Ghana citizens outraged at plans to spend $200 million on govt building
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
Ghana shelved plans to spend $200-million on a new parliament building following a public outcry over the cost. | An online campaign by cultural figures and civil society under the banner #DropThatChamber drew widespread support that the West African nation had more pressing needs. | Ghana's parliament said it had halted the project due to the backlash ahead of a planned street protest on Saturday. | "We are a listening institution and after gauging the views of the people, we decided to shelve the idea," Kate Addo, the acting director of public affairs of parliament, told AFP. | "People should rest assured th…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/ghana-citizens-outraged-at-plans-to-spend-200-million-on-govt-building/
VAR to be used for remaining AFCON 2019 matches
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be in play in AFCON 2019 beginning with Wednesday's quarterfinal games. | It was originally planned to use VAR from the semi-final stage but it will now be brought in from the last-eight games. | Several marginally offside calls and an erroneous handball decision, which Ghana felt might have contributed to their early exit from the tournament, have been the extent of controversy in Egypt this year in a triumph for the battered reputation of African referees. | VAR has not been extensively used on the continent but it has produced situations which have tarnished the g…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/var-to-be-used-for-remaining-afcon-2019-matches/
South African parliament to clamp down on illegal land invaders
Halligan Agade | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
Illegal land invaders in South Africa have been put on notice with the parliament now saying it will take stern action against those implicated. | This coming in the wake of reports of attacks and invasion of a 7,500-hectare farm in KwaZulu-Natal Province over the weekend, where "violent thugs" torched the farm and allegedly threw the farm manager into a fire. | The manager was hospitalized with burns. | "We must do all in our power to stem illegal farm invasions and ensure that such acts of criminality do not d…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/south-african-parliament-to-clamp-down-on-illegal-land-invaders/
Zimbabwe power utility needs $14m monthly for imports
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
Zimbabwe's state-owned power utility, ZESA Holdings says it needs $14 million monthly for electricity imports from the regional power market. | "If we clear our debts to (South African power firm) Eskom and (Mozambique's hydropower company) HCB it would wipe out our (power cut) problems today, I repeat, today," said Patrick Chivaura its acting Chief Executive. | Chivaura added that the company was seeking a government exemption to charge mining companies in U.S. dollars to guarantee power supplies.
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/zimbabwe-power-utility-needs-14m-monthly-for-imports/
President Museveni awards Cranes one million dollars for AFCON 2019 show
Jerry Omondi | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has congratulated the country's national football team for their performance at the 2019 Africa cup of Nations, pledging $1 million to appreciate the work they put in. | The Uganda Cranes reached the Roound of 16 stage where they lost to Senegal by a solitary goal. | In the group stage, the East Africans beat DR Congo 2-0, drew with Zimbabwe 1-1 before losing 2-0 to hosts Egypt. | "I'm very happy the @UgandaCranes went up to the last 16. I know we will perform better next time. I will organize 1m dollars with the government to distribute it among the players and officials. Of…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/president-museveni-awards-cranes-one-million-dollars-for-afcon-2019-show/
Oxfam report: Income inequality reaches crisis level in West Africa
Halligan Agade | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
There will be a high demand for food, which will be forced from fewer land and water resources. Image courtesy: The Trent | West African Governments have been blamed for the worsening poverty and inequality levels in their countries. According to the Oxfam and Development Finance International report published Tuesday, inequality is at crisis levels in West Africa. | The report said the divide between the wealthy and the poor continues to increase as a small number of people become extremely ric…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/oxfam-report-income-inequality-reaches-crisis-level-in-west-africa/
Funding gaps derailing universal education in Africa
Halligan Agade | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
UNESCO is raising a red flag that the world and specifically sub-Saharan Africa is likely to miss a key deadline for ensuring universal education. | UNESCO in its findings says that progress in achieving universal education has stagnated mostly in low-income countries due to a halt in additional aid. | "Four years ago, global leaders agreed that by 2030 all girls and boys should be able to complete free quality primary and secondary education, but funding gaps are holding back progress," a new report by the UN's educat…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/funding-gaps-derailing-universal-education-in-africa/
Kenya launches effort to save the mountain bongo
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
