Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda has revealed that Parliament is contemplating crafting a law that will regulate DNA testing in the country amid revelations that there is no such law. BY SILAS NKALA Mudenda said this during a stakeholders meeting with Matabeleland-based civic society organisations and journalists in Bulawayo. He was responding to concerns raised by the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) officials that the country had no law regulating DNA testing. “I was at Nust and the university raised questions on the issue of secrecy of the DNA results with major focus on how they are handled or publicised. “They said a law must be there to pave way for such a process. “I agree with the university. We shall have a process of coming up with that law,” Mudenda said. “They did not write a petition, but they presented an oral petition during my visit there.” The Speakers’ remarks come at a time the government is working on a law that will guide the process of exhumations of the remains of Gukurahundi victims in Matabeleland and Midlands. Nust is expected to conduct the genetic studies. President Emmerson Mnangagwa tasked traditional leaders to oversee the exhumations and reburial of Gukurahundi victims. The genetic studies will assist in exhumations of Gukurahundi victims buried at undignified places across the country. The Speaker said Parliament would soon have a 24-hour television station dedicated to parliamentary proceedings.
He replaces Debretsion Gebremichael, whose immunity from prosecution was removed Thursday.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Thursday that scores of civilians were killed in a \"massacre\" in the Tigray region, that witnesses blamed on forces backing the local ruling party.
The \"massacre\" is the first reported incident of large-scale civilian fatalities in a week-old conflict between the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize.
\"Amnesty International can today confirm... that scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra (May Cadera) town in the southwest of Ethiopia's Tigray Region on the night of 9 November,\" the rights group said in a report.
Amnesty said it had \"digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers.\"
The dead \"had gaping wounds that appear to have been inflicted by sharp weapons such as knives and machetes,\" Amnesty said, citing witness accounts.
Witnesses said the attack was carried out by TPLF-aligned forces after a defeat at the hands of the Ethiopian military, though Amnesty said it \"has not been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings\".
It nonetheless called on TPLF commanders and officials to \"make clear to their forces and their supporters that deliberate attacks on civilians are absolutely prohibited and constitute war crimes\".
Abiy ordered military operations in Tigray on November 4, saying they were prompted by a TPLF attack on federal military camps -- a claim the party denies.
The region has been under a communications blackout ever since, making it difficult to verify competing claims on the ground.
Abiy said Thursday his army had made major gains in western Tigray.
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled across the border into neighboring Sudan, and the UN is sounding the alarm about a humanitarian crisis in Tigray.
In summary Gov. Newsom should recognize the importance of the Latino community and appoint the first Latino or Latina senator from California. By Claudia Medina, Special to CalMatters Claudia Medina is the founding member of the Latino Community Foundation’s East Bay Latina Giving Circle, claudia.medina4education@gmail.com. Come January, California’s own Kamala Harris will make history as […]
The post It’s time for the first Latino senator from California appeared first on Black Voice News.
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Still can’t believe that people voted for a man who has done nothing, but spit hate verbally, mentally, and physically (children being detained), and the reason behind many deaths because he did not take COVID seriously. The US will never be an equal country….it will always be divided because of the mindset […]
The post Let the People Be Heard appeared first on The Orlando Advocate.
By Stacy M. Brown - “Especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest — the African-American community stood up again for me. They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.” — [...]
Taking Up Arms
A military operation has been launched by Morocco in the buffer zone of Guerguerat near Mauritania, as announced Friday.
The North African nation also denounced \"the provocations of the Polisario\" in Western Sahara — once a colony of Spain with a still undefined status. Classified as a \"non-autonomous territory\" by the United Nations (UN).
The aim of the ongoing operation is to \"put an end to the blockade situation\" and \"restore free civil and commercial movement\" on the road leading to Mauritania — whose existence is denounced by the Sahrawi independence fighters and which Rabat considers essential for its trade with sub-Saharan Africa.
For about three weeks, local sources claim militias of some 70 armed men have been \"attacking truckers, banning traffic and racketeering.\"
All this in spite of UN settlement efforts — as the organisation-led negotiations involving Morocco, the Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania have been suspended for several months.
Polisario in response has stated its Sahrawi troops will retaliate in self-defence in light of what it perceives as Morocco being \"aggressive\" and liquidating the 1991 cease-fire.
Background
The region of Guerguerat has already been at the centre of strong tensions between the Polisario and Morocco, particularly in early 2017. Morocco controls more than two-thirds of this vast desert territory in its western part, along the Atlantic Ocean and has seen friction for decades with the pro-independence Polisario Front supported by Algeria.
