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THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has reportedly refused to restore water supplies to Binga Rural District Council until the local authority has paid at least $300 000 of its $1,5 million debt. BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE Zinwa cut off water supplies to Binga in September, forcing residents and business operators to turn to boreholes and other unsafe water sources. Binga Residents Association vice-chairperson Samson Sibanda said Zinwa recently met council officials and indicated that it would restore water supplies after the local authority has paid at least $300 000 towards settling the bill. “We met and agreed on the way forward for water to be reopened. Council is the one that owes Zinwa money and not the residents. For water to be reopened Zinwa said they require at least $300 000 from the council,” Sibanda said. “Residents of Masoja area who are affected by the water cut started to protest and demonstrate saying they had been paying council and the issue has to be resolved immediately.” Binga district development co-ordinator Farai Marinyame confirmed that stakeholders met on Wednesday to try to resolve the crisis. “I was not on the ground, but there was a meeting between Zinwa, residents and the council to solve the ongoing water crisis. For now there is still no water as council is still negotiating with Zinwa so that they take that project,” Marinyame said. “The main problem is that residents are not paying up.” Binga RDC chief executive officer Joshua Muzamba said he was still out of Binga. “I am still out of Binga, just look for those on the ground who can give you information,” he said. Zinwa spokesperson Marjorie Munyonga, who previously pleaded with residents to pay up, yesterday said she was out of office and was yet to be briefed on the latest developments.
Many people have been killed since clashes began on Monday. Scores too had been killed in the run up to the vote as protestors marched against Conde's bid for a third term.
Protesters are using a variety of technology tools to organize rallies, record police violence and communicate during the marches sweeping the U.S. and other countries following the death of George Floyd.
Organizers are also using Telegram, an app that allows private messages to be sent to thousands of people at once, creating channels for specific cities to give updates on protest times and locations, as well as updates on where police are making arrests or staging.
One New York City Telegram channel for the protests grew from just under 300 subscribers on Monday to nearly 2,500 by Friday.
In one Telegram channel, the ADL found, participants suggested murdering protesters, then spreading rumors to blame the deaths on police snipers.
“Good time to stroke race relations” and “post black live’s don’t matter stickers,” a user posted – with misspellings – to the Reformthestates Telegram channel, according to the ADL.
By LEKAN OYEKANMI Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's top police official on Saturday ordered the immediate mobilization of all officers to 'reclaim the public space from criminal elements masquerading as protesters' after days of unrest and demonstrations over police abuses that left at least 69 people dead. The police order could further heighten tensions in Africa's most populous country after some of its worst turmoil in years. Nigeria's inspector general of police, M.A. Adamu, ordered colleagues to 'dominate the public space' while announcing that enough is enough, a statement said. Nigerians on Tuesday evening watched in horror as […]
The post Nigeria's police order massive mobilization after unrest appeared first on Black News Channel.
We watch as primarily white liberals come into predominately black communities and tell us what our problems are and how to fix them.
Those living in predominately black communities do not need to be told their issues.
What we need is to be empowered to resolve them – and that starts with giving the black community access to influence the world in which we live.
But if we aren’t careful, all we will be left with will be peaceful marches, pretty little speeches, looted buildings, broken glass, destroyed lives, rapidly rising crime rates, and no real influence to create sustainable change.
Here’s a shining example of the subtle racism of low expectations towards black people: Liberal leaders have called out to the American people to just “give space” to rioters and looters after the killing of black people by police.