Kenya is launching a comprehensive strategy to restore the population of the endangered mountain bongo amid risk of extinction linked to poaching, habitat loss, diseases and attack by large predators. | Najib Balala, cabinet secretary for tourism and wildlife, said the national recovery and action plan for the mountain bongo will guide protection of an iconic species that inhabit Kenya's major water towers. | "The implementation of this plan will be a defining moment in the conservation of the mountain bongo subspecies that is only found in Kenya," said Balala. | "It will ensure that the population of mountain b…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/kenya-launches-effort-to-save-the-mountain-bongo/
UN Women welcomes Bosco Ntaganda's conviction
Jerry Omondi | cgtn.com | 2019-07-09
The United Nations Women has welcomed the conviction of Bosco Ntaganda by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes he committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003. | The Hague-based court found the former rebel leader, nicknamed the 'Terminator', guilty on 13 counts of war crimes and 5 counts of crimes against humanity, including rape, sexual slavery, displacement of civilians, and enlisting and conscripting child soldiers under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities. | "The conviction is significant because, if the verdict is upheld on appeal, it wi…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/09/un-women-welcomes-bosco-ntagandas-conviction/
Ivory Coast edge Mali to book AFCON 2019 quarterfinals spot
David Ochieng Mbewa | cgtn.com | 2019-07-08
Ivory Coast's forward Wilfried Zaha (3rd-R) celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Round of 16 football match between Ivory Coast and Mali at the Suez Stadium in the north-eastern Egyptian city on July 8, 2019. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo credit FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images) | Ivory Coast edged Mali 1-0 on Monday at the New Suez Stadium in Suez, Egypt, to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. | Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha scored the only goal of the game in the 76th minute of a tense game to ensure progression for the 2015 champions.
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/08/ivory-coast-edge-mali-to-book-afcon-2019-quarterfinals-spot/
Charges Dropped Against Pregnant Shooting Victim Amid Outcry over the Criminalization of Pregnancy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-08
Following immense public pressure, prosecutors in Alabama have dropped manslaughter changers against Marshae Jones, a 28-year-old African-American woman whose pregnancy ended after she was shot in the stomach by a coworker. Local police accused Jones of starting the fight that led to the shooting in the parking lot of a Dollar General store outside of Birmingham. A grand jury then indicted Jones on manslaughter but dismissed any charges against the shooter. The case drew national outcry from women's rights advocates concerned about the criminalization of pregnant women and the legal implications of so-called feta…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/8/seg_3
Devastating Impact Of The U.S. Sanctions On Zimbabwe
Special To The Black Star News | blackstarnews.com | 2019-07-08
December 12 Movement decries devastating effects of sanctions on Zimbabwe imposed after former President Robert Mugabe's 2000 land reforms… | Zimbabwe's land reform programme of 2000 led the United States of America to impose illegal sanctions under the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, 2001 (ZIDERA) which is subject to annual extensions, the latest being in January 2019. | Supplementing the USA legislative sanctions of ZIDERA are Executive sanctions (Executive Order 13288) of March 2003 also renewable on a similar yearly basis. The European Union also introduced its own sanctions in…
www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/devastating-impact-of-the-us-sanctions-on-zimbabwe.html
Charges Dropped Against Pregnant Shooting Victim
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-08
Following immense public pressure, prosecutors in Alabama have dropped manslaughter changers against Marshae Jones, a 28-year-old African-American woman whose pregnancy ended after she was shot in the stomach by a coworker. Local police accused Jones of starting the fight that led to the shooting in the parking lot of a Dollar General store outside of Birmingham. A grand jury then indicted Jones on manslaughter but dismissed any charges against the shooter. The case drew national outcry from women's rights advocates concerned about the criminalization of pregnant women and the legal implications of so-called f…
truthout.org/video/charges-dropped-against-pregnant-shooting-victim/
High-value opportunities exist to restore tropical rainforests around the world — here's how we mapped them
Robin Chazdon | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-08
The green belt of tropical rainforests that covers equatorial regions of the Americas, Africa, Indonesia and Southeast Asia is turning brown. Since 1990, Indonesia has lost 50% of its original forest, the Amazon 30% and Central Africa 14%. Fires, logging, hunting, road building and fragmentation have heavily damaged more than 30% of those that remain. | These forests provide many benefits: They store large amounts of car…
nationofchange.org/2019/07/08/high-value-opportunities-exist-to-restore-tropical-rainforests-around-the-world-heres-how-we-mapped-them/
'Beyond reasonable doubt', international court convicts notorious DR Congo rebel leader of war crimes
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-08
