New round of peace talks between Ethiopia, Tigray reps
A new round of talks has begun between Ethiopia’s government and Tigray regional representatives to work out military and other details of last week’s signing of a “permanent” cessation of hostilities in a conflict thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people
washingtonpost.comNew round of peace talks between Ethiopia, Tigray envoys
A new round of talks has begun between Ethiopia’s government and Tigray representatives to work out military and other details of last week’s signing of a “permanent” cessation of hostilities in a conflict thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Kenya’s new president promises ambitious climate plan
Kenya’s newly elected president William Ruto said that climate change will be key to the government’s agenda and made an ambitious pledge to ramp up clean energy and phase out fossil fuels for electricity by 2030 during his inauguration speech Tuesday
washingtonpost.comKenya's Supreme Court upholds Ruto's narrow presidential win
Kenya’s Supreme Court has unanimously rejected challenges to the official results of the presidential election and upheld Deputy President William Ruto’s narrow win in East Africa’s most stable democracy. Ruto is expected to be sworn in on Sept. 13. Opposition candidate Raila Odinga had alleged irregularities in the otherwise peaceful Aug. 9 election that was marked by last-minute drama when the electoral commission split and traded accusations of misconduct.
news.yahoo.comEthiopia calls WHO chief's comments on Tigray "unethical"
Ethiopia’s government is criticizing as “unethical” the statement by the World Health Organization’s director-general that the crisis in the country’s Tigray region is “the worst disaster on Earth” and his assertion that the lack of global attention is due to Tigrayans’ “color of the skin.”.
Kenya Vote Backdrop Is Anger Over Living Costs, Debt
Kenyans will elect a new leader on Aug. 9, with the race between front-runners Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga too close to call. The winner will inherit a daunting set of problems: mounting public anger over soaring living costs, rampant unemployment, runaway state debt and a drought that’s left millions of people going hungry. Most previous elections have been dogged by violence and allegations of vote rigging, and investors are on the alert for any threat
washingtonpost.comFake Miracle Spree In Kenya Leads To Pentecostal Scandals, Oversight
In 2014, in the wake of a fake miracle spree, the government of Kenya tried to sharply curtail the freedom of fake pastors to operate. Mudenyo oversees 56 Pentecostal churches in an organization called Blessed Fellowship International. “Secular states don’t interfere with church business.”However, Mudenyo recognizes the lack of organizational and oversight structures is a problem within Pentecostalism. Blessed Fellowship International was formed in 2009 to address this challenge. In many Pentecostal churches, pastors feel compelled to show miracles to prove they are anointed, and this leads to corrupt practices.
thewestsidegazette.comTop Kenyan presidential candidate picks female running mate
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga on Monday chose a former justice minister as his running mate in elections set for August, making her the first-ever female face on a major presidential ticket in the East African country
washingtonpost.comKenyan lawyer goes on ICC trial in witness tampering case
A Kenyan lawyer has gone on trial at the International Criminal Court charged with bribing and threatening prosecution witnesses so that they would withdraw their statements in a case that ultimately collapsed amid widespread witness interference.
UN chief: World worse now due to COVID, climate, conflict
As he starts his second term as U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres says the world is worse in many ways than it was five years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions that have sparked conflicts everywhere.
Covid passport a 'leash,' says Brazil's President Bolsonaro
Brazil rules out mandating a Covid-19 'vaccination passport,' despite a recommendation for foreign travellers arriving in the country from the national health regulator. 'I would rather die than lose my freedom,' says the far-right leader.
news.yahoo.comBlinken warns of global "democratic recession" as he visits Africa amid simmering crises in Ethiopia and Sudan
3-nation visit is part of a long-delayed mission aimed, at part, in answering China's outreach to the continent, but it comes amid war in Ethiopia and a military takeover in Sudan.
cbsnews.comAP PHOTOS: 'If they die, we all die': Drought kills in Kenya
The withered carcasses of livestock are reminders that drought has descended yet again in northern Kenya, the latest in a series of climate shocks rippling through the Horn of Africa. As world leaders address a global climate summit in Glasgow, pastoralists watch their beloved animals suffer from lack of water and food. Yusuf Abdullahi says he has lost 40 goats.
news.yahoo.comKenya’s president Kenyatta: Africa is at a crossroads
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said Thursday that Africa is at a crossroads, poised on one hand to reap the economic benefits of its youthful population and economic reforms but facing the spread of terrorism and insurgency on the other that are challenging almost all 54 nations on the continent. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo pointed to multiple threats to the territorial integrity of some African countries, many civilians facing serious threats, and instability in some nations complicated by the interests of different actors not only within conflict areas but also from outside the continent. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also cited “worrying trends” in Africa -- too many countries where the military has seized power and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has exacerbated “poverty, inequalities and all the drivers of conflict.”
news.yahoo.comTanzania's new president on two-day state visit to Kenya
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is on a two-day state visit to Kenya aimed at improving trade relations between the two East African neighbors which had deteriorated as a result of her predecessor's denial of COVID-19. Hassan has agreed to border measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, a significant departure from the policies of Tanzania's previous leader. Hassan was Tanzania's vice president and became the country's first woman president following the death of John Magufuli in March.
news.yahoo.comDespite Petition By Hundreds Of Thousands Of Kenyans Against IMF Loan, Government Borrows Billions
How can you borrow a development loan then steal everything?”Motorists in Kawangware, Nairobi, wait for customers in tough times. You are enriching a bunch of criminals!”Police denied a request by activists to hold a peaceful demonstration the capital, Nairobi, to protest the IMF loan. (Kelvin Ogome/Zenger)“The Court directed that Kiama’s social media accounts be blocked, and barred him from expressing himself on matters relating to COVID-19 loans,” Article 19 reported. In September 2020, Kenya’s anti-corruption agency revealed allegations of graft around $2 billion meant to help medical workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Edited by Judith Isacoff and Fern Siegel, Visuals edited by Claire Swift and Allison Itz)The post Despite Petition By Hundreds Of Thousands Of Kenyans Against IMF Loan, Government Borrows Billions appeared first on Zenger News.
thewestsidegazette.comKenya tightens restrictions amid a spike of COVID-19 deaths
A nurse, left, prepares a shot of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative, from a portable cold storage box, center, in Machakos, Kenya, Wednesday, March 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)NAIROBI – With Kenya's COVID-19 cases and deaths surging, President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced tightened restrictions in five of the most affected counties. “A third wave of COVID-19 is at hand in Kenya," said Kenyatta in a nationally televised address. The country's rate of deaths has quadrupled, with the 7-day rolling average of daily deaths surging from 0.01 deaths per 100,000 people on March 11 to 0.04 deaths per 100,000 people on March 25. “I am personally convinced that the cost of not acting now will be far greater," he said Friday as he and his wife received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at State House, his official residence in Nairobi.
Women Making History: Nzambi Matee – Saving The Environment One Brick At A Time
During Women’s History Month, Zenger News presents “Women Making History,” highlighting women making a difference. Last year was our first year in the market, and so far we are doing great.”Nzambi Matee’s business now makes 1,500 plastic bricks a day. After plastic waste is collected from recyclers, it is sorted, cut into smaller pieces and mixed with sand in a machine. The Mukuru Skills Training Centre, in a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, bought plastic bricks from Matee last year. Mamo Bora, director-general at the National Environmental Management Authority, said that countries should copy Kenya’s example of putting plastic waste to good use.
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