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PANIC has gripped the ruling Zanu PF party after two senior party officials on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19 with confirmed cases likely to go up as results of mass tests done recently continue to pour in. BY MOSES MATENGA Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu and the party’s director for Information Tafadzwa Mugwadi are now in isolation at home together with affected members of their respective families. The Zanu PF COVID-19 scare comes as Zimbabwe has recorded 291 deaths with 10 of them having been recorded on Saturday only. Ministry of Health and Child Care COVID-19 statistics yesterday showed that there are 10 718 cases of the virus that have been recorded throughout the country. However, the country has also recorded 8 880 recoveries. The party’s secretary for Health David Parirenyatwa yesterday told NewsDay in an interview that the party was now on high alert, adding that all measures were being put in place to curb the further spread of the deadly virus at their headquarters situated in Harare, which also houses a number of party bigwigs and staff. The Zanu PF headquarters also plays host to several party meetings. “What we did last time was to screen people and the results are coming in batches and all those who have been found to be positive have been asked to go into self-isolation and to come back after the prescribed date,” Parirenyatwa said without confirming the actual number of those affected. “When we started the COVID-19 tests as a party, the first batch had five cases but that was about two months ago. So we are now going symptomatically and we check on anyone who would have developed the symptoms. The first time, we did a mass test but now we are following the national policy and that is what we are doing,” he said. Parirenyatwa said the party was putting on a lot of measures to reduce the spread of the virus that has already claimed millions of lives internationally. “We are putting a lot of measures now; we screen people at the gate, we do temperature checks and all the normal routine. We are intensifying that and even in our lifts, we have put COVID-19 measures, and as people get into other offices we make sure prevention protocols are observed,” he said. Mugwadi yesterday took to microblogging site Twitter to announce that he was self-isolating at home and is adhering to all medical tips to suppress the virus. “I will adhere to every medical tip as I battle this pandemic with my family,” Mugwadi wrote on his social media account. Acting Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa was not immediately available to comment on the matter. However, workers at the ruling party headquarters who spoke on condition of anonymity said there were fears that quite a number of people at the party offices could have contracted COVID-19. Most of the officials work from the building and were feared to have been in close contact with the infected. To make matters worse, they were currently reportedly deployed across the country for the party district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections, whereas a
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
A yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria has killed 172 people so far, the World Health Organisation says.
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.
FRESH fissures are emerging in the ruling Zanu PF party with cadres seen as loyal to President Emmerson Mnangagwa under the Team Lacoste banner facing purges amid reports of a plot to reform the party’s base structures by remnants of the rival G40 camp. BY BRENNA MATENDERE/GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA On Saturday, four Mnangagwa loyalists in Midlands were slapped with suspension letters, including his nephew Esau Natare, who unsuccessfully stood as the party’s parliamentary candidate for Gweru Urban in the 2018 elections. Natare, a military official, was suspended by the provincial co-ordinating committee (PCC) for alleged misconduct and was banned from holding any position for the next three years. The vehicle he was given in the build-up to the elections was withdrawn while sources also indicated there were overtures to have him booted from his military job. The partys 2018 parliamentary candidate for Mkoba constituency Charles Simbi who is a prominent Team Lacoste member was also purged and his vehicle withdrawn. Two other rabid supporters of Mnangagwa who were pivotal during the late former leader Robert Mugabe’s rule in fighting the G40 camp, Rumbidzai Waungana and Winny Manyumwa, were also given the boot. Sources said the purges were part of a broader scheme to weaken Mnangagwa’s grip on the grassroot structures. “In Harare recently there was also a plot to purge another Team Lacoste cadre in the name of Godwin Gomwe and we are likely to see more loyalists of President Mnangagwa falling by the way side. It’s a bigger scheme and G40 is on the rebound. This explains why former G40 officials who were suspended are trickling back into the party such as former Cabinet minister Annastancia Ndlovu who is now working at the party headquarters in Harare,” the source said. Former Sports minister Makhosini Hlongwane and ex-Public Service deputy minister Tapiwa Matangaidze who were suspended from the party for their G40 links, have formally submitted their applications for re-admission into Zanu PF. Addressing a weekend Midlands Zanu PF PCC meeting, provincial