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, found former Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda guilty "beyond reasonable doubt", of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the volatile Ituri district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between 2002 and 2003.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1042011
I spent 16 months in solitary confinement and now I'm fighting to end it
Kiana Calloway | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-08
I was just 17 years old when I was sent to solitary confinement in "Camp J," one of the most severe lockdown units at one of America's most brutal prisons, the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. I languished in solitary for 16 months. | Back then I didn't know that Louisiana was the solitary confinement capital of the world. All I knew was that I'd been convicted of a crime I didn't commit, and I had to maintain my humanity in one of the most dehumanizing places on earth. | It's called "23 and 1" because you spend 23 hours alone in your cell, with one hour to take a shower or make a phone call, if allowed…
nationofchange.org/2019/07/08/i-spent-16-months-in-solitary-confinement-and-now-im-fighting-to-end-it/
Mass protests against police shooting of Ethiopian Israeli
wsws.org | 2019-07-08
The authorities arrested the off-duty police officer before releasing him into "protective custody" under house arrest, further inflaming tensions over the killing.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/08/isra-j08.html
At Jesse Jackson U.S. Global Gathering, Honoree Bobi Wine Describes Gen. Museveni's Brutal Dictatorship
Kiwanuka Lawrence Nsereko | blackstarnews.com | 2019-07-07
May the torch be with you. Civil and human rights veteran Rev. Jesse Jackson honors Bobi Wine and offers words of wisdom. | | The civil rights struggle continues with the resistance against tyrants around the world, Ugandan political and human rights leader Robert Sentamu Kyagulanyi, told a U.S. gathering while receiving an award from Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr., in Chicago. | | Kyagulanyi, musician-turned-leader, commonly known by his stage moniker Bobi Wine, spoke last week at the Rainbow Push coalition annual convention. He was recognized for standing up for civil rights in Uganda and was one of six honorees fr…
www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/at-jesse-jackson-us-global-gathering-honoree-bobi-wine
Ebola Outbreak in Congo an Emergency: UK Development Secretary
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-07
The United Kingdom's (U.K.) international development secretary, Rory Stewart, has called to declare Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) an emergency, after a two-day visit to the emergency health centers for Ebola virus victims in the northeastern cities of Butembo and Beni. | RELATED: | Political Games Hinder Efforts to End Ebola in Congo: WHO | "We are on the edge with this crisis. We keep pulling it back from the brink but it is very dangerous. The very…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ebola-Outbreak-in-DRC-an-Emergency-20190707-0015.html
Sudan to Establish Joint Civilian-Military Governing Body
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-07
Sudan's ruling military council reached an agreement with the leaders of the opposition on Friday, to establish a joint civilian-military governing body. | RELATED: | Sudan's Ruling Military Admits 'Outrageous' Acts on Protesters | As the country takes its first step toward a democratic transition, after months of political impasse. The body will supervise the formation of a transitional civilian administration that will rule for a three years period, which was the opposition's m…
telesurenglish.net/news/Sudan-EstablishJoint-Civilian-Military-Governing-Body-20190707-0016.html
What Happened When the EU Moved Its Fight to Stop Migration to Niger
Rémi Carayol | thenation.com | 2019-07-05
What Happened When the EU Moved Its Fight to Stop Migration to Niger…
thenation.com/article/niger-agadez-migration/
Iran Threatens Seizure of UK Oil Tanker if Iranian Oil Tanker Not Released
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2019-07-05
(ZH) — Iran has called for the "immediate release" of its oil tanker after British Royal Marines boarded and seized it off Gibraltar a day ago after it took a long 90-day trek around the tip of Africa, presumably to evade sanctions enforcement en route to Syria. Authorities had accused the Grace 1 supertanker of illegal smuggling …
theantimedia.com/iran-threatens-seizure-uk-oil-tanker/
Six children among 53 confirmed fatalities after Libya detention centre airstrikes: Security Council condemns attack
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-05
The toll from Tuesday's reported airstrikes on a detention centre in the suburbs of Tripoli has risen to 53 dead and more than 130 injured among the "severely traumatized" surviving migrants and refugees, UN aid agencies said on Friday, reiterating their appeal to close all such facilities in the embattled country.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041911
Friday's Daily Brief: Sudan power-sharing deal welcomed, hope for Venezuela talks, Rohingya camps flooded, Libya airstrikes update
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-05
Friday's main news stories include: Guterres welcomes Sudan power-sharing deal; six children are among 53 confirmed dead after Libya detention centre airstrikes; Monsoon rains wreak havoc in Rohingya camps; and Bachelet calls for "time and space" in Venezuela.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041951
What's really happening in Sudan?
