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Military sales by the arms industry’s 25 largest companies totaled US$ 361 billion in 2019, 8.5 per cent more than in 2018, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The top five positions are occupied by US defence giants. Together with seven other US companies, they represent 61 per cent of global sales.
After the USA, China accounted for the second largest share of 2019 arms sales by the top 25 arms companies, at 16 percent. The six West European companies together accounted for 18 percent.
The two Russian companies in the ranking accounted for 3.9 percent.
For the first time, a Middle East company has become a top arms supplier in the world.
Edge, based in the United Arab Emirates, occupies the 22nd position, and accounts for 1.3 percent of total arms sales of the top 25 firms.
For senior SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman, the high demand for weapons from local governments and the will of the countries in Middle East to become independent from foreign manufacturers are favouring the growth of Middle Eastern companies.
South Africa is one of the hardest-hit countries in Africa with over 740,000 infections.
The country recorded 60 more virus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 20,011.
By COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Harvard does not discriminate against Asian American applicants, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a decision that offers relief to other colleges that consider race in admissions, but also sets the stage for a potential review by an increasingly conservative U.S. Supreme Court. The decision came from two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston who rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that accused the Ivy League University of imposing a 'racial penalty' on Asian Americans. The judges upheld a previous ruling clearing Harvard of discrimination […]
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With these words, the president-elect, Joe Biden, set a new tone and a new mood in Washington. No longer will the bully pulpit of the White House be used to spew lies and insults or to fan division and hatred. The White House will once again call on the “better angels” of Americans and not our “darkest impulses.”
The post A White House That Once Again Calls on Our Better Angels appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.
ZIMBABWE has been a very difficult opponent for Algeria in recent years and the Warriors stars believe that they are ready to cause another upset when they go head-to-head in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at the 5 Juillet 1962 Stadium in the capital Algiers tonight. BY HENRY MHARA IN ALGIERS, ALGERIA The match is the first of the back-to-back matches for the two teams, which will also meet at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Monday afternoon. Kick-off for tonight’s match is 9pm Zimbabwean time. Zimbabwe have won one and drawn three of their last four meetings with Algeria since 2004 in the Afcon finals and World Cup qualifying matches. Warriors stars Knowledge Musona, Ovidy Karuru and man-of-the-moment Tino Kadewere believe they have enough arsenal to come from tonight’s match with another positive result. “Mentally, we are ready for the game,” said Kadewere, who made headlines at the weekend in France when he scored a brace for his Ligue 1 side Lyon. “We feel ready because we have been playing games for our team and we are just looking forward to this game tomorrow. The lanky striker, who is looking to spearhead the attack, was part of the Europe-based stars who only arrived in Harare from their bases on Monday evening before connecting to Algiers midnight on the same day. Despite spending almost 24 hours in the air before finally reaching Algiers yesterday morning, Kadewere remains optimistic. “We cannot use that (travelling) as an excuse, we have to be used to all these conditions because that is what we normally do. We are happy to be here, representing our country and we are hoping to do the very best that we can. Those are the negative parts of our preparations, but we don’t want to look at that because if we start looking on things like that, we lose focus.” The last time that Zimbabwe and Algeria met was at the 2017 Afcon finals when the Warriors came within eight minutes to clinch an unlikely victory before the Desert Foxes talisman Riyad Mahrez scored a screamer to snatch a 2-2 draw. “We had a very good outing the last time we played them and we can bring that as a motivation. Algeria have been playing well recently, but anything can happen. We are hoping that we can get a better result than the last one we got against them. But it doesn’t come easy, we have to work hard for it and show what we can do on the pitch,” Kadewere said. “I came here to help my country and I’m really proud to represent Zimbabwe. I will make sure I do my best and put to use the things that I have learnt since I signed for Lyon and try to help my teammates. I hope to take the form that I have been enjoying with my club to the national team,” Kadewere added. The other time that the two teams met in an Afcon finals was in 2004 when Joel Lupahla and Adam Ndlovu’s goals secured a 2-1 victory for Zimbabwe. Earlier that year, the teams had met in a World Cup qualifier in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. In 2015, the two teams met in a World Cup qualifier which ended in a 2-2 draw, with Shingi Kawondera and Pete
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Senior National Correspondent Medical and scientific experts have sounded the alarm, wanting people to understand that COVID is not the flu or a common cold, and recovery may not be permanent. According to a new study, 20 percent of recovering coronavirus patients develop some form of mental illness within 90 […]
The post New study suggests COVID patients more susceptible to mental illness appeared first on North Dallas Gazette.
