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VP Isatou Touray Reiterates Gov’t Commitment To Good Governance

Gambia’s Vice-President, Dr. Isatou Touray, has Monday reiterated government commitment to upholding the principles of good governance as major policy objectives.
“We stand firm in our conviction that without good governance, there can be no durable peace or economic development,” said Dr. Touray at the opening ceremony of 65th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACPHR), which is being held at Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi.
The ACHPR is headquartered in Banjul and its ordinary sessions have always been punctuated by highlights of the human rights situation on the continent. Since the advent of the new democratic dispensation, the winds of freedom have been across the length and breadth of the country.
To us in The Gambia, she went on, good governance brings peace, and this is therefore the fundamental pillar upon which all other successes are built on.
VP Touray further stated that it provides a conducive environment that will allow authorities to put in place policies, programs and strategies that guarantee human rights and justice.
She then seized the opportunity to put the spotlight on the achievements made by the Barrow government ‘within a very short period of time.’
“There has been a mass improvement in restoring the rights of the people in The Gambia,” she said.
The ACHPR Chairperson, Soyata Maiga, okayed the transition process that has put the tiny West African on the path to democracy.
She commended Gambia gov’t for facilitating the participation of a good number of human rights defenders coming from various corners of the globe.
Conveying the message of the NGOs community, the Executive Director of the Kololi-based African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), Hannah Forster, disclosed that 8 country-resolutions were adopted as well as 4 thematic resolution and 3 recommendations.
In reviewing the human rights conditions on the continent, she said the NGOs Forum took note on the ongoing challenges Africans are confronted with when it comes to enjoying human rights.
More than 200 none-governmental organisations coming from 36 countries, held 10 plenary panels and 13 special-interest groups, covering the state of human rights on the African continent.
ACDRS boss explained that in many African countries, human rights violations of freedom of assembly and association remain a major cause for concern, citing Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Republic of Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, South Africa, Togo and Zimbabwe.
She also deplored that there are some states that have never submitted a report since the ratification of the African Charter in 1980.
“We call on the Commission to encourage the submission of states report,” she voiced out.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Aboubacarr Tambadou, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eaman Gilmore, and a good number of international figures attended the colourful opening ceremony.

Chile protests: Five dead after looters torch garment factory

Five people died after looters torched a garment factory near Chile’s capital Santiago, bringing the death toll in violent protests to at least seven.

The military and police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters and a curfew was imposed in major cities.

A state of emergency already in place in Santiago is to be extended to cities in the country’s north and south.

The unrest, sparked by a now suspended metro fare hike, has widened to reflect anger over living costs and inequality.

There is set to be major disruption on Monday with many banks, schools and shops expected to remain closed.

What is happening on the ground?

Firefighters say they found five bodies inside the garment factory burned by rioters in a suburb of Santiago. Earlier reports suggested three others had died in a supermarket fire in Santiago on Saturday.

Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick said at least seven people had died in incidents related to the protests, without giving details.

In Santiago, almost all public transport was suspended and some flights at the international airport were cancelled or rescheduled because of insufficient crew.

At least one line of the city’s metro was expected to reopen on Monday after the entire system was closed on Friday because of the damage caused during the unrest, the worst to hit one of Latin America’s most stable countries in decades.

UN study narrows down why Africans make fraught journey to Europe

UN agency surveys almost 2,000 people from Africa in Europe to pin down their motivation for migration.

Migrants take dangerous routes from Africa to Europe not because they need protection or jobs but because their countries do not meet their aspirations quickly enough, a new study by the UN’s development agency found.
 
The report published on Monday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) referenced 1,970 migrants from 39 African countries in 13 European nations.
 
The study – titled Scaling Fences: Voices of Irregular African Migrants to Europe – said 58 percent of those surveyed were either employed or in school at the time of their departure, and the majority with jobs earning competitive wages.
 
Still, about 50 percent said they were not earning enough. For two-thirds, earning or the prospect of earning in their home countries did not hold them back from leaving.
‘Choicelessness’
 
“Scaling Fences highlights that migration is a reverberation of development progress across Africa, albeit progress that is uneven and not fast enough to meet people’s aspirations. Barriers to opportunity, or ‘choicelessness’, emerge from this study as critical factors informing the calculation of these young people,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator.
 
