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The World Health Organization announced it will use a new naming system for the coronavirus variants based on the Greek alphabet.
The post WHO to Label COVID Variants with Greek Alphabet to Avoid Stigmatizing Countries appeared first on The Washington Informer.
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
[Daily Maverick] In order to properly appreciate the possible extradition of the Bushiris from Malawi to South Africa, it is necessary to understand extradition law and its processes more generally.
The United Kingdom will deploy 300 troops to Mali this week as part of the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA), the British Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday.
The mission comprising 250 soldiers and a support team of 50 will be based in Gao, some 320 southeast of Timbuku. The troops is mandated to conduct patrols to gather intelligence and dialogue with the local population to help the UN respond to threats by extremist violence and weak governance, the ministry’s statement said.
This peacekeeping mission is completely separate from the French operation Barkhane, which hunts jihadist groups active in northern Mali. But both forces will operate in the same region, the statement added.
Some members of British forces arrived in Mali on Wednesday and the rest will follow by December 8. They join some 14,000 UN peacekeepers from 56 countries. According to Defense Minister Ben Wallace, the commitment reflects \"the importance of improving security in the Sahel by protecting communities.’’
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom will remain engaged, with three Chinook helicopters and about 100 troops, in support of the French Operation Barkhane under a government-to-government agreement until June 2021.
MINUSMA was deployed in Mali in July 2013, after jihadist groups took control of the north of the vast Sahelian country in 2012. They were largely dispersed by a military intervention launched in January 2013 at the initiative of France. But entire zones remain beyond the control of Malian, French and UN forces.
MINUSMA is one of the most important missions of the UN. Currently, it is one of the most deadliest with more than 220 deaths since its deployment, including more than 130 in hostile acts. Its mandate was renewed for one year at the end of June by the UN Security Council.
We look back on this day in history and remember the people and events that shaped the world we live in today. Every day is worth remembering.
On the wall of a residential street in Charlton, south London, Louis Masai puts the finishing touches to a striking large-scale mural of an Orangutan.
Following in the footsteps of a Banksy, the British artist chooses to express himself directly on the walls, here to denounce endangered species and participate in public debate.
\"I think it’s imperative that artists are a bit more diligent about the fact that they have a position in society where we can impose new thought processes. At the moment we’re preoccupied with one factor, one story (ed: the coronavirus pandemic) but there’s so many other things going on.\" Masai says.
The British artist, known for his signature patchwork style, travels around the United Kingdom to paint colourful murals of animal species in decline or on the brink of extinction, to issue a warning about the devastating effects of climate change and biodiversity collapse.
This is an opportunity for a much wider sort of conversation to be had that people need to live more in harmony with nature and allow nature to thrive Masai explains.
\"And anybody who’s lived in London or visited London and seen the rivers (ed: the Thames) knows that there’s quite a lot of pollution happening. So it’s really important that these rivers are kept clean and maintained.\" he adds.
According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) there are currently 23,250 species listed as threatened. This means: critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.
This means: critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. Adding extinct and extinct in the wild species the figure is 24,153.
It’s widely predicted that as many as two-thirds of all species could be near extinction by the end of this century. But, some are now rising in population due to increasing concern about the extinction crisis.
Co-ordinated conservation efforts include the protection of natural habitats and prevention of destructive practices such as illegal hunting.
The airline has been heavily affected by the drop in demand for passenger flights.
The suspense is over, the much talked about ‘Kings of Joburg’ series premieres on Netflix on 4 December 2020. Here's what you need to know.
Following a thunderstorm warning, parts of Gauteng have been plagued with floods, strong winds and severe bouts of lightning.
[New Times] After weeks with refugee camps as one of the leading Covid-19 hotspots in the country, the Ministry of Health on Monday announced that Nsinda Prison located in Rwamagana district had also confirmed 13 new Covid-19 infections.
President Cyril Ramaphosa found the racial polarisation that characterised the protests in Senekal and Brackenfell High School \"deeply disturbing\".
Qantas has delayed the restart of its direct flights between Sydney and Johannesburg until October 2021.
… participants identified as Black or African American.