POLICE are investigating a robbery case in Esigodini, Matabeleland South province, where six robbers walked away with US$87 000 and R38 800 on Monday. BY RICHARD MPONDE “The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating an armed robbery case which occurred in Esigodini on November 9, 2020 when a gang of six suspects attacked a family with machetes and a bold cutter,” national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said in a statement. “The suspects used a bolt cutter to break burglar bars of a sitting room window and went on to tie the two complainants with an electric cable and shoelace before ransacking the house. “Complainants were robbed US$87 000 and R38 800 cash which was in a safe, four Samsung Galaxy tablet cellphones, Samsung laptop and a 32-gig flash disk.” The police urged people, including miners to be security conscious and avoid keeping such large amounts of cash in their houses. Cases of robberies are on the rise with the robbers including members of the security such as police and soldiers. This week, a Seke businessman was robbed of US$30 000 by robbers which he was keeping in the house. Meanwhile, leader of an Esigodini notorious gang of gold panners and businessman Baron Dube has been jailed to an effective 10 years for shooting a rival to death in a gold rush in the farming area of Matabeleland South province. Dube (44) of Habane Extension Township pleaded not guilty to murder when his trial started last year, but was convicted on Tuesday by Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Maxwell Takuva. He was sentenced to an effective 10 years after the court noted that he committed the offence in aggravating circumstances. In sentencing him, Takuva noted that Dube acted out of greed as the offence was committed in a gold rush. “In the first place, you had no right to be at that mine which you claimed the owner tasked you to manage. There was a gold rush at the mine and you were driven there by greed because you are a bully,” Takuva said. In his defence, Dube said he accidently shot the now deceased, Prince Antony Bvundura (22) after he fell down in an attack by his gang, leading in his rifle discharging. Dube’s sworn rival with whom he has had several fights over gold claims and also a gang leader Mkhululi Sibanda was the key witness in the matter.
Hundreds of Ethiopians gathered Thursday to donate blood for troops fighting in the northern Tigray region, as officials tried to rally support for a week-old conflict Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said was going his way.
The government also announced that police had arrested 150 people in the capital suspected of trying to carry out \"terror attacks\" on the orders of Tigray's ruling party.
Prime Minister Abiy blames the Tigray ruling party for a conflict that analysts fear could spiral into a protracted civil war.
Hundreds have died and thousands have fled the country since Abiy, last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent troops and warplanes into Tigray last week after a months-long feud with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
Abiy said the TPLF -- which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before he took office in 2018 -- had crossed a \"red line\" and attacked two federal military bases, which the party denies.
Thursday's blood drive was organised by the office of Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abebe, who claimed the population was unified against the TPLF while donating blood herself.
\"The aim of this blood donation is to express our respect for our army,\" she told journalists as a nurse drew blood from her left arm.
\"The attack done by TPLF to our army is shameful for Ethiopia. Never happened in our history. We want to condemn this.\"
Tigray has been under a communications blackout since the military operation was launched on November 4, making it difficult to verify the situation on the ground as both sides make conflicting claims.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Abiy said government forces had \"liberated\" the western zone of Tigray -- made up of six zones, plus the capital and surrounds.
Abiy also accused TPLF-aligned fighters of \"cruelty\", saying that when the army took control of the town of Sheraro they \"found bodies of executed defence force personnel whose hands and feet were tied\". There was no immediate reaction from the TPLF.
Under Abiy, Tigray's leaders have complained of being unfairly targeted in corruption prosecutions and removed from top positions.
Tensions soared as Tigray defiantly held its own elections in September, insisting Abiy was an illegitimate leader after national polls were postponed due to the coronavirus.
-'Rule of law'-
The conflict has seen multiple rounds of airstrikes targeting arms and fuel depots along with heavy fighting in western Tigray.
The UN said Wednesday some 11,000 Ethiopians had sought refuge in neighbouring Sudan, and Ethiopia has acknowledged some of its troops at one point retreated into neighbouring Eritrea, highlighting the conflict's potential to draw in the wider Horn of Africa region.
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, quoted by state news agency SUNA as he hosted Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, on Wednesday called for a \"stop to the fighting as soon as possible\" and a return to the negotiating table.
The African Union has also called for an immediate stop to fighting and for dialogue, as internationa
Research shows Black alumni may have lower health risks.
Analysis - Disputed elections in the Ivory Coast and Guinea, violence in Nigeria: many West Africans hope for foreign support, but the European Union has kept itself at a distance. Publicly, at least.