chairperson Daniel Mackenzie Ncube confirmed the development, but said a decision was yet to be made by the province on the duo’s application. Zanu PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said the suspensions were not linked to any succession plots. “I dismiss such reports as utter rubbish. The suspensions are clearly isolated cases. There is no broader plan in them at all. Some of the cases like that of (Chivi South MP Killer) Zivhu actually came to the politburo and we dealt with them there. There is no scheme against President Mnangagwa at all unless if you can give me the evidence. Zanu PF is a big organisation which is not run through rumours,” he said. In a related matter, former Chiredzi West ward 3 councillor Tarusenga Makamba (Zanu PF) has been suspended from the party for four years for giving an interview to online publication, Lowveld Checkpoint, in May this year. His sister Loice Makamba, who was ward 3 chairperson, was also suspended for the same period
Actress Letitia Wright has been receiving heat on social media after she tweeted a link to a YouTube video that contained misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations in development. On Thursday, Wright posted a 69-minute video from the YouTube channel On The Table that includes speaking points from Light London Church leader Tomi Arayomi, according to Variety. The channel is known for Arayomi questioning the legitimacy of topics like COVID-19 vaccinations, climate change and China’s involvement in the creation of the pandemic . Variety reported that Wright's tweet has since been removed. YouTube has also banned the video for violating its terms of service policy. According to Buzzfeed, the video starts with Arayomi admitting, "I don't understand vaccines medically, but I've always been a little bit of a skeptic of them." “These are the dangers of the world we’re entering into today, where if you say a thing enough times people will actually believe it’s true,” he later adds. Fans of...
Ghana, reputed to be a democratic example in West Africa, is preparing to elect its president on Monday in what promises to be a particularly close election between two long-time political adversaries.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, 76, a candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is seeking a second term against his predecessor John Mahama, 62, leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In 2012 and 2016, they had already competed for the highest office. Each narrowly won one of the two ballots.
So Monday's election looks like déjà vu, even though 11 other candidates, including three women, are in the running.
The contenders will have to convince Ghana's 17 million voters, more than half of whom are under 35, who will also elect their 275 deputies.
Unemployment, infrastructure and roads, education, and health are the main issues, according to pre-election surveys.
Since the early 2000s, this country, rich in gold, cocoa, and more recently oil, has experienced strong growth. And the rate of extreme poverty has been halved in less than 25 years.
But some regions, particularly in the North, continue to live in extreme poverty, without drinking water or electricity.
Above all, the crisis caused by the coronavirus has hit the country hard, with growth this year expected to fall to 0.9 percent, according to the IMF, the lowest rate in more than 30 years, compared to 6.5 percent in 2019.
The outgoing president was praised for his management of this crisis, and he kept some of his campaign promises for 2016, including on education and access to electricity, but he disappointed on his main commitment: to actively fight corruption, after the mandate of John Mahama, tainted by scandals.
According to an Afrobarometer survey conducted in 2019, 53% of Ghanaians believe that the level of corruption has increased in the country. In addition, the special anti-corruption prosecutor, appointed after Akufo-Addo's election, resigned in November, accusing the president of obstructing his work.
No election fever
For his part, Mr. Mahama will have to make people forget the accusations of economic mismanagement that prevented his re-election in 2016.
This year, however, he can count on his running mate, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, a former Minister of Education with a reputation for integrity and from the Centre, one of the key regions to win the election.
In the polls, Mr. Akufo-Addo is ahead of Mr. Mahama, but many analysts predict that his party's majority in Parliament could erode.
With the coronavirus - which has officially affected more than 50,000 people and killed 300 since March - election fever has not taken hold of the country.
\"There are indeed some parties and activities organized by the militants and political slogans that are played over and over again on the radio, but there is no big meeting,\" Kojo Asante, of the Ghanaian Center for Democratic Development, told AFP.
So far, Ghana has always escaped post-election violence and political transitions have been largely peaceful, unlike m
[The Conversation Africa] According to the State of the Global Air 2020 report, ambient air pollution was responsible for around 5,000 premature deaths in Kenya in 2019 alone. It is the fourth most important risk factor in driving death and disability combined in Kenya. Indeed, the 2017 national economic survey estimated that 19.9 million Kenyans suffer from respiratory ailments that are exacerbated by poor air quality.