CGTN America | cgtn.com | 2019-07-05
On the latest episode of The Heat Podcast, guest host Mike Walter joins columnist and activist Azaz El Shami to discuss the uprisings in Sudan and the road toward peace.
america.cgtn.com/2019/07/05/whats-really-happening-in-sudan
UN chief welcomes power-sharing deal between Sudanese military and opposition
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-05
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday he was "encouraged" by reports of a newly-inked power-sharing deal between the Forces for Freedom and Change — a coalition of opposition and protest groups — and Sudan's ruling military council.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041941
Danny Glover & Ta-Nehisi Coates Make the Case for Reparations at Historic Congressional Hearing
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-04
On June 19, a subcommittee of the House Judiciary held a historic hearing on reparations for slavery–the first of its kind in over a decade. The hearing coincided with Juneteenth, a day that commemorates June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that the Emancipation Proclamation had abolished slavery. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the transatlantic slave trade. Lawmakers are considering a bill titled the "Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act." It was introduced by Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, after former Congressm…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/4/ta_nehisi_coates_danny_glover_make
Libya's Civil War is Becoming a Proxy War
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-04
The shooting down of a Turkish drone near Tripoli and the capture of six Turkish sailors by Gen. Haftar's forces reveals the Turkey's and Egypt's involvement on both sides of the civil war. Meanwhile Haftar's forces are accused of bombing a migration detention center near Tripoli, killing 44 and injuring 130…
therealnews.com/stories/libyas-civil-war-is-becoming-a-proxy-war
Freedom, justice and peace for Sudan
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-04
The Sudanese community and supporters turned out across Australia on June 22 and 30 in support of the revolution in Sudan. | Rallies in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney have featured energetic dancing, poetry and singing, with protesters chanting "Peace, justice, freedom in Sudan" and "End the killings now". | Dozens of protesters have been killed by the military regime in Sudan. One of the victims was 26-year-old engineer Mohamed Mattar, whose favourite color was blue. This prompted #BlueForSudan, with people wearing blue clothes at rallies around the world to remember the victims. | Speakers call…
greenleft.org.au/content/freedom-justice-and-peace-sudan
Africa and Palestine: A Noble Legacy That Must Never Be Betrayed
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2019-07-03
Netanyahu's diplomatic conquests in Africa have been celebrated by Israeli media as "historic", while the Palestinian leadership remains oblivious to the rapidly changing political landscape.
mintpressnews.com/africa-palestine-solidarity-legacy-betrayed/260187/
Waiting to Be An American
Kiki Monifa | progressive.org | 2019-07-03
In terms of how I feel, as a lesbian of African descent, I am not an American, not completely.