A MVURWI man (30) has been slapped with a 15-year jail term by a Bindura magistrate for sodomising a 13-year-old boy. By SIMBARASHE SITHOLE Ignatius Chagwedera of Hariana Farm in Mvurwi will, however, spend 12 years in jail after magistrate Amos Mubobo suspended two years on condition of good behaviour. Prosecutor Ngoni Kaseke told the court that sometime this year, the convict broke into the complainant’s bedroom and sodomised him twice on separate occasions. The matter came to light when Chagwedera was spotted by a neighbour coming out of the boy’s room. The neighbour told the boy’s aunt who asked the complainant and he confirmed the sodomy. A police report was filed, leading to the arrest of Chagwedera. The boy was examined and a medical affidavit was produced in court. Follow Simbarashe on Twitter @Simbara08212619
Today is the 317th day of 2020. There are 49 days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT2011: A chorus of Handel's Alleluia rings out as Silvio Berlusconi resigns as Italian premier, ending a tumultuous 17-year political era and setting in motion a transition aimed at bringing the country back from the brink of economic crisis.�OTHER EVENTS
Gaming Giant NetEase Benefits From Pandemic-Stoked Demand - Correct Success Visible China Group/Getty Photos This story is a part of Forbes’ protection of Chinas Richest 2020. See the total checklistright…
ZIMBABWE is trapped between State collapse and State failure because President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has failed to provide basic amenities for its citizens, uphold civil liberties and arrest the economic freefall, analysts have said. By Richard Muponde For the past two decades, Zimbabwe has been experiencing economic turbulence characterised by high unemployment, inflation as well as the collapse of manufacturing sector. The situation deteriorated under Mnangagwa, who snatched power in 2017 through a military coup. Rising reports of gross human rights abuses under Mnangagwa further isolated the country and denied it the much-needed funding from international financial institutions to revive the collapsing industry. Doctors and nurses have repeatedly been on strike demanding better salaries. Teachers are currently on strike, after declaring incapacitation, a situation that has triggered chaos in schools that reopened from September 28 to November 3 on a staggered process. But instead of attending to the plight of the teachers, government is plotting to dock their salaries. In an interview yesterday, political analyst Alexander Rusero said the functionality and progress of a country was measured by certain indicators and more importantly, clear-cut separation of powers. “Not in Zimbabwe, everything is just decomposing to the core, and if we were to have a happiness index, Zimbabwe would score between zero and one out of 10 in terms of being happy,” he said. “Education is fast becoming dysfunctional, the health system has been down for almost a year and without health and education systems functioning properly, what else can a country have and point to in terms of functionality.” Rusero said those indicators were realities that point to a State trapped between collapse and failure. “Parliament is paralysed, the Judiciary is paralysed and only partially, the Executive is functional, however, devoid of public policy, strategy and vision. More importantly, the State has become bankrupt much to the threat even of its own existence,” he added. Rusero’s sentiments were amplified by professor Austin Chakaodza, who said Zimbabwe was a failed State, claiming it had been subjected to arbitrary, oligarchic and undemocratic leadership. “It’s clear that Zimbabwe is a failed State in that citizens are suffering from a wide range of problems,” he said. “These include lack of employment opportunities, lack of income to obtain basic necessities including food, shelter, health and education services. Poverty is the order of the day in Zimbabwe.” Chakaodza said other factors that showed that the country was a failed State included lack of democracy and good governance. “When governance is democratic — that is infused with the principles of participation, rule of law, transparency and accountability, among others — it goes a long way towards improving the quality of life and the human development of all citizens,” he said. “The current government has proved to be incapable of coming up with the institutions and processes identifi
Ramaphosa said all South Africans should demonstrate their remembrance, of all those who have departed, through five days of mourning.