With coronavirus cases climbing, Gov. Abbott says ‘no real need’ to scale back business reopenings
With the number of people hospitalized for the new coronavirus continuing to climb in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that there’s “no real need to ratchet back the opening of businesses in the state.”
The state reported Friday that the number of people hospitalized in Texas who are confirmed to have the coronavirus has increased to a new peak of 2,166.
But as the reopening of businesses continues – as of Friday, restaurants in Texas are allowed to operate at 75% capacity, and almost all businesses can operate at 50% capacity – Abbott and other state officials have kept a close eye on the situation in Texas hospitals.
The number of available beds is seen as a key gauge for the state’s ability to handle a potential surge in coronavirus cases, and Abbott has said the hospitalization rate – the proportion of infected Texans who are requiring hospitalization – is a benchmark he’s closely monitoring.
And while the number of people hospitalized with the virus has climbed, state officials and local hospital leaders have expressed confidence in their capacities.
Beijing – The Chinese virology institute at the centre of US allegations it may have been the source of the Covid-19 pandemic has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, but none match the new global contagion, its director has said.
Kinshasa – Government officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have denied any manipulation of its figures for coronavirus cases and deaths.
Washington – The number of deaths in New York state caused by the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours was 84, the lowest one-day total since late March, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.
Pressure grows on UK PM Johnson as aide faces more lockdown breach claims
London – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under increased pressure on Sunday to sack top aide Dominic Cummings who was facing allegations that he had breached coronavirus lockdown rules for a second time.
The British government has so far rejected calls to sack Cummings over allegations he broke coronavirus lockdown rules by travelling across the country with his wife while she was suffering from symptoms of the disease, but even MPs from his own party were calling for him to leave on Sunday.
I come to you from a liberated South Africa, a nation that many of you helped to set free. I come from a continent about which more is written but less is understood; so I come with a message that is straight-forward and simple. Like the Apostle Paul on his return from the provinces, I come to bring good news, but I also come with an appeal for your support of a new generation of Africans who have a bold, new futurist vision for their countries and their continent; but who live for the moment between two worlds, an old order that is dying but not yet dead and a new order that is conceived but not yet born.
The reports coming out of Africa are often confusing and contradictory:
Transformation and reconciliation in Southern Africa; conflict and crisis in Central Africa; new leaders with new vision in some areas and old leaders desperately hanging onto the past in others. It is now obvious that one can not speak of Africa as one continuous stream of ideas and social arrangements providing either cultural unity or political uniformity. There is much that unites Africans; W.E.B. Dubois reminded us at the turn of the century of the common bond created by the problem of the color line, for example. But the first thing that must be accepted and acknowledged by any one who dares to write or speak about the new Africa is that what seems self-evident in one area may not be the reality in another. Far too many people who would not dare to speak of a homogeneous Europe or Asia speak of the more than fifty independent nations of Africa as if the continent was a single political entity.
It is indeed difficult for many Americans to grasp either the extraordinary range of cultural, political and economic diversity or the immense size of a continent so large that the whole of China, the continental United States, Europe, Argentina, India, and New Zealand can fit within its boundaries. It is even more difficult for Americans to recognize that any idea of a retreat from the African continent at the very moment so many
Islamist militants in Mozambique killed two dozen soldiers in an ambush attack, military sources say, a significant show of force against the military's struggle to quell an insurgency in the north.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — At least seven people have died in connection to a coronavirus outbreak that continues to sicken... View Article
The post Maine wedding now linked to deaths of 7 people who didn't attend appeared first on TheGrio.
According to The New York Times, the use of tear gas can cause damage to people’s lungs and make them more susceptible to contracting a respiratory disease such as COVID-19.
Considering many of the protests have been led by Black people, there’s no telling how folks will be affected once the protests subside.
Black people already disproportionately suffer pre-conditions like asthma and heart disease, which can impact their ability to fight the coronavirus.
More Black and brown people also tend to be essential workers, so professionals were already working in high risks jobs, which could potentially spread the disease to their community.