ZIMBABWEANS mainly in urban areas are relying on second-hand undergarments smuggled into the country and sold at flea markets across the country as economic hardships continue to take a toll on the population. BY RICHARD MUPONDE This was revealed in an audit report by the Auditor-General Mildred Chiri which monitored the quality of goods imported in the country by the Industry and Commerce ministry between 2013 and 17. According to the report, hard-hit Zimbabweans have resorted to buying second-hand undergarments and clothes being smuggled into the country. Flea markets selling second-hand undergarments and clothes have sprouted in major towns and cities. In her report, Chiri said the Industry and Commerce ministry was not adequately monitoring the smuggling of substandard goods, leading to the proliferation of the second-hand undergarments and clothes which is having a negative bearing on the clothing industry in the country. “Audit also noted that second-hand clothes and undergarments were being smuggled into the country and sold at designated flea markets such as Mupedzanhamo in Mbare (Harare) and Chinotimba Flea Market in Victoria Falls. My visit to Mbare revealed that there were 10 warehouses which were packed to capacity with bales of second-hand clothing,” part of the report read. “In Mutare and Bulawayo, second-hand undergarments were being sold on the streets, despite the ban on the importation of second-hand undergarments through Statutory Instrument 150 of 2011.” She also said there was rampant smuggling of goods along the borderlines, entry points and through transit fraud due to lack of monitoring. “Smuggling syndicates have mushroomed at Zimbabwe’s busiest ports of entry and along the borderlines after government’s enactment of Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 (repealed by SI 122 of 2017), Statutory Instrument 19 of 2016, Statutory 150 of 2011 which imposed restrictions on imports of basic commodities, second-hand clothes and banning of undergarments,” she said. Chiri, however, noted that in an effort to control the influx of cheaper products which was directly affecting local producers, the Industry and Commerce ministry introduced SI 64 (repealed by SI 122 of 2017). “According to the inspector responsible for anti-smuggling monitoring at Beitbridge Border Post, the introduction of SI 64 necessitated the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee on border management. The role of the inter-ministerial committee is to facilitate identification, prosecution of smuggling offenders and to enable intelligence and security surveillance. The committee is made up of Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe National Army, Mineral Border Control Unit, President’s Office and Zimra [Zimbabwe Revenue Authority],” she said.
[spotlight] It is mid-morning on a Wednesday in Extension 8, a township area in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. Children line the fence with their containers, eager for their first meal of the day from Lulama Maseti's pop-up soup kitchen. Judging by the looks, chatter and size of the queue, it seems school is closed for the day so many learners cannot get their usual school meal.
PINELLAS COUNTY - A transformational gift from The Hough Family Foundation has provided St. Petersburg College with the seed funding needed to grow its nursing, certified clinical medical assistant (CMA) and patient care technician (PCT) programs. The transformational gift will be used to expand SPC's nursing simulation lab and provide additional training equipment and faculty […]
Boxers get ready, the return of the ‘sweet science’ in the 592 is imminent.
The article Boxing gets green light to resume appeared first on Stabroek News.
BY PATRICIA SIBANDA EPIDEMIOLOGY and disease control director in the Health and Child Care ministry, Portia Manangazira, has emphasised on the need for the unification of traditional and conventional medicines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing a workshop in Bulawayo on Wednesday, Manangazira said there was need to ensure the maximum use of locally available medicines and herbs in the supportive care and management of COVID-19 patients. She said her ministry had harnessed traditional medical practitioners, conventional medical practitioners and their communities together so that dual intervention is done to mitigate COVID-19. “So we must start, we should have continued and furthered that, and today, we would be having even a large manufacturing plant which we say, it's our marula tree or some other nutritious shrub,” she said. “Sometimes we end up having healthy animals and malnourished people and we haven’t really explored that. All I am saying is, we are living and failing to utilise our locally available medicines.” She said it was worrisome that the ministry had not taken traditional medicine on board. “We do have a lot of herbs and they form raw materials for the pharmaceuticals. If I heard correctly, the International Traditional Healers Association leader said uMsuzwane has got some anti-ceptive properties, a bit disappointing is that we have not taken our traditional medicine a step further so that we describe and display the content and the ingredients in the market places.” Manangazira said the late former Health minister Herbert Ushewokunze attempted to introduce the system, but died before his ideas were adopted. “I think we are also in the right place because at some time, we had a former Minister of Health, the late Herbert Ushewokunze. He operated the Marondera Clinic here in Bulawayo and that clinic was unique. It would treat you for modern medicine if you so wished or for traditional medicine and he had labels on his containers, but he died and that practice also died with him,” she said.