TOP Zanu PF officials in Chikomba district, Mashonaland East province, have been exposed for allegedly demanding bribes from prospective candidates so they could influence the outcome of the party’s looming district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections. By Miriam Mangwaya The alleged scam was exposed in an audio recording of a telephone conversation between Zanu PF councillor Lovemore Mufamba and DCC aspiring candidate Alfred Pedzisa, which has gone viral. In the six-minute long audio, Mufamba is heard naming three Zanu PF provincial members in Chivhu whom he claimed demanded US$300 from him so that they could disregard CVs for other aspirants. This, they said, would ensure that Mufamba gets a DCC post which was not disclosed in the audio. Mufamba also claimed that the three provincial members namely Moses Mataruse, Clifford Ngirazi and one Songore had the capacity to tamper with other candidates’ CVs and alter their contents in favour of a candidate who would have bribed them. “Each of the provincial members wants US$100, so I am busy looking for someone who can lend me $300 so that I give them and they consider my CV,” Mufamba allegedly said in the audio. “They told me they could access councillor Israel Dhikinya’s CV (chairperson for Chikomba (Rural District Council) and alter it to another less influential post. They can also do that to many other aspirants whom the leadership is not pleased with.” Pedzisa confirmed the authenticity of the recording, but declined to comment on the matter. “I am also an aspiring candidate in the DCC elections hence I cannot comment on the matter. You can get a comment from party leadership,” said Pedzisa who is eyeing the DCC chairmanship. Mufamba also confirmed to NewsDay Weekender that he was the one recorded talking to Pedzisa over the phone. 'I am not worried that the audio was leaked. This is election time, there is a lot of treachery, deceit and blackmailing but the truth always prevails,” Mufamba said. He, however, refused to comment on his fate in the party. Both Mataruse and Ngirazi dismissed claims that they were demanding bribes to influence poll outcomes. They referred questions to the party provincial chairperson Joel Biggie Matiza, who was not picking calls.
Four more people have died from COVID-19 and another death is under investigation, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has reported. \tThis means Jamaica has now recorded 186 deaths from the disease since it's first case on March 10. ...
WHEN COVID-19 broke out, we all thought it was going to be another manageable ailment, until everything came to a halt. SUCCESS LIFE:Jonah Nyoni Now, we are slowly going back to business, but it seems life will not go back to normal any time soon. As highlighted in previous articles, occupational safety and health is now a central point in the corporate space. Time is ticking and we should now be thinking of what we will do whether COVID-19 goes away or stays longer. Governments across the globe are easing restrictions and we need to be thinking of ways of being effective in the “new normal”. As we think about how to strategise, the PWL Global Insurance says there are five priorities that we should consider as we craft our strategies: Realign your cost structure and sharpen productivity Supercharge digital transformation to create a digital enterprise Carve out new revenue streams Prepare your workforce for the new world Strengthen capital efficiency. Flexibility Most institutes have the same way of doing specific things and it’s hard to tell them that their year-to-year template is no longer relevant. In some institutes, you take a report that was written three years back, there are still clauses that are still being used, but with little success. Piloting Generally as we plan, we usually have short, medium and long-term plans. Before anyone takes on a long-term plan, it would be ideal to test it before they commit to it entirely. Make a short-term action plan as a pilot programme or experimental way so as to see the possible benefits or losses. This test run tells us what works and what does not work. Involvement Having tabled your strategic plan as a company, you need a progressive and a probing debate on the same document. It’s unfortunate that some leaders draft a document somewhere and shove it into the throat of employees to swallow without expecting to be questioned how realistic the plan is. Is it SMART enough? Does it bring solutions to specificities? Corporate audit Ask yourself: Where am I? At times we tend to think of ourselves as what we are really not. As a company, make both an internal and external audit. What did we lose? What kept us afloat? What do we need to stay relevant? This gives you a picture of how you are perceived in the minds of people against what you think of yourself. This helps to make necessary adjustments. Adopt a post-COVID-19 mentality The strategic plan becomes futile, especially with leaders that are hinged on maintaining and managing systems. Life has changed. COVID-19 has redefined rules of operation. Besides, life has its sharp turns, twists and changes and the leader should know what to do. As others ask the question: What? The leader asks: Why? That gives the proper answer it could to a current issue or for future encounters. “Why” gives purpose to the programmes you are doing. Is it significant? how is it positively affecting humanity? The “why factor” liberates leaders from just doing a project because it’s their work requirement. They do it because it’s relevant an
Marc Short, Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence, tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, becoming the latest in a laundry list of people in or close to the […]
The post Mike Pence's Chief Of Staff Tests Positive For COVID-19 appeared first on Essence.
DESCENDANT of the Ndebele monarch, King Lobengula, Prince Peter Zwide Khumalo yesterday slammed plans by Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to pump the heavily-polluted Khami Dam water into households to alleviate supply problems.
“The Bulawayo community read with shock in one of the papers about the city’s proposal to use Khami Dam water to supplement the city’s potable water supply,” he said.
“After a series of tests of Khami Dam water, it was recommended that it would never be suitable for public consumption because of its high chemical, organic and microbiological pollution load which was not possible to bring down to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards required for potable water,” he said.