Is it safe yet to fly during the pandemic? Public health experts say staying home is best to keep yourself and others safe from infection. But if you're thinking about flying for the holidays, you should know what to expect. Flights are getting more crowded and more airlines plan to stop blocking seats to accommodate […]
TEACHERS have rejected the government’s 40% salary hike offer, describing it as a mockery, vowing not to return to work until their employer pays them meaningful salaries. BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA/LORRAINE MUROMO Government on Tuesday proposed a 40% salary hike for all its workers and a 10% risk allowance to teachers as a way of enticing them to end the job boycott that started in September when schools reopened for examination classes, throwing schools into chaos. According to Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa during a post-Cabinet Press briefing, the 40% salary hike will be awarded to all grades below director level. The offer came after teachers rejected a 20% salary hike last week announced through the National Joint Negotiating Council. But teachers yesterday scoffed at the government offer that will leave them earning $18 237, which they said was grossly inadequate. “Incapacitated teachers have rejected the 40% salary increase offered by Cabinet on Tuesday, the increase is procedurally defective and grossly insufficient in quantum,” Progressive Teacher of Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou said. “Salaries and conditions of service are subject to bargaining between the employer and workers and not a product of employer machinations. Government attempts to render unions useless must be rejected in toto.” He said the PTUZ was ready for meaningful dialogue with the government. Government has been resisting increasing salaries for reachers, with Labour minister Paul Mavima, saying such a move would trigger inflation. Schools opened on Monday for the final phase with pupils being turned away because teachers did not report for duty. The teachers are demanding US$520 per month. “We remain worried at government’s reluctance to pay its workers in forex at a time the economy has dollarised,” Zhou said, adding the 40% salary hike would not improve the standard of living for the struggling teachers. “The government is also silent on prioritisation of health and safety of teachers and pupils, more so given cases of COVID-19 in schools. In light of the foregoing, the best foot forward for incapacitated teachers remain the incapacitation modus operandi until we are capacitated.” Zhou urged parents to keep their kids in the safety of their homes. He reiterated that the educators would not be intimidated by the steps taken by government to record names of absent teachers in order to dock their incomes. “We urge school heads to resist submission of names of incapacitated teachers to any office. We urge all teachers to rise and be counted in our incapacitation struggle. The darkest hour is just before dawn,” he said. “We implore government to engage leaders of teacher unions in order to find a holistic solution to the current impasse in schools.” He added: “We reiterate that no amount of threats and brutality can force teachers back to their workplaces. Dialogue and capacitation are the only means available, and the sooner they are employed the better for the education system in Zimbabwe.” Zimbabwe Rural Teacher
COVID-19 was the cause of canceling a slew of events this year but not the Super Bowl halftime show. The... View Article
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A NEWLY-ESTABLISHED pharmaceutical company, Pendulum, has donated US$45 000 worth of surgical equipment to Mpilo Central Hospital. BY PATRICIA SIBANDA Pendulum Pharmaceuticals was launched at Ascot in Bulawayo yesterday after making the lifesaving donation at the hospital. Mpilo Hospital acting chief executive officer Solwayo Ngwenya told the media at the handover ceremony that the donation would go a long way in helping provide critical surgical services. “This donation is quite heavy, worth US$45 000 and the quantities are quite massive, they include guedel airways, these ones are used for anaesthetic operations to help patients breathe during anaesthesia, so they are lifesaving and also there are manual resuscitators for babies and these ones are used for emergency situations,” he said. “We also have large amounts of surgical bed sheets. These will help a lot in times of COVID-19. They will be used by patients to reduce infection rates and help fight COVID-19. We also received a vaginal speculum which we use to examine women and for cervical screening.” Ngwenya added: “It is indeed a wide variety of life-saving anaesthetic emergency room equipment, surgical beds cleanliness and infection control.” He said they were facing other challenges, but they were trying by all means to manage the situation. “The situation is always manageable, we buy and the government sends us regular supplies through NatPham. We also, as a hospital, use our own monies but this is going to be a big boost because it will allow us to divert some of the monies to buy other items that will be in short supply like N95 masks, things generally used in fighting COVID-19,” Ngwenya said. He said one of the major challenges was the malfunctioning of radiotherapy machines despite the promise made by government to have them fixed. Ngwenya said the hospital was experiencing an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients.
ORGANISERS of the annual international literature festival, LitFest Harare said this year’s edition would celebrate the resilience of artistes during the COVID-19 pandemic. BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO The festival, which will run from November 25 to 28 under the theme, Art Longa, Vita Brevis — Art is Long, Life is Short will be partially streamed online. “The onset of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns saw many arts and culture practitioners losing revenue streams, sources of livelihood or even loved ones,” Festival director Chirikure Chirikure told NewsDay Life & Style. “Through all this, most artistes showed great resilience and continued to move forward, adapting and daring to keep creating works of artistic expression. We have to salute that resilience,” he said Chirikure said the COVID-19 pandemic had a lot of ripple effects in households and societies around the globe. “In particular, gender-based violence cases reportedly increased since the COVID-19-induced lockdown and as such, the festival will focus on issues related to violence and peace transformation,” he said. “Art, and literature in particular, have to contribute to the dialogue around social challenges and their effect. The ability to stay firm under difficult conditions and to interrogate such challenges, are the stamina that keep us going.” Chirikure said the passion and purpose to create works was noble because art would live forever, and help shape the future. “The LitFest Harare festival will feature discussions, readings, recitations and performances by various local and international participants. Details of sessions and participants will be announced in due course,” he said. The LitFest Harare festival celebrates literature, arts and culture by bringing together authors, artists, academics, students and the public to share knowledge, collaborate, as well as showcase and enjoy talent. Follow us on Twitter @NewsDayZimbabwe
Joe Biden should recognize that the results of the election do not confer a mandate to veer too far from the political center.