As Salon reported last week …
SOUTH AFRICA-BASED Zimbabwean Afro fusion singer Philani “Phitso” Mhlanga has combined his voice with sungura musician Peter “Young Igwe” Moyo to denounce girl child abuse in song. The song, titled Dare Pavarume, was produced by Oscar Chamba of KOM Studios in Harare. BY WINSTONE ANTONIO The project comes amid a surge in cases of abuse of girl children during the coronavirus pandemic. The five-and-a-half minute song, which is available on YouTube, Reverberation, Spotify and iTunes, denounces girl child abuse. In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style yesterday, Phitso said art played an important role in educating the masses, hence the use of music to make sure that people appreciate the dangers associated with abusing the girl child. “Every woman is special, she must be respected. All men must protect the girl child. So through this song, we are saying it’s high time men speak out and educate each other to end this evil behaviour by fellow men in society,” he said. “Some of the situations that our sisters and mothers are in today are a result of us men who are causing their suffering. It’s time, the world started to respect women and those who abuse them in different ways should be punished.” Phitso, who frontlines The Legacy Band said he drew inspiration from the late music icons Oliver Mtukudzi and Tongai Moyo. In a bid to advocate for a better society through his craft, Phitso recently released a single titled Manyanya that has political connotations, which challenge and encourage men to provide for their families. Phitso said he had shelved plans to release his forthcoming album, Chigondora to concentrate on single releases in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “We have decided to put on hold the release of the album Chigondora and concentrate on singles that will be timely in the midst of this global COVID-19 pandemic that has affected almost every sector of life,” he said. Born in the Checheche area of Chipinge, Phitso released his debut gospel album titled NaJesu Tinosvika Chete in 2013. It was followed by Dream Again Zvinoita the following year, which had hit songs MaZimbabwe, Ibva Muroad and Zvinoita. Follow Winstone on Twitter @widzoanto
ZIMBABWE are out of the running for a ticket to the 2021 Under–20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals after they were beaten 2-0 by Mozambique in a Cosafa Under-20 Championships Group A match at the Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa yesterday. BY HENRY MHARA The Under-20 Championships serve as a qualification tournament with the finalists booking a ticket to the Afcon finals set for Mauritania next February. The Tonderai Ndiraya-coached side drew 2-2 with South Africa in their opening match on Thursday, and needed to win yesterday’s match to stay in the hunt for the ticket. The top team in each pool as well as best-placed runner-up advance to the semi-finals of the Cosafa Championships. Needing to win the match, the Young Warriors looked like they were up for the challenge until they conceded a penalty in the 54th minute which was put away by Simon Cupriano. Zimbabwe were by far the better side to this point. Ndiraya’s reaction to the setback, was to introduce the highly-rated attacking midfielder Oscar Magejo for Munashe Katondo. They continued to pile on pressure as they searched for the equaliser. However, they were further pegged back when Gabriel Pinho scored the second for Mozambique with five minutes remaining to crush the Young Warriors hopes. In another group A match, South Africa clobbered Lesotho by 7-goals to nil to remain second in the group with four points, two behind leaders Mozambique. Zimbabwe play winless Lesotho tomorrow in a dead-rubber while South Africa and Mozambique clash in a winner takes all contest on the same day. Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymhara
THE completion of the multi-million-dollar Kazungula River Bridge is certainly sweet music in the ears of Botswana and Zambia, but for Zimbabwe, it presents a headache over loss of transit fees. by ALFONCE MBIZWO/MTHANDAZO NYONI The new Kazungula River Bridge, which is expected to be functional by year-end, links Zambia’s Kazungula town with Botswana. It also offers an alternative route to road transporters from South Africa to Zambia and other northern countries in the region. Currently, the Beitbridge-Chirundu road is a key component of the Trans-African Highway Network Zimbabwean link between South Africa and Zambia. It is also part of the North–South Corridor Project and the Cape to Cairo Road, and a gateway to the common market for Eastern and Southern Africa. But Zimbabwe has neglected the roads that make up the corridor. The Beitbridge-Harare Highway was built in the 1960s and has far outlived its 20-year lifespan. After haggling over tenders since 2003, government finally started work on the dualisation of the road last year, with different companies working on parts of the project to expedite completion, but this may have come too late to save the situation. Zimbabwe still needs to address the bottlenecks at its Beitbridge Border Post which often sees haulage trucks stuck for days on end waiting for service. The Beitbridge port is the busiest transit border for cargo from South African ports with destinations in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and often as far as Tanzania. There are relatively few studies on the financial benefit the corridor brings to Zimbabwe but a situation analysis carried out in 2009 showed that the waiting time at the border was about 33 hours for south-bound traffic while for north bound traffic waiting time was about 45 hours. It was estimated that the cost associated with this waiting time was about US$29.3 million for south bound and US$35 million for north bound traffic per year. In contrast, the South Africa/Botswana Groblersbrug border post is quicker to process documentation at between eight-10 hours. Botswana roads are better maintained than Zimbabwe’s and fuel costs are lower. Distance-wise, Johannesburg to Lusaka, Zambia through Beitbridge is 1 525km while via Kazungula, the journey is 1 730km. But with Zimbabwe’s poor road network, congestion and long winding queues at the country’s points of entry, especially Beitbridge, truckers will likely avoid the frustrations of using the Zimbabwe route, losing the southern African nation billions of dollars in potential revenue to the new crossing point. According to a recent study, delays at Beitbridge are costing transport operators up to US$350 per day per truck, negating the cost benefit of its connectivity to multiple seaports in Durban and Mozambique. To complement the Kazungula Bridge, Botswana in 2016 said it was building several truck stop facilities for cross-border operators, making the route more attractive to haulage trucks. “It should be a wake-up call to Zimbabweans that the whole region cann
In the latest news on Tuesday 1 December, we reflect on Dali Mpofu's cross-examination of Pravin Gordhan at the State Capture Commission.