He said the Khami Dam water had high sewage content coming through public water courses such as Khami and Phekiwe rivers and was abused by the Rhodesian security system.
He added that the Bulawayo city fathers should inform the public what methods of treatment they proposed to use to deal with high BOD/COD, E-COLI, suspended solids, odours and water colour to meet WHO standards.
Comedian Kim Wayans revived one of her most beloved In Living Color characters for a new video to encourage the... View Article
The post Kim Wayans revives 'In Living Color' character Miss Benita in voter PSA appeared first on TheGrio.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE OPPOSITION MDC Alliance vice-chair Job Sikhala yesterday walked out of the tall walls of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison after he was granted $50 000 bail by High Court judge Justice Erica Ndewere, who blasted the State for bringing unsubstantiated allegations to court. The opposition leader was arrested last month on allegations of fleeing from justice and plotting to subvert the government. “Sikhala’s arrest was a coincidence as the police stumbled upon him while on another mission not related to him. His fleeing was not that of a fugitive, but was running away from unidentified men he reported to be following him and not the police,” Justice Ndewere ruled. The judge said the police should have called his lawyer if they were seeking him, but they did not and misdirected themselves by relying on a vague Press statement they issued. As part of his bail conditions, Sikhala was ordered to surrender his passport to the clerk of court, report thrice a week at St Mary’s Police Station and was barred from posting political audios and videos on social media. In a related matter, MDC Alliance secretary-general Chalton Hwende, who also faced charges of trying to subvert government, was removed from remand by Justice Webster Chinamhora after the State failed to provide him with a trial date more than a year on. Hwende, who was represented by Harrison Nkomo, had been on remand following his arrest in connection with January 2019 protests over the fuel price hikes. Hwende was one of several MDC Alliance legislators’ activists and supporters arrested in connection with the protests.
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Authorities in Kyrgyzstan on Saturday called an early presidential election for January after the nation's previous president was driven from power by protests triggered by a disputed vote. The Oct. 4 parliamentary election was swept by pro-government parties and triggered protests by the opposition, who rejected the official results as rigged. Demonstrators freed several opposition leaders, including Sadyr Zhaparov, who was quickly named the new prime minister. On Oct. 15, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov was forced to step down under pressure from demonstrators and Zhaparov became the acting head of state in Kyrgyzstan, […]
The post Amid turmoil, Kyrgyzstan sets presidential vote for Jan. 10 appeared first on Black News Channel.
Life as we know it changed in March as South Africa went into lockdown for hospitals to prepare for Covid-19. In a matter of days, we saw businesses setting up their employees at home, and schools sending children home with lists of activities and reading material.
More than 500 people joined the nation in protesting police brutality, the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd and racial oppression during its recent Black Lives Matter protest in Cedar Hill.
Residents of this southern Dallas County city – which is 54 percent black – marched from the Cedar Hill Walmart near Uptown to the Cedar Hill Government Center, which houses the police department.
Once assembled in front of the Government Center, residents heard from various speakers including Mayor Stephen Mason, Police Chief Ely Reyes, and 18-year-old Janell Baker, a Cedar Hill resident who is the 2020 Salutatorian of the School of Science and Engineering at Townview.
This “complete lack of accountability” Baker told the crowd assembled, “is the complete lack of accountability that screams to people in this country that black lives do not matter which is why everyone has the responsibility to scream the opposite.
The Tri-City Chapter of the NAACP – serving Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and the surrounding communities – was also present and encouraged residents to join the organization and help continue fighting for racial progress.