Power. Respect. Finally. When Eric Sheffield first saw Joe Biden take the lead in the vote count in Georgia, the 52-year-old Black man immediately thought about all the years he spent urging his Black friends and family to vote and all the times he saw his preferred candidate lose. “Over the years, a lot of Black people have said, ‘Well, […]
Alabama Montgomery: State well being officers are urging individuals to serve up a heaping facet of precaution at Thanksgiving, as the vacation comes amid a nationwide surge in COVID-19 circumstances.…
[SAnews.gov.za] Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Cyril Ramaphosa, has been made aware of the growing tension between the Western Sahara and Morocco, arising from a dispute on the buffer zone.
1. Georgia Secretary of State: Official Recount of 5 Million Votes What You Need To Know: One week after elections, the state of Georgia has not been called for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Wednesday Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced the official recount of five million ballots cast in that state during the presidential contest. […]
The United States in the grips of yet another spike in coronavirus cases, but a member of President-elect Joe Biden's incoming coronavirus advisory board says a four-to-six-week shutdown would get things untracked.
THE burial of the late popular comedian Lazarus “Gringo” Boora at his rural home in Rukweza, Rusape, yesterday was marred by chaotic scenes as the family clashed with members of the Johanne Masowe eChishanu apostolic sect, a religion he had converted to. BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA The celebrated entertainer, who succumbed to cancer on Monday morning at a private medical facility in the capital, was laid to rest at a cemetery close to his homestead. There was a clash of beliefs over funeral rites, between Gringo’s family and his apostolic church members who removed the corpse from the coffin before burial and barred graveside eulogies. Gringo’s wife and seven children are also members of Johanne Masowe eChishanu sect. This sparked an uproar that saw many disperse in protest. For the Rukweza villagers, they were there to pay last respects to Gringo, while for the artistes and fans it was time to celebrate his illustrious career, but his churchmates were there to bury the entertainer who had been rechristened Madzibaba Gadhirosi. “Before he died, (Gringo) he told us that we should not play drums at his funeral, but not what they are doing here. They removed the corpse from the coffin and we do not like it as his family apart from it being illegal,” Gringo’s brother, Harrison, said. The remorseless church members, however, could not bow to the family’s stance, maintaining that they were following Gringo’s church doctrine. In his speech at the burial, Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation deputy minister Tinomudaishe Machakaire pledged support for the industry to avoid artistes turning into beggars whenever tragedy struck. “We have converged here for the funeral of our television star who not only entertained the citizens of this country, but all the way up to the President. I have heard the cries of the industry related to the status of their work and I promise that we will make efforts towards making their lives better,” he said. Among the mourners were musicians and creative stakeholders such as National Arts Council of Zimbabwe director Nicholas Moyo, actor-cum-singer Kapfupi, First Farai and Simon Mutambi. Members of the arts fraternity lauded Gringo’s contribution to the industry. “He worked very hard during his days and it is painful that at the time of his death he had not gained meaningful benefits from his work,” said Mbudziyadhura, who worked with him on many projects. Gweshe Gweshe said: “He was a very humble man and deserved better. I just hope that this is an eye-opener that we need more funding and ways to earn better as artists.” Gringo’s acting career began when he appeared on a TV commercial for Castle Lager and later worked for the now-defunct Joy TV where he appeared on some shows. He made a name for himself with the popular drama series Gringo, where he shared the platform with one of the country’s best actresses, the late Sthembeni Makawa who played the role of Mai Gweshe Gweshe. Gringo was arguably one of the best actors of his generation as he played the role of a notorious gardener who used unscrupulous means
By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom on Wednesday became the fifth country in the world to record more than 50,000 coronavirus-related deaths, a level that one of the nation's leading doctors says 'should never have been reached.' Figures from the British government showed that 595 more people in the country died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, the highest daily number since May. The figure took the U.K.'s total death toll from the pandemic to 50,365. The U.K, which has the highest virus-related death toll in Europe, joins the United States, Brazil, […]
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