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By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect on Tuesday, saying the Electoral College 'has spoken.' The Republican leader's statement, delivered in a speech on the Senate floor, ends weeks of silence over President Donald Trump's defeat. It came a day after electors met and officially affirmed Biden's election win. 'I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,' McConnell said. 'Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result,' he said. 'But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn […]
The post GOP leader McConnell congratulates Biden as president-elect appeared first on Black News Channel.
Nationwide protests have taken place since October 7 despite the disbanding of the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit.
The demonstrators have been accused of attacking police stations and personnel.
The rallies which are mostly attended by young people have become avenues to vent against corruption and unemployment.
Rights groups say at least 15 people have been killed the demonstrations began in early October.
Over the past six months, the lakes of Kenya's Rift Valley have risen to levels not seen in at least half a century.
This follows one of the wettest periods in East Africa in living memory. Above-average temperatures in the Indian Ocean have caused consecutive years of extreme and erratic rainfall, resulting in frequent and unusual showers on the slopes and rivers that feed the lakes
\"In my 60 years, I have never seen or experienced anything like this,\" said Richard Lichan Lekuterer, his gaze level with the tops of once-towering acacia trees poking above the water, the landscape altered beyond recognition.
Baringo and the other great lakes of Kenya's Rift Valley have risen to levels not seen in at least half a century, some by several metres or more this year alone, following months of extreme rainfall scientists have linked to a changing climate.
These tremendous bodies of water have ebbed and flowed through the ages, supporting life along the banks, but records show this latest surge is unlike any witnessed in recent memory.
\"It was like the speed of the wind,\" said Lekuterer, who relocated deep inland when the water shot up in March and is preparing to move again as the tide inches nearer.
The phenomenon is causing immense flooding along a chain of fresh and saltwater lakes stretching 500 kilometres (310 miles) along an ancient fault from the deserts of Turkana in Kenya's north, to the fertile shores of Naivasha to the south.
Tens of thousands of people have been driven to higher ground and homes, grazing land and businesses abandoned as the lakes have unrelentingly pushed outward.
- 'Phenomenal' -
The crisis shows no sign of easing, with seasonal rains forecast this month threatening further inundation.
\"It has never been this bad before,\" said Murray Roberts, who has lived on Baringo nearly 70 years, where he restores degraded land with his partner Dr Elizabeth Meyerhoff through their Rehabilitation of Arid Environments Trust.
Baringo has swollen about 70 square kilometres (27 square miles) since 2011 but rose sharply earlier this year, flooding their offices and a nearby dispensary.
Roberts' childhood home, and a family holiday business, disappeared beneath the surface.
Like Baringo, the surge at Lake Naivasha, some 200 kilometres south, began slowly about a decade ago, evoking little concern as the basin refilled after a long dry spell.
But it kept rising and in April suddenly accelerated, soon eclipsing the last historic high measured in the 1960s. The lake is now tracking closer to an extreme peak recorded in the early 20th century.
A monitoring station run by the Water Resources Authority (WRA), a government agency, indicates the lake rose 2.7 metres (8.9 feet) between April and June, pushing water half a kilometre inland.
\"It's been phenomenal,\" said Guy Erskine, as hippos wallowed in his submerged hotel at Sanctuary Farm, a conservancy on Lake Naivasha his family has owned since 1978.
- 'Things have changed' -
Government scientists are exploring possible causes for the
By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix on Monday previewed George C. Wolfe's August Wilson adaptation 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' showcasing Chadwick Boseman's final performance opposite Viola Davis' powerhouse blues singer. The film, shot last year, was already one of the year's most anticipated, coming as the next chapter in Denzel Washington's ongoing project to turn Wilson's plays into films, following 2016's Oscar-winning 'Fences.' But since the unexpected death in August of 43-year-old Boseman from colon cancer, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' has taken on a elegiac aura. Boseman's performance has been said to be among the […]
The post Netflix previews 'Ma Rainey' and Boseman's final performance appeared first on Black News Channel.
… that tell the story of African American activism through sport.
With a … history.”
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is open …
Rapper Fabolous and his longtime girlfriend Emily Bustamante showed off their newborn daughter in an Instagram post on Sunday. Journey... View Article
The post Fabolous, Emily B debut newborn daughter: 'Life is a journey' appeared first on TheGrio.