… recognize that, until the 1960s, African-Americans were pretty much shut out … in 1965, the number of African-Americans who registered to vote in … basic level, bigger participation from Black Americans.” And for a while, that …
… -involved shooting of Jacob Blake, African-American led organizations marked the first …
THE Zimbabwe national cricket team is seeking inspiration from past failure as it embarks on a tour of Pakistan where it will play three important one-day internationals (ODIs) against the hosts as well as the same number of T-20 Internationals. BY KEVIN MAPASURE Zimbabwe missed out on the 2019 International Cricket Council World Cup in England following a heartbreak that saw the team unexpectedly losing to minnows United Arab Emirates in a match the country needed to win to clinch one of two play-off tickets to the global party. The then Heath Streak-coached side found itself having to go through the rigours of the play-offs after failing to make it among the top seven sides in the ODI rankings. Having learnt from past experience, this time the team is aiming to make it among the automatic qualifiers on Pakistani soil. Ahead of the series, Zimbabwe Cricket’s mantra has centred on earning an automatic World Cup spot and captain Chamu Chibhabha has stressed the point at every opportunity. “Its very crucial for us to play really well. Super League games are very important when you consider the fact that we have to qualify for the World Cup,” Chibhabha said after the team’s training session on Wednesday. “We would rather qualify directly as opposed to having to play in the qualifiers because that’s a lot of pressure.” For him, the qualifiers are a dangerous route to try and qualify from where they have to face lesser sides that will be playing with freedom, while a full-member side will be carrying the weight of expectation, which can be destructive as Zimbabwe discovered at Harare Sports Club in 2018. Zimbabwean cricketers acknowledge that they launch their campaign in the tough conditions of the Asian flat wickets, but they retain the confidence that they can upset the odds and pull off some important wins. “We would love to get a couple of wins under our belts which makes life easier for us to qualify for the World Cup,” Chibhabha said. Chibhabha is one of six players that toured Pakistan in 2015 and he was the highest run scorer for Zimbabwe in the ODIs despite him experiencing the heartbreak of falling for 99 in one of the matches. “From our experience in 2015, we know we are going to play on a flat wicket — some might have spin on them, slow and turning, but we are expecting a lot of runs on the board in the series,” he said. “Obviously, it’s going to be hot, but it’s not as bad as we expected. We will be playing day-night matches, so dew is going to be a huge factor.” The first ODI will be played on October 30 and the last two will be contested on November 1 and 3. Zimbabwe has got a lot of experience among its ranks, with Brendan Taylor coming in as one of the players that were not part of the 2015 tour. In 2015, Taylor had just started on a Kolpak contract in England, while Test skipper Sean Williams was part of the previous trip. It seems former skipper Elton Chigumbura is in a last chance saloon, having struggled with injuries in the last couple of years. He was one of the stand-out performers in the last ser
Guinea has been thrown into turmoil following a presidential on October 18 in which President Alpha Condé sought a third term after changing the constitutional term limit via a referendum earlier this year. Now, the leader of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), Cellou Dalein Diallo, has claimed victory even before the country's...
The post Guinea: As 82-year-old president heads to third term, opposition leader calls for sustained protests appeared first on Face2Face Africa.
‘The Great Hack’ a must-see for all social media users
Friday, May 29, 2020 0:01
By MARGARETTA WA GACHERU
If there is one movie on Netflix that I would urge people to go and see, it is “The Great Hack”.
That highest bidder subsequently used the personal data to conduct what the US military calls “psyops” or Psychological Operations which have involved generating sophisticated and extremely subtle propaganda campaigns that have proved to influence and even change public (meaning individual FB clients’) opinion.
The real problem, our “reporter” discovers, is that many of CA’s richest and most powerful clients are dictators and would-be autocrats who have been elected or re-elected to political office thanks largely to the efforts of CA-crafted ‘psyops’ that target specific social media users.
The trick is that voters don’t realise they’ve been fed (over social media) propaganda that supports the CA client.
The two award-winning Egyptian-American filmmakers, Jehane Noujam and Karim Amer, did a superlative job, not only in creating a visually energizing film but also in breaking down a complex history and process that features everyone from Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg to CA’s CEO, Alexander Nix and the working class techie “wiz kid”, Chelsea Kaiser who set up (and “weaponised”’) the CA psyops system.
BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE BUSINESS operators and residents at Binga Business Centre have been without running water since last month after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) cut off supplies over a $1 billion debt owed by the local authority. Residents said water supply was cut off on September 23 without prior warning. Civic organisation, Citizen Watch confirmed the development and appealed to the local authority and Zinwa to resolve their differences and restore water supply at the business centre. “On September 23, water was disconnected without notice from the supplier. Residents thought it was just a fault. On September 25, a committee visited council and was told that Zinwa had disconnected the water supplies because council had a debt of over $1 million and the question is: Are residents paying to council and on the other hand is council paying the money paid by residents to Zinwa?” Citizen Watch said. Contacted for comment, Binga Rural District Council chief executive officer Joshua Muzamba said: “I have been away from Binga for the past few days and I am at a funeral.” Zinwa spokesperson Marjorie Munyonga said she was unaware of the issue.
