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WHAT a low-spirited start to the New Year it has been. All the dark episodes of 2020, with all the grief and death seem to have spilled to 2021 with COVID-19 arguably the worst nightmare. This time, it appears it is more deadly and has a strong appetite to devour judging by the soaring numbers of infections and deaths. After the reckless partying that ushered merrymakers into the New Year, authorities had to act and indeed, the lockdown was the only viable action. The swift reaction by the government to impose a lockdown that includes closure of bars, bottlestores, gyms and other facilities could not have come at a better time. It was timely and life-saving but of course with its own negativity. In the last week alone, Zimbabwe recorded 1 342 COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths, representing the highest number of cases recorded to date. On January 2, 2021, 407 new cases were recorded and eight deaths and such numbers are nothing to ignore. The reality we all feared is with us now. COVID-19 is a killer and is ravaging communities hence the need to stop the recklessness that had taken centre stage. The lockdown will, however, mean nothing if there is no proper enforcement and this time, vigilance is needed by enforcers. Of course we are not saying the military and police should use maximum force that borders on human rights violations like we witnessed last year. Soaring cases, particularly in the last two months have risen to terrifying levels and we have been waiting for the government to act. Government was relaxed in that period with some of its officials posting on their social media platforms pictures of themselves partying, completely oblivious of COVID-19 regulations. That was inexcusable recklessness by Cabinet ministers at a time the people needed to be shepherded into responsible behaviour. As if such carelessness by ministers was not enough, President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed hundreds of Zanu PF supporters in Chivi, Masvingo province, exposing them to the deadly disease. Well, that is now in the past but the point remains that it is incumbent upon the leadership to lead by example so that the followers will follow responsibly. We also witnessed towards the end of the year a “super-spreader” event in the form of a chaotic MDC-T extraordinary congress and that Thokozani Khupe was immediately taken ill after the indaba. This is no longer a joke and the deaths, some of them of prominent people in the last two days, should be enough lessons for authorities to act responsibly. Thankfully, the lockdown is a step in the right direction. It will, however, come to naught if it ends just as a lockdown without putting in place other measures including availing ventilators in hospitals and improving testing for the virus. In these trying times, we must not forget those in the frontline, the health workers who are daily exposed to COVID-19 as they try to save lives. The government needs to act and provide all the necessary support. It is a fight we must win together, and we will.
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
By Associated Press Undefined WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a lower federal court to reexamine California restrictions on indoor religious services in areas hard hit by the coronavirus in light of the justices' recent ruling in favor of churches and synagogues in New York. The high court's unsigned order, with no noted dissent, leaves the California restrictions in place for now. But it throws out a federal district court ruling that rejected a challenge to the limits from Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, which has more than 160 churches across the state. Last […]
The post Justices order review of California virus rules for churches appeared first on Black News Channel.
By MESFIN FEKADU AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The year's most played artist on Spotify? Globally speaking: Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar is the music platform's most-streamed artist of the year with 8.3 billion streams globally. The Latin Grammy winner and hitmaker , who released a new album last week, leads a top five list that also includes Drake, J Balvin, Juice WRLD and The Weeknd. With more than 3.3 billion streams, Bad Bunny's sophomore solo album 'YHLQMDLG' tops Spotify's list of most-streamed albums globally. The Weeknd's 'After Hours,' Post Malone's 'Hollywood's Bleeding,' Harry Styles' 'Fine Line' […]
The post Bad Bunny is Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2020 appeared first on Black News Channel.
It’s Monday 7 December, and this is TheSouthAfrican.com Daily News Wrap - with the latest news you really need to know - when you need it.
[New Times] Last week, Rwanda approved the revised African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) constitution, becoming the 13th African state to ratify this establishment.
Cocoa, Fla. (AP) – Famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump says he is representing the families of two Black teens who were fatally shot by ...
Thursday (Oct.15), Twitter's CEO, Jack Dorsey called the blocking of links without context “unacceptable,” and today(Oct.16), the company's Legal, Policy and Trust & Safety Lead Vijaya Gadde followed her boss and broke down the new updated policy in her own Twitter.
A fifteen-member group of international organisations concerned with ensuring that issues of forest conservation and the greening of economies remain at the heart of the human development agenda, last week made a high-profile international appeal for forests and tree landscapes to be brought to the centre of the global building back effort “for a more resilient and sustainable future.”
The article UN-affiliated conservation group pushes for forests to be at centre of Covid-19 recovery effort appeared first on Stabroek News.