Each person walking in their agency, must demand accountability from institutions of power. Volunteering in a Covid-19 vaccine trial is an act of accountability for me.
The Ministry of Health today said that three more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have died.
The article Three more Region Four women die of COVID appeared first on Stabroek News.
BY PHYLLIS MBANJE A FEW weeks ago Zimbabweans woke up to horrific news that a Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco)-contracted Trip Trans bus had lost control and ploughed into eight vehicles before knocking down about 10 people in the vicinity, mostly vendors. One of the victims, 51-year-old Shamiso Muguto from Epworth lost her legs in a split of a second. From her hospital bed, she narrated her painful ordeal. “It was on Saturday, October 4, and I was enjoying the bustle at Mbare’s populous market Mupedzanhamo. The skies were clear and the day was promising to be hot and also humid,” Muguto said. But Muguto said she was not concerned about the heat or the swelling crowd. She was only focused on ensuring she put food on the table for her family. Since COVID-19 lockdown regulations were relaxed, most vendors have been trying to make up for lost time and with schools reopening, many are bent on raising money for school fees which has substantially gone up. Muguto was one of the people that were hopeful that the day would bring good tidings and she said that she was smiling as she arranged her wares for sale. She stifled a yawn which reminded her that she had woken up early to get to Mbare on time. “I usually wake up around 3am and by 5am I will be on my way. My husband has not been well so I am the sole provider,” she said. Muguto said she was chatting to another vendor when she suddenly heard a loud bang. “A Trip Trans bus upon approaching Mupedzanhamo robots (from the flyover towards Magaba) seemed to have developed a fault and lost brakes,” she recalled. Maguto said it all happened very fast and there was no time to think of the next move. “As I was talking to a colleague, the bus came towards us. I saw other vendors dashing for cover and I only managed one step forward,” she said. In that horrible moment, she said she momentarily froze, but was convinced that the single step she took to dodge the bus had spared her life. “If I had not taken that step I do not think I would be here telling my story,” she said, her voice now raspy with emotion as she relived the moment of the impact. The hurtling bus struck her down and dragged her for a distance before coming to a sudden stop against the post of an advertising board. It had mangled both her legs. “I was very conscious and somehow knew my legs were gone. I lifted my right leg and saw a bone protruding and when I tried the same with my left it wouldn’t move,” she said sobbing. Bravely, she crawled from under the bus unassisted. “I had already come to peace with the loss of my legs and was just grateful that I was alive. At that time, I was anxious for help,” she said, adding that the strong urge to live emanated from the fact that she was the sole breadwinner, hence, was determined to make it. “My phone was in a plastic bag tied around my wrist and I took it out and asked the people around me to call my relatives,” she added. She was later taken to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. Her legs could not be saved and she was amputated the same evening. Although Muguto h
Celebrities, politicians, and supporters of VP candidate Kamala Harris used the hashtag #MyNameIs after Sen. David Purdue mocked her name at a Trump rally.
COMME des GARÇONS Adds Some Luxe Detailing To The Classic Air Force 1 Mid
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former President Barack Obama blasted President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, his culpability in national discord and his overall fitness for the job on Wednesday as he made his first in-person campaign pitch for his former vice president, Joe Biden. With less than two weeks before Election Day, Obama used a […]
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter shared that her mother, Claudia Price-North, died over the weekend.
The rapper aims to effect change for future generations, recently partnering with neobank company Chime in a national effort to help the youth; details inside.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in South Africa on Wednesday to voice outrage at the shooting of peaceful demonstrators in Nigeria.
Africa's most populous country has faced growing unrest as a protest over brutality by a Nigerian police unit known as SARS ballooned into wider grievances against the government.
Witnesses said gunmen opened fire on a crowd of over 1,000 people in the main city of Lagos on Tuesday, with Amnesty International reporting that several people were killed.
On Wednesday, demonstrators draped in the national flag of Nigeria and chanting liberation slogans marched to Abuja's embassy in Pretoria carrying banners reading \"End police brutality\".
Another group of about 400 people in Cape Town, mostly Nigerian nationals, vowed to continue picketing until there was change in Nigeria.
Well-known South African rap star AKA voiced solidarity with the people of Nigeria, saying: \"How can people shoot to KILL their own countrymen and women?\"
\"This is insane... Sending love and strength to Naija,\" AKA tweeted to his 4.6 million followers.