SEE ALSO:
Ella Jones: Everything To Know About Ferguson’s First Black Mayor
The Best Way To Renounce White Privilege In 2020 Is By Not Voting For Taylor\t\t\t\t\t
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\t\t\t\t\t\tGeorge Floyd\t\t\t\t\t
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\t\t\t\t\t\tPolice Violence\t\t\t\t\t
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\t\t\t\t\t\tTony McDade\t\t\t\t\t
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\tAlso On NewsOne:
Cher made it her mission to rescue Kaavan, dubbed the 'world's loneliest elephant' from the confines of a zoo in Islamabad.
Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has announced that there will be a rewrite of the Maths Paper 2 and Physical Science Paper 2 exams.
Ghana is preparing for its third political showdown between Ghana's former president John Mahama and incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo on December 7 in what is expected to be a two-horse race.
Here is what we know about Mohama.
Mohama came to power in 2012 when his predecessor John Atta Mills died and he narrowly defeated his rival Akufo-Addo in an election a year later.
He is known for his skills in communicating but he has a mixed record.
The leader of the National Democratic Congress is known as an accomplished writer and man of the people.
But the 62-year old's tenure was overshadowed by a global commodities slump that squeezed revenues from gold, oil and cocoa exports.
During his tenure, there were also many electricity shortages leading to his nickname \"Mr Dumsor\", a Ghanian term used to describe power cuts.
Akufo-Addo accused Mahama's 2012 administration of corruption and mismanagement and beat him in the 2016 vote.
Mahama denied the accusations.
Campaign promises
But this time around, he has picked female running mate Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang. She's a former education minister and the first woman to run for vice president for the party.
One of Mahama's key campaign is for a $10 billion infrastructure plan dubbed the ‘Big Push.’
And he has promised to expand a popular free school programme and health benefits
Background
Mohama is a Christian from the town of Bole, a town in the mainly Muslim north of Ghana.
Mahama studied in 1988 for a post-graduate degree in social psychology at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow.
He has also served as a minister of communication.
Five areas within the Cape Town metro have been identified as \"hot spots\" by the Western Cape government.
In a digital press conference on Wednesday, the province said it believed that having 62.6% of the national number of cases simply means that community transmission \"seeded\" earlier in the Western Cape, and that other provinces could soon follow suit.
The hot spots identified so far are:
Dr Melvin Moodley, director of strategy at the Department of Health, said most people are familiar with the public dashboard of the Western Cape's cases, that is updated every day at 13:00.
Harry Malila, the director-general of the Western Cape government, presented these areas on the map in Cape town as \"hotspots\" that have been identified for extra intervention and support.
(Supplied by Western Cape government)
According to the number of cases there are for this area, there were 139 cases in Du Noon, on either side of the N7 highway.
BY BRENNA MATENDERE DIVISIONS have rocked the ruling Zanu PF party over its impending district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections amid reports of plots by party bigwigs to impose candidates as internal succession wars thicken. The party disbanded the DCCs in 2012 after it emerged that they had become favourite hunting grounds for then Vice-President Joice Mujuru and Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who were jostling to succeed the now late former President Robert Mugabe. After romping to power through a military-assisted coup in November 2017, Mnangagwa immediately re-instated the DCCs, with elections for the lower tier of the Zanu PF power structures scheduled to start soon. However, fierce fights over control of the structures have re-emerged amid reports that faction leaders were back in the trenches trying to sway votes in favour of candidates deemed loyal to either Mnangagwa or his deputy Constantino Chiwenga who is said to be angling to take over as party leader. On Saturday, party commissar Victor Matemadanda singled out Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Midlands provinces as trouble spots. “All the people who sat down and did shortlisting of candidates, those (candidates) are going to be disqualified. What makes you want to have your own sub-structure? The structure must be one which reports to the President. Why do you think you must have a structure that is loyal to you?” he asked rhetorically. “I heard that in Mashonaland West, around Patchway area, there was a caucus meeting to shortlist candidates for DCC and say so and so will be chairperson, secretary etc… that is nonsense. There is nothing like that. We are going to do proper elections there.” “In Chipinge, I heard that is what was happening also. In Mashonaland East, I heard there was a district which was doing that again. Let me tell them that they will achieve nothing. We want to have a structure of the party not of an individual. Here in Midlands, the same problem had started, but I shall not mention names,” an irate Matemadanda said. According to the Zanu PF constitution, there are 60 rural DCCs that must be constituted and 29 in urban areas. When fully constituted, the DCCs form part of the Zanu PF congress, which is the supreme decision-making body mandated to elect the party president. Accordingly, whoever controls DCCs has greater potential of sustaining power in Zanu PF.