THE captivating performances of the late comedian Lazarus Gringo Boora might not have vanished from the small screen with his death as his firstborn son Taurai, also known as Gringoldinho, has vowed to keep the flame burning having already embarked on the journey under the iconic entertainer’s mentorship. BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA Gringo succumbed to stomach cancer last week and was laid to rest at his homestead in Rukweza, Rusape. Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style moments before Gringo’s burial, the multi-talented artist said his father had spent much of his last days, particularly when he was sick, advising and preparing him for his eventual takeover. “The shoes are too big to fill, but I will try my best because there are some skills he had been nurturing in me and we had started working together, so he really showed me that it is doable,” he said.” Famed for his witty delivery as a master of ceremonies and nimble footwork, Gringoldinho is an apt reflection of his father whose humour intrigued viewers whenever he featured on TV. Gringoldinho, who has been into acting for a decade, said he also got life tips from his father. “I have learnt a lot. I had always thought it would be tough for me but from some of the things he taught me, I realised that everyone is important and that as an artiste one needed to be humble and not think you are more important than others,” he said. As the eldest child, Gringoldinho acknowledged that he would need to man up to be able to take care of his six siblings and mother. “Since last year dad was not feeling well and that is when he spoke to me a lot about life. One day before he went for an operation he said that I should be strong because I was now old enough,” he said. “He instructed me to take care of my siblings and my mother and that I should be well behaved.” Follow Kennedy on Twitter @ken_nyavaya
According to the Department of Justice, Smith used third party accounts to conceal his income and commit tax evasion from 2000 to 2015. The DOJ stated that Smith, who is the CEO of Vista Equity Partners, intentionally did not report over $200 million of partnership income.
A missing painting by renowned artist Jacob Lawrence has been rediscovered more than 60 years after it disappeared from the public eye. The picture was […]
GOVERNMENT has approved a steep hike in school fees, which will see some pupils at boarding and urban day high schools forking out in excess of $55 000 up from $6 000 and $20 000 up from $3 000, respectively. BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA NewsDay Weekender has also heard that some schools are demanding payments in United States dollars for non-examination classes set to return to school on Monday. This comes amid complaints by parents and guardians that the fees were too high considering that the term was short and most teachers were on strike. Teachers’ unions described the increases as “daylight robbery” and insisted that their members would continue with their industrial action until government has addressed their demands for a pay hike. Primary and Secondary Education minister Cain Mathema yesterday confirmed the fees hike, adding that no parent had formally raised objections with his ministry. “No parent has complained to the ministry, every parent or guardian knows what needs to be done,” he said. Schools reopened for examination classes on September 28 following a six-month break triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second batch of students comprising Grade 6 and Forms Three and Lower Sixth will report for lessons on Monday while the last batch is expected on November 9. Schools such as Catholic-run Gokomere and Silveira, Rusununguko and Prince Edward, among others, have reviewed their fees upwards with the latter now demanding $55 000 for boarders and $20 000 for day scholars. Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou said the fees were certainly beyond the reach of many parents, particularly civil servants. “Our position is that parents must stop paying fees until teachers and government find each other over teachers' welfare, health and safety. Sending kids to school when teachers are not teaching is a waste of time; the fees are certainly beyond the reach of many parents, particularly teachers,” Zhou said. Parents interviewed by NewsDay Weekender said school heads just presented them with figures ranging from $28 000 to $55 000 and asked them to vote. “The process was not clear, we were just told figures to choose from and those figures will be presented to the government as coming from the parents. We are still under COVID-19, where our incomes were affected. Where will we get that money?” a parent whose child is at Rusungunguko asked. A parent with children at Price Edward in Harare asked: “Where can we get the $50 000 demanded by the school?” Other schools like Roosevelt also announced fees ranging from between $33 000 and $40 000, depending on pupils’ subject combinations. Parents of day scholars paid about $3 000 at Prince Edward before COVID-19, while boarding students at Roosevelt paid about $6 200. Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said fees were effected in consultation with the parents. “The onus to justify the fees level lies with school responsible authorities in liaison with parents and guardians of concerned learners,” he said
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.
Good morning, California. It’s Monday, November 16. More shutdowns? Here we go again. As Thanksgiving approaches, California is racking up a series of grim statistics. On Thursday, it became the second state to surpass 1 million coronavirus cases — the same day it recorded more new infections than all but nine other days of the […]
The post A grim coronavirus picture appeared first on Black Voice News.
COVID-19 cases in the town of Bartica, in Region Seven are continually rising as there are now about 17 more when compared to last week.
The article COVID cases continuing to rise in Bartica appeared first on Stabroek News.
Countless parents all around the world are taking extra measures to keep their families healthy while trying to preventCOVID-19 from entering their homes. Tequilla Wallace is […]
Wondering what the day has in store for your star sign? Here's a quick glance at horoscopes and more for today - completely free!
[Nation] The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Kenya has risen to 83,618 following 302 new positive tests from 3,038 samples, the Ministry of Health has reported.
If Professor Karim is worried, the rest of us should be too. Our virus expert has conceded that South Africa's second wave 'may already be happening'.
An African-American Starbucks barista kept her cool while a white customer shouted, \"F--- Black Lives Matter!\"
Texas on Wednesday became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and California closed in on that mark as a surge of infections engulfs the country from coast to coast. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said all restaurants, bars and gyms statewide will have to close at 10 p.m. starting […]
Attorneys for Aurora, Colo., police officers and medics involved in the death of Elijah McClain filed several motions with the U.S. District Court of Colorado last week to dismiss a lawsuit brought by McClain’s family in August. The lawsuit alleges that discriminatory practices are what […]
The post Aurora, Colorado Officials, Police Officers and Medics File Motions to Dismiss Elijah McClain Lawsuit appeared first on The New York Beacon.