South African opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), pledged its \"moral and political solidarity\" with Nigerians and called on the government to rein in its army and security services.
\"The EFF salutes the young lions of Nigeria in their resolve to graduate their successful fight against police brutality under the banner of #ENDSARS,\" it said in a statement.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions condemned the crackdown, saying the accumulated anger of citizens over decades of failure in the delivery of basic social services and endemic corruption, was \"visible in the pent-up anger, which has been boiling over in mass street protests in cities across the country\".
Both groups called on the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to send a strong message to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately end crackdown on protesters.
South Africa and Nigeria are the economic giants of Africa, competing for sporting prowess, cultural dominance and economic strength.
The Banksy-Designed Stab-Proof Vest That Stormzy Rocked At Glastonbury Gets Nominated For Major Design Award
LA PAZ, (Reuters) - Bolivia's socialist candidate Luis Arce looks set to win the country's presidential election without the need for a run-off, an unofficial count indicated today, putting the leftwing party of Evo Morales on the brink of a return to power.
The article Bolivia's socialists claim victory as unofficial count shows big win appeared first on Stabroek News.
Barack Obama took the gloves off and excoriated Donald Trump during his drive-in rally speech in Philadelphia on Wednesday (Oct.22). After his speech, Waka Flocka claimed that Donald Trump is a better president than Obama.
Ivory Coast's government says it has decided to favorably consider requests on the restructuring of the Independent Electoral Commission.
The decision comes on the proposal of the ECOWAS Peace and Security Commission chaired by General Francis Béhanzin.
The government also expressed its support for a meeting between the President Alassane Ouattara and the President of the PDCI, Henri Konan Bédié, with a view to the participation of the opposition in the presidential election of 31 October 2020.
The information was made public in a statement read by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Sidiki Diakité, at the end of a working session chaired by Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 in Abidjan. A meeting that brought together the government, the ECOWAS Peace and Security Commission and opposition political parties. The PDCI and the FPI did not respond to the invitation.
According to Sidiki Diakité, the government decided to consider favorably the requests on the restructuring of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) made by the opposition after exchanges with this ECOWAS commission. These requests relate to \"the integration of a fifth personality into the central commission of the IEC in the name of the opposition, the granting of a post of vice-president to the PDCI in the office of the central commission of the IEC and the recomposition of the local IECs\".
The participants also deplored the violent demonstrations that have been recorded in recent weeks and which have resulted in loss of life, serious injuries and significant property damage.
In addition, the government called on the political parties to lift, without delay, the watchword of civil disobedience, to commit themselves definitively to the path of dialogue and to work for a peaceful presidential election on Saturday, October 31, 2020.
Hamed Bakayoko thanked ECOWAS for its \"engagement with stakeholders to help move forward in the negotiations\".
The ECOWAS delegation led a ministerial mission of preventive diplomacy to Côte d'Ivoire from 18 to 19 October.
EDITORIAL COMMENT THERE is absolutely nothing wrong with former military personnel presiding over civil administration in Zimbabwe, or anywhere in the world for that matter. They are citizens of this country with full rights to participate in its democratic processes as is the norm in advanced democracies where former soldiers have ruled. This is our message to Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, who declared in a chilling statement at the weekend that the “junta” that is in power in Zimbabwe is determined to hold on, no matter what. The problem is how the war veterans execute their mandate during their tenure. It is also so much about how they come to power, and whether they are ready to transform from a military mindset and embrace tenets of civilian life. They won’t be presiding over soldiers alone. We are totally against having a junta preside over State affairs through stolen elections, violating democratic principles or overexerting power and relegating the Constitution to play second fiddle. Once that is allowed to happen, we open the floodgates to heinous rights abuses that end up creating an inhabitable country. We have already seen this happen since the administration that Mohadi is part to, took power in a coup in 2017. It is chilling to imagine that this is how the regime will continue to behave if it decides to hold on to power as the VP intimates. The bloody crackdown against peaceful demonstrators after the July 2018 elections is a case in point. Demonstrators were sprayed with bullets and many were injured, while six died. We thought President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sincere when he set up a high-level commission of enquiry into the shooting incident. To our dismay, he was not and the commission, led by a former regional head of State, no less, was just part of a scheme to hoodwink the public and world at large that he was serious about tackling human rights abuses. A string of recommendations made by the panel are yet to be implemented and the “junta”, as Mohadi put it, continues to violate rights. The crackdown on investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono is a case in point. The arrest of right defenders like opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume and Job Sikhala amplifies our concern that the “junta” is up to no good. In the advanced jurisdictions that we have referred to including the US, the “junta” has ruled for many years but not a single citizen feels that they are under someone who once fought in the bush. They respect the rule of law, they tolerate divergent views and they don’t just fire bullets at will. They respect the sanctity of life. Their police are not caricatures of ruthless militias that extort money from innocent citizens. The hold fair and transparent elections. This is not the case in Zimbabwe today. This “junta” needs to reform.