Western Bureau: Hanover, which was the last parish to record a case of the coronavirus in Jamaica, took a direct hit yesterday as the family court in the parish had to be closed because of positive COVID-19 cases at the facility. A press release...
The policy pursued by the US president has a huge impact on people's lives both at home and abroad, so the outcome will matter to everyone when Americans go to the polls on 3 November,
June was Men’s Health Month, and as the month comes to a close, Kaiser Permanente is encouraging men to take care of their health by sharing ways they can take steps to do that.
Oakland Post contributor Brandon Patterson talked to Dr. Kenneth Greene specifically about African American men’s health, what Black men should be mindful of, and how they can stay healthy.
OP: What’s the main problem you see with how Black men think about their health?
KG: People have to really be strident about taking the opportunities to learn about ways that they can improve their health.
But if you live in a food desert or are low-income like many Black people and can’t afford healthier foods, it’s harder to do.
St Andrew South Member of Parliament Mark Golding has proposed that the Government introduce a threshold to exempt micro businesses and small non-governmental organisations such as churches from the Data Protection Act.
With the passage of the legislation in Parliament on Tuesday, Golding said he had pointed out, during the committee’s deliberations on the bill, that it would be extremely difficult to get many micro operators to comply with the law.
Under the new legislation, a data controller could be any small business or church that has computers and stores information on its workers, clients, or, in the case of the religious body, its congregation.
Himself an attorney, Golding indicated that the law sought to strike a balance between freedom of the press and the role of the media and how they use information versus the rights of citizens to maintain privacy regarding their own data.
“If my data is abused in any way, is shared without my information, I must be able to have an originated private right of action to sue anybody, private business or even the Government, as we were able to legislate in the Fair Competition Act, to recover damages for such abuses,” he added.
FORMER Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko and his son Siqokoqela have taken the Botswana-headquartered Choppies Enterprises, its distribution centre and Nanavac Investments to court demanding an outstanding US$44 million for their 51% shares in the company. BY SILAS NKALA The family held shares in the supermarket chain before it was pushed out in January last year. Through their lawyer Zibusiso Ncube, Mphoko and his son filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court seeking an order declaring their entitlement to payment of the true value of the 51% shares they held before being booted out. The Mphokos also claimed interest at the rate of 5% per annum from January 9, 2019, when they were unlawfully divested of their shareholding, to date of full payment. In their declaration of the claim, the Mphokos submitted that at all material time, they were the majority shareholders of Nanavac Investments, holding an aggregate of 51% shares. “First applicant (Siqokoqela) held 25,5% shares and second applicant (Phelekezela) held 25,5% shares in first defendant (Nanavac Investments), while the second defendant (Choppies Enterprises) held the remaining 49% of the first defendant (Nanavac Investments)’ shares,” reads the declaration. “In about 2018, a dispute arose between first applicant and second defendant resulting in the second and third defendants instituting legal proceedings against first plaintiff and his wife and the first defendant at the High Court. The second defendant instituted malicious and false criminal complaints to the police, resulting in the institution of magistrates’ court proceedings against the first plaintiff and his wife.” They said the proceedings resulted in their arrest and detention and on January 9 in order to secure freedom, the Mphokos signed a deed of settlement with Choppies Enterprises in terms of which they disposed of their shareholding in Nanavac Investments to Choppies Enterprises. “The deed of settlement between the parties provided that the two plaintiffs were to be paid US$2,9 million by second defendant for the acquisition of plaintiffs’ full rights and title to the first defendant’s shareholding,” they said. “The payment of first applicant’s salary which was due from first defendant had been unlawfully stopped and threats of foreclosure on a mortgage bond in which first applicant had acquired funds from a local bank which the plaintiff could only service if he was not in detention and was receiving his salary from first defendant, the second plaintiff made him sign the deed of settlement in fear of the continued persecution of his son and his daughter in law by second defendant.” The Mphokos said the unlawful deed of settlement understated value of the shareholding they owned in that US$2,9 million offered for the shares constituted about 7% as opposed to 51% of the value of the shares in Nanavac Investments, which was given as US$44 million at the Botswana Stock Exchange. “The second defendant paid the sum of US$2,9 million in local currency, where shareholding was purportedly being acquired
RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) - Brazil recorded 30,026 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 571 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said yesterday.
The article Brazil reports 30,026 new coronavirus cases, 571 deaths appeared first on Stabroek News.