progressive.org/dispatches/waiting-to-be-american-monifa-190703/
Libya detention centre airstrike could amount to a war crime says UN, as Guterres calls for independent investigation
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-03
An airstrike on a detention centre in Tripoli that killed scores of migrants and refugees "deserves more than condemnation", UN agencies said on Wednesday, as both the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the head of the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL), insisted that it may amount to a war crime.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041792
Wednesday's Daily Brief: Libya 'war crime' attack, Sudan, Myanmar rights violations continue, 'xenophobia' in Assam, South Sudan update
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-03
In the news this Wednesday: "Outraged" Guterres demands independent inquiry into fatal Libya migrant centre airstrike deaths; Violence and broken promises in Sudan and South Sudan, while Rohingya violations continue in Myanmar; "xenophobia" and citizenship in India's Assam state.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041832
I Spent 16 Months in Solitary Confinement and Now I'm Fighting to End It
aclu.org | 2019-07-03
A new report proves that the degrading conditions in solitary confinement continue to harm people and communities. | I was just 17 years old when I was sent to solitary confinement in "Camp J," one of the most severe lockdown units at one of America's most brutal prisons, the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. I languished in solitary for 16 months. | Back then I didn't know that Louisiana was the solitary confinement capital of the world. All I knew was that I'd been convicted of a crime I didn't commit, and I had to maintain my humanity in one of the most dehumanizing places on earth. | It's called "23 and…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/solitary-confinement/i-spent-16-months-solitary-confinement-and-now-im
Restrictions, unmet promises, unbridled violence in Sudan, a 'recipe for disaster', says Bachelet
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-03
After nationwide protests across Sudan on Sunday, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday called on Sudanese authorities to lift restrictions on the internet and launch independent investigations into all acts of violence against demonstrators, and allegations of excessive force, including attacks on hospitals.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041802
US Scholars: 'An American attack on Iran would be an unmitigated disaster for the US, Iran, and the world'
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-02
A number of Middle East and Islamic Studies scholars in the United States have signed this open letter below, calling on US President Donald Trump to pull back from war with Iran. | We, the undersigned scholars of the Middle East and North Africa and broader Muslim world, call on President Trump to immediately pull back from the brink of a war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. | It is clear to us that the human, diplomatic, legal, political, and economic costs to both countries, the Persian Gulf and larger Middle East, the global economy and the global system of international humanitarian law of a US attack woul…
greenleft.org.au/content/us-scholars-american-attack-iran-unmitigated-disaster-us-iran-and-world
Livelihoods of millions in East and Southeast Asia at risk from Swine Fever epidemic
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-02
The rapid spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) across East and Southeast Asia is threatening the food security and livelihoods of millions of households in the region which rely on pig farming, The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, reported on Tuesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041722
DR Congo: UN food agency triples aid in strife-hit Ituri province
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-02
Food aid is being tripled for troubled Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to respond to what the World Food Programme (WFP) has described as the world's second largest hunger crisis in the world, after Yemen.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041712
Namwali Serpell's Postcolonial Epic
Nawal Arjini | thenation.com | 2019-07-02
The Old Drift tells the multigenerational story of Zambia coming into being.
thenation.com/article/namwali-serpell-the-old-drift-novel-review/
Tuesday's Daily Brief: Hunger crisis in DR Congo, Swine Fever in Asia, Venezuela death investigation call, updates on Eritrea and Syria
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-02
This Tuesday, UN News covers: Growing food crisis in DR Congo; Swine Fever threatens millions of livelihoods in Asia; Human Rights Council told of persistent violations in Eritrea; and the humanitarian impact of on-going fighting in Syria.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041782
Florida Man Arrested for Racist Threats Once Attacked an African American Police Officer
Rachel Janik | splcenter.org | 2019-06-28
A long string of felony charges and a tip-off from the Department of Homeland Security led to the arrest of a Florida man for racist and antisemitic threats posted to Gab and Bitchute.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/06/28/florida-man-arrested-racist-threats-once-attacked-african-american-police-officer
ICYMI: Election Security Tele Townhall
Vanessa Mbonu | naacp.org | 2019-06-24
NAACP held a tele townhall on Wednesday, June 19 to strategize on to make election security a top priority. The event featured policymakers and thought leaders in a candid conversation about election security, the role of social and digital media, and how we can combat the attempts to diminish the political power of the African-American …
naacp.org/latest/icymi-election-security-tele-townhall/
Sandy Cioffi on Nigerian Oil, Riki Ott Looking Back at Exxon Valdez Spill
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2019-06-14
Media…
fair.org/home/sandy-cioffi-on-nigerian-oil-riki-ott-looking-back-at-exxon-valdez-spill/