By Julianne Malveaux For a lot of people, especially in the Black community, conversations about death are uneasy. Nobody wants to candidly face their mortality. Some want to 'leave it in God's hands.' Some have given more thought to homegoing service details – the preacher, choir, and repast – than to some of the … Continued
The post How Do You Want To Die? appeared first on Chicago Defender.
Ghanaians poured praise on their former leader Jerry Rawlings who died on Thursday. Many eulogized him as a patriot and a democrat.
President Nana Akufo-Addo ordered flags around the country to fly at half-mast, to mark seven days of national mourning from Friday.
It is with great sadness that I learnt of the passing of former president Jerry Rawlings of Ghana. Africa has lost a stalwart of Pan-Africanism and a charismatic continental statesman. My sincere condolences to his family, the people and the government of #Ghana
— Moussa Faki Mahamat (@AUC_MoussaFaki) November 12, 2020
Announcement of the death of former President Rawlings pic.twitter.com/7ext0fp4sd
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) November 12, 2020
Watch our report:
By NOHA ELHENNAWY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — At least 74 migrants drowned after their Europe-bound ship capsized off the coast of Libya on Thursday, the U.N.'s migration agency said, in the latest in a series of at least eight shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean since last month. The boat was carrying over 120 migrants, including women and children, when it capsized off the coast of the Libyan port of al-Khums, said the International Organization for Migration. Only 47 people were rescued by the Libyan coast guard and fishermen and brought to shore. So far 31 bodies were retrieved as […]
The post UN migration agency: 74 drown after boat capsizes near Libya appeared first on Black News Channel.
[Algerie Presse Service] Algiers -- Minister of Finance Aymane Benabderrahmane on Wednesday in Algiers that the Government works to diversify the economic development sources through the recourse of non-hydrocarbon revenues. New measures aiming to ensure efficient public expenditures are also planned as part of the finance bill 2021.
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 November 2020: United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (DSG), Ms. Amina J. Mohammed will arrive in Freetown, Sierra Leone on Saturday, 14 November 2020, for a two-day official visit as part of her solidarity mission to West Africa and the Sahel region. The DSG is visiting Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Mali and Sierra Leone…
[HRW] Angolan police used live bullets, teargas, and dogs to disperse a peaceful anti-government protest, killing one protester, in the capital, Luanda, on November 11, 2020, Human Rights Watch said today. Police severely beat the well-known activists Nito Alves and Laurinda Goveia, who are both in critical condition, and arbitrarily arrested a third activist, Luaty Beirao.
… civil rights for women and African-Americans, as well as more support …
[allAfrica] Cape Town -- As of November 12, the confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries have reached 1,918,932. Reported deaths in Africa have reached 46,283 and recoveries 1,620,746 .
Although the majority of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in St.
The article Ministry considering COVID isolation facility in St Cuthbert’s appeared first on Stabroek News.
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.
Thrust into full remote learning with the onset of COVID-19 in March, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has cast the crisis as a game-changer that has accelerated the strategic plan to reach 100,000 students in the global online market. In a...
Premier Alan Winde confirmed that, in the Western Cape, unemployment increased from 16.6% in quarter two to 21.6% in quarter three - which is still the lowest in the country.
Courier exclusive: Lisa Washington leaving KDKA on Nov. 13 - moving to Scranton's WNEP-TV to become evening news anchor by Rob Taylor Jr. - Courier Staff Writer - 5:15 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 Oftentimes, what you experience early in life sticks with you for a lifetime. As a fifth-grader at Bennettsville Elementary School … Continued
The post Courier exclusive: Lisa Washington leaving KDKA-TV; moving to Scranton to become evening news anchor appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.
narvikk/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR, EMILY SHAPIRO and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News (NEW YORK) - A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide. Over 51.5…
I know, I really should be objective, but as I watch him continue to shout “I won!” like an old man in a nursing home mad over his missing jello, I can’t help but think that something is seriously wrong with this man. And what’s even more sad are the formerly sane members of the […]
The post Message: ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Defender Managing Editor appeared first on DefenderNetwork.com.
President Cyril Ramaphosa found the racial polarisation that characterised the protests in Senekal and Brackenfell High School \"deeply disturbing\".
Dear Editor,
Though this missive is partly personal it is also an enthusiastic invitation to all lovers of local literature and the arts to acquire, enjoy and celebrate the latest edition of the Guyana Annual.
The article A folklore treat in the Guyana Annual appeared first on Stabroek News.