The gender equality women enjoy in Zimbabwe today is well-earned from the shared sacrifices that women made side by side with their men during the liberation struggle, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa said on Friday. She was officially opening the annual conference in Nyanga of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe and delivering the keynote speech. She said the country’s Constitution, which requires the state to take measures to ensure that both genders are equally represented in all government institutions and agencies, reflects and honours the nation’s recent history as the product of an armed national liberation struggle. “I took part in the struggle together with many other youthful women and young girls. We fought an asymmetrical war pitting the population against a well-armed minority. “To win we had to organise everyone into a people’s war. It spared no-one as we strove for victory. Women had to equally participate side by side with their men to offset the enemy’s technological edge. “This gender equality should never be construed as an act of charity. That is why the revolutionary constitution of 1980 was founded on the bedrock of gender parity. Since then, as women, we never looked back,” she said. “Feudal bandage of male patriarchy was done away with. No longer does a woman need her father, brother or husband to be given majority status. She now enjoys full rights without any hindrance of male sanction,” she said. She pointed out that soon after independence education opportunities were expanded. Rural folk built classrooms for free to be rewarded with teachers from central government. As classes were opened, the girl child was accorded equal access. “This explains the 96% literacy rating by Unesco in a nation where women outnumber men,” she said. “From my vantage point of a female combatant of the Chimurenga national liberation struggle, I am really impressed. The Zimbabwe women have more than delivered in the last four decades of freedom and independence. “The most outstanding is the farming domain for a nation that is still dependent on agriculture,” she said. She said the majority of the 200 000 leaf tobacco farmers registered with the Tobacco Marketing Board were women, who, unlike their male counterparts, were prone to spending their hard earned money on the welfare of their family. The end result was rising levels of rural prosperity. “When Air Zimbabwe pioneered Africa’s commercial flights to China our women seized commercial opportunities with Guangzhou,” she said, adding that many of them built their own new homes in growing towns and cities. Zimbabwean nurses were in demand in the United Kingdom, Dubai and elsewhere. Other countries in the region welcomed Zimbabwean teachers, with women prominent among them. “Zimbabwe women have boldly ventured into mining especially chrome and gold as our bountiful mineral resources are reclaimed for the majority. “All these are shining cases of women breaking through the gender glass ceiling of
“The longer it takes us to go back to in-person classes, the longer and more profound the inequalities will be,” said Claudia Uribe, UNESCO's director for the Regional Office of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean.
All roads lead to Brackenfell for the EFF. The simmering tensions in the Western Cape will be tested on Friday, as the Red Berets launch another protest.
CIVIL servants yesterday rejected government’s additional 20% salary offer that would have seen the highest paid worker getting $16 430 per month. BY MOSES MATENGA The disgruntled civil servants have been demanding a salary hike to match the rate of inflation and cushion them against the harsh economic environment, with teachers demanding at least US$520, but government has shot down demands for United States dollar-based salaries. Government last month offered its restive workers a 40% hike and converted the US$75 COVID-19 allowance introduced in June this year to be part of their monthly salary, but civil servants insist that the increase is not enough given the country’s hyperinflationary environment. Apex Council, the umbrella body for all public service unions, confirmed that yesterday’s conditions of service meeting with government had ended in a stalemate. The Apex Council said it would now consult its members on the way forward. Apex Council spokesperson David Dzatsunga, however, refused to give details of the meeting, referring NewsDay to a statement issued after the deliberations. Part of the statement read: “The much-awaited National Joint Negotiating Council meeting where the government was expected to feedback and move significantly on the cost of living adjustment for civil servants has been finally held on November 3, 2020. “In the previous meeting, the government had made an offer of 40% of the total package and today increased it by a further 20% of the current earnings of an individual. This new offer is to be with effect from November 1, 2020.” However, the workers, who are earning way below the poverty datum line, rejected the offer saying it did not address their incapacitation. “The workers side flatly rejected the offer for falling short of addressing the incapacitation of civil servants. However, the workers’ side asked for an adjournment to tomorrow for a feedback to its full council and its constituency on the way forward (concerning) the said offer and expects to meet the government this week for workers’ position,” the statement further read. The new offer would see B1 workers getting $13 590, C5 earning $14 105, D1 getting $15 077, while E1, would be the highest paid workers, who are earning $16 430. Workers in grade D, where most education personnel belong to, have been awarded a special COVID-19 allowance of 10% of basic salary that translates to $517. Government has been trying to address the plight of its workers, but all its offers so far have not satisfied the restive civil servants. Teachers said they remained incapacitated. Recently, government extended an equivalent of US$500 as funeral assistance for its underpaid civil servants who would have passed on. Teachers downed tools in September ahead of the reopening of schools for examination classes. Schools reopened for another batch of students on Monday last week, amid reports that most schools were being manned by heads and senior masters as the majority of teachers stayed away citing incapacitation. The prolonged teachers strik