The EFF said that from all organisations who have made contributions to the Solidarity Fund, the party have been front-runners.
[Daily Maverick] On 10 November, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor will sign South Africa's instrument of accession to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). This will make South Africa the third country on the African continent to be a signatory to the TAC after Morocco and Egypt, and opens many doors, including trade.
[spotlight] In 2019, only 53% of the estimated 1.8 million children living with HIV world-wide were diagnosed and on treatment. That means that over 800 000 children living with HIV are not receiving the treatment they need to stay healthy.
[WHO] Brazzaville -- The World Health Organization (WHO) finds that 18.3% of COVID-19 deaths in the African region are among people with diabetes, one of the conditions that global studies have found to increase the risk of severe illness and death among patients infected with the virus.
It is unlikely South Africa will see any vaccine before the country experiences a second wave of Covid-19, says Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
Two suspects have robbed a man who tried to deposit a sum of cash at a bank at the Waterfall Mall in Rustenburg, North West.
Ghana and Sudan are crying foul over the fact SA hosted both the home and away legs of their AFCON 2022 qualifiers against Sao Tome and Principe.
Shambala Private Game Reserve, in Limpopo, was voted the world’s top luxury private game reserve in the World Travel Awards 2020.
South Africa recorded 60 more Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the death toll to 20 011.
'Beauty and the Baby Beast': SA fashion designer Rich Mnisi joins Volvo's #HiddenGem campaign with customised XC40.
BY RICHARD MUPONDE UNSUSPECTING people have reportedly been duped an undisclosed amount of money by imposters who are reportedly abusing the name of former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Gideon Gono asking for financial assistance. Gono confirmed the scam and said a number of people have been swindled after they released huge sums of money into a fraudulent account in South Africa from which he disassociated himself and his family. “It has come to my sad attention and family that they are impersonating me and going around asking high-profile and rich individuals, suspected to be my friends, to ‘assist’ me with money deposited into a South African account,” Gono said. “Unfortunately, a few people, some of whom I have never met and do not even know, have been duped into releasing huge sums of money, only to find out soon after that the voice on the other line was fake.” He denied that he had begged for money from friends and associates and urged people to report the imposters to the police. “Please report any such approaches to the nearest police station to ensure that the culprits are apprehended swiftly,” Gono said. He said a South African number, +27 718 396 569, was used by these imposters to dupe people. Gono said a photoshopped picture of him, taken 10 years ago, was being used on the number’s WhatsApp profile picture. The local number currently being used was +263 788 669 246, with “one funny photoshopped profile picture of our chicken business premises”. “The local guy impersonated my first born son, Passion Peter. This ‘governor’ ended all his conversations invoking both the word and name of God, to disguise his real evil standing in society,” Gono said. The former RBZ governor said he has reported the matter to Borrowdale Police Station, and the matter was now being investigated by the CID under ZRP Docket Ref 4597277.
South Africa on Wednesday opened its borders to international travel, over 7 months after ports of entry were closed to non-essential travel prevent the spread of coronavirus.
President Cyril Rampahosa said in a speech to the nation that visitors would be required to follow relevant health protocols.
He said businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector would greatly benefit from the lifting of the ban on international flights.
\"We are also opening up international travel to all countries subject to the necessary health protocols and the presentation of a negative Covid-19 certificate. Now by using rapid tests and strict monitoring, we intend to limit the spread of the infection through importation\", said Ramaphosa.
He also extended the National State of Disaster until December.
#COVID19 Statistics in SA as at 11 November.Use the COVID Alert SA app to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community. Start using this privacy preserving app today. Add your phone to the fight! Download the Covid Alert SA app now! https://t.co/8YKEqaiiRF pic.twitter.com/b69u4hvtct
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) November 11, 2020
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.
ANC members have blocked roads in Naledi, Soweto, apparently in a bid to prevent voters from partiipating in local by-elections