By PABLO GORONDI Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases spiked Friday in parts of eastern Europe, with Hungary and the Czech Republic registering all-time daily highs. Signs of the pandemic's resurgence were also evident in Britain and the Netherlands. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his government was drafting a 'war plan' to defend against the second wave of the pandemic. The plan's aim was 'not for everyone to stay at home and bring the country to a halt … but to defend Hungary's functionality,' Orban said. The prime minister said measures meant […]
The post Virus spiking in eastern Europe; Hungary drafts 'war plan' appeared first on Black News Channel.
ZANU PF bigwigs who include Cabinet ministers and MPs have engaged in fierce fights for top positions in the forthcoming district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections as they seek to consolidate their influence in the ruling party. BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA In Chikomba district, Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro is vying for the post of secretary for health, where he is pitted against Chamunorwa Tseriwa and Pardon Mudzimu. Mangwiro is also Chikomba West legislator. In Mutoko district, Mutoko East MP Richard Musiyiwa is gunning for the district chairmanship, where he will likely face stiff competition from former DCC vice-chairperson and businessman Zano Kahuni. Musiyiwa’s ally, Rambidzai Nyabote, who is a legislator for Mutoko North constituency, is also contesting for the secretary for transport post, where he will clash with farmer Patrick Charles Masenyama. Speaking during the announcement of successful DCC candidates at a Mashonaland East provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Marondera recently, politburo member Lovemore Matuke said: “We are aware of some provincial members who are moving around with some DCC candidates mobilising on their behalf. This is wrong. Those who are already in positions should not influence what is going on in the DCCs as far as campaigning is concerned.” The ruling Zanu PF party has barred members of its secretariat and civil servants from contesting in the DCC elections, which are viewed as key, but divisive.
As if 2020 hasn't brought enough challenges, government is preparing contingency plans for higher than normal rainfall, and subsequent flooding in parts of the country over the festive season.
Today is the 339th day of 2020. There are 27 days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHGLIGHT2012: A protest by at least 100,000 Egyptians outside the presidential palace in Cairo turns violent as tensions grow over Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's seizure of nearly unrestricted powers and a draft constitution hurriedly adopted by his allies.OTHER EVENTS
May 27: Health Minister infected, cases pass 1,000 mark
\tLocal media portals have reported that Zambia’s health minister has tested positive for COVID-19.
Zambia virus stats as of May 24, 2020 at 13:00 GMT
Confirmed cases = 920
Deaths = 7
Recoveries = 336
Active cases = 577
May 20: Nakonde records more new cases
\tNakonde, the border town with Tanzania continues to record more cases of the virus.
The one-stop border post in Nakonde was closed last week by President Lungu amid a spike in cases.
May 14 = 654 cases (208 new cases), 7 deaths, 124 recoveries
\t\tMay 13 = 446 cases (5 new cases), 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t\tMay 12 = 441 cases (174 new cases), 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t\tMay 11 = 267 cases (0 new cases), 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t\tMay 10 = 267 cases, 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\tThe town of Nakonde was declared a hot spot by the Ministry of Health on May 10 leading to the closure of the frontier with Tanzania.
On Saturday (May 9) 76 new cases were reported in Nakonde, the border town in question.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, warned against events such as President Trump's upcoming campaign rally with the country still in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked whether he would attend Trump's rally, Fauci said no.
\"I'm in the high-risk category,\" said the 79-year-old Fauci.
The Trump campaign said the rally will be held at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this weekend in spite of the ongoing pandemic.
However, attendees will be required to sign a waiver absolving the campaign of liability for any exposure to the coronavirus during the event.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Dec 4, CMC – Caribbean countries were on Friday reporting increased cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) while reiterating the need for their nationals to follow the various measures and protocols aimed at curbing the...