Melania Trump plans to make her first public appearance since recovering from coronavirus disease on Tuesday, joining President Donald Trump... View Article
The post Melania Trump to make 1st public appearance since virus diagnosis at Pennsylvania rally appeared first on TheGrio.
Fender and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R. recently made history cementing a multi-year creative relationship with making her the first black female recording artist with a signature guitar from the legendary guitar manufacturer Fender. H.E.R. joins an iconic list of string ticklers in history who have had a guitar with the imprint. To get a little […]
… defendant twice reported that an African-American man was putting her in …
NNPA NEWSWIRE — By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent - The difficulty in producing a vaccine for the deadly virus comes as a new wave of COVID-19 infection has begun. Data provided [...]
New York (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has put millions of Americans out of work. But many of those still... View Article
The post 1 in 4 US workers have weighed quitting, AP-NORC/SAP poll finds appeared first on TheGrio.
BY TERRY MADYAUTA/ FORTUNE MBELE WARRIORS striker Tino Kadewere (pictured) opened his scoring account for his club after notching a goal in Olympiue Lyonnais 3-2 win over Rc Strasbourg yesterday. Kadewere has settled well at the French gaints since moving from Ligue 2 side Le Havre, but a goal was elusive. However, the impressive forward ended the dry spell when opened the scoresheet for Lyon on the 12th minute, following a good run to a Mempis Depay pass and firing home from close range. The other two goals, were scored by Karl Ekambi on the 25th and 42th minutes. The former Harare City forward is expected to lead the attack when the Warriors take on Algeria next month. After scoring his first goal for Lyon Kadewere was elated. He said: “I'm very happy with the goal but also for the team. We needed a victory. We had a good match, we worked together. It was very important to us. The end was tough, but we stayed together.' All the three goals were assisted by Depay. Kadewere's goal comes as a relief and will likely help him maintain his spot in the Lyon first team. Meanwhile Terrence Dzvukamanja announced his arrival at giants Orlando Pirates with a bang following a superb debut goal, that took the Soweto side into the MTN8 semi-finals after beating Cape Town City in the quarter-finals at Orlando Stadium on Sunday. Dzvukamanja, who was on the radar of champions Mamelodi Sundowns after his former club Bidvest Wits sold its Premiership franchise, opted to settle at Pirates. The former Ngezi Platinum forward has lived to his declaration made upon signing for Pirates last month as he scored on his debut on Sunday. Upon signing for the Buccaneers he declared rgar: 'It’s about scoring goals; hopefully double digits and also about increasing my number of assists for the season. I think as an attacking player these are two areas that a player is judged.' On Saturday Dzvukamanja found the target with a perfect header in the 23rd minute from another new signing Wayde Jooste cross and the Buccanners held on to that goal to claim the semi-final berth. He ealier had a chance but his header sailed over the bar after he was set up by Golden Boot winner Gabadinho Mhango. The Zimbabwean international was replaced by Kabelo Dlamini in the 65th minute. Dzvukamanja has been nominated for the Nedbank Cup Player of the Year award for his exploits in the competition in the recently ended season when he was playing for Bidvest Wits. Meanwhile the Kaitano Tembo-coached SuperSport United also cruised through to the semi-finals of the MTN8 when they beat Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila 3-2 at Thohoyandou Stadium in Limpopo on Sunday. Goalkeepers George Chigova (SuperSport) and Washington Arubi (TTM) sat on the bench on either side. Warriors striker Kuda Mahachi, who tested positve for COVID-19 and Evans Rusike were not part of the SuperSport squad which featured veteran Onismor Bhasera.
