is even ahead of other sectors that are contributing to the GDP,” says the minister.
When asked about how the creative industry collaborates with the economy, Al Kaabi cited the job of licenses for freelancers and microbusinesses which include filmmakers, editors, make-up artists, etc.
“The license is a business license, therefore it's a business environment,” Al Kaabi explained. “Therefore, there are job creations that are happening in that sector, yet having the right measurements for the sector and identifying the creative jobs that the sector will provide. There are the institutions and there are the thousands of media and creative agencies that are within the UAE that require us to look very closely and focus on the sector.”
Communicating cultures
A bird’s-eye view of Hagia Sophia
Last year, the UAE became o
Lawsuit Seeks to Hold Accountable Attorney General Barr, U.S. Park Police, and Other Law Enforcement Officers for Violent Attack in Lafayette Square on Racial Justice Demonstrators (Washington, D.C.) - The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and co-counsel filed an opposition motion to dismiss last night in Black Lives Matter D.C. v. Trump, after […]
The post Black Lives Matter D.C. v. Trump Must Proceed, Defendants Need to Be Held Accountable appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are ticking higher and heading back toward record highs on Friday, despite discouraging data detailing how much damage the deepening pandemic is doing to the job market. The much weaker-than-expected jobs report may perversely have been bad enough to help kick Congress out of its paralysis and deliver more support for the economy. Hopes also remain deeply rooted on Wall Street that one or more coronavirus vaccines are coming to rescue the global economy next year. The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in morning trading, putting it on […]
The post Wall Street heads back toward highs despite dour jobs report appeared first on Black News Channel.
Gweru City Council mayor Josiah Makombe has said that council would relocate vendors operating from an illegal fresh farm produce market in Mtapa suburb. BY STEPHEN CHADENGA Makombe, who visited the market on Monday, saw vendors not observing COVID-19 regulations such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance. There are also no ablution facilities at the vending site. The city father said council would move the traders to an appropriate site in the same suburb. “When I visited Mtapa illegal market, I was disheartened by what I saw. “Surely, people are suffering to make ends meet,”Makombe said. “However, in as much as we are scrambling for an income to fend for our families, let us not forget that the COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent. “I urge everyone to observe WHO guidelines against COVID-19, maintain social distance, mask up and sanitise your hands frequently.” He, however, added: “As a council we will relocate those traders to a more appropriate vending place in Mtapa as a matter of urgency.” Vendors created a new vending site after council closed Kombayi market to pave way for renovations after government directed all local authorities to demolish and refurbish old vending sites.
By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — U.K. regulators went on the offensive Friday to beat back criticism that they rushed their authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, saying they rigorously analyzed data on safety and effectiveness in the shortest time possible without compromising the thoroughness of their review. The comments from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency came as the Times newspaper reported that the agency's chief executive, Dr. June Raine, planned to give a series of radio interviews so she could speak directly to people who may be concerned about getting vaccinated. The MHRA reiterated earlier statements […]
The post UK defends vaccine decision amid criticism it moved too fast appeared first on Black News Channel.
The focus is to educate and inform our community.