Gender gap
 
The report also found the experience of being in Europe differed between men and women: the gender wage gap between men and women in Africa reverses in Europe, with women earning 11 percent more, contrasting with making 26 percent less in Africa. A higher proportion of women were also sending money back, even among those not earning.
 
Gender differences were also apparent in experiences with crime, with a slightly higher proportion of women falling victim than men, and significantly more experiencing sexual assault.
 
The study also showed migrants who made the fraught journey from Africa to Europe would do so again despite knowing the dangers of the trip.

DR Congo bus accident ‘kills 31’

Tragedy struck in the south-western Mbanza-Ngugu area of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday when a bus carrying about a 100 passengers was involved in an accident.

At least 31 people were killed on Sunday and 16 others injured in a bus accident near the city of Mbanza-Ngungu in south-western Democratic Republic of Congo, UN-backed Radio Okapi reports.

The administrator of Mbanza-Ngungu, Didier Nsimba, said the bus’ brakes may have failed, causing the accident.

He said some of the victims’ bodies have been taken to the Sonankulu General Hospital.

Soldiers ‘forced Kenyans to swim in sewer water’

Some Kenyans have taken to Twitter to express their anger following a report in the Standard newspaper

that soldiers harassed residents of the coastal city of Mombasa during Sunday’s celebration of Heroes Day.

There was an intensified security operation in Mombasa as the country marked the holiday at an event attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta and other senior government officials.

The Standard reports that some residents were forced to swim in sewer water, while others were forced to sit in muddy puddles.

Some residents stayed indoors for fear of being “manhandled” by the army, the paper reports.

The army has not yet commented on the allegations.

A 23-year-old man identified as Chikore told the paper he was on his way to the venue marking the holiday when he was stopped by soldiers who said he looked suspicious.

“They wrestled me to the ground and later forced me to swim inside a filthy sewage. I tried to run but they hit me with the butt of a gun,” he said.

Tweeters called the treatment of “shameful” and “despicable”:

Isolate nations which aid and abet terrorism: Vice President in Sierra Leone

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday (local time) termed terrorism as one of the major challenges confronting the world today and said nations which aid and abet terror should be isolated.

“Terrorism is one of the major challenges confronting the world today. All the nations must intensify their collective efforts and strive to eliminate the menace of terrorism and also isolate nations which aid and abet terrorism. India has borne the brunt of cross border terrorism over decades,” the Vice President said in a press statement during his visit to Sierra Leone.

The Vice President made the remarks after his delegation-level meeting with President of Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio.

Naidu while thanking President Bio for Sierra Leone’s support to India’s candidatures in various International organisations, also called for reform in UNSC saying, “We agreed that both sides need to continue pushing for these reforms so that one-third of mankind residing in Africa and India occupy their rightful place at the high table in decision making bodies of the United Nations.”

The Vice President also expressed his happiness at Sierra Leone joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in order to enable rapid deployment of solar energy globally and to facilitate the transfer of technology.

Terming the vibrant Indian community in Sierra Leone as an organic bridge between the two nations, Naidu thanked President Bio for ‘taking care of their welfare’.

Nigeria’s First Lady warns against spread of Fake News

Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari on Saturday dismissed rumours circulating online that her husband plans to take on a second wife, cautioning against the rise of fake news in the country.
 
Aisha, who had been on holiday in the United Kingdom for two months, returned to the country, at a time when a video was circulating on social media, purportedly showing that she had been denied access to the presidential residence.
 
While she confirmed the authenticity of the video, which showed her complaining about huge deployments of security, and asking unidentified people to leave the palace, she clarified that it was an old video.
 
Aisha dismissed rumours that president Muhammadu Buhari intended to marry fellow politician Sadiya Farouq, who was recently appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development.
 
Her spokesperson later issued a statement saying the First Lady was happy to be aback in the country after a ‘deserved rest’.
 
‘‘She confirmed that she was fully rejuvenated to continue the work of improving the health and well-being of women, children and other vulnerable Nigerians,’‘ Suleiman Haruna said.
 
Ruling party officials also added to Buhari’s voice, warning against the negative impact of fake news.
 
‘‘I wholeheartedly welcome our dear First Lady back to the country. Her elegant return has put full stop to fake news which dominated our public domain,’‘ a publicity secretary of the APC Kate Ofor told local journalists.
 
‘‘I think we have to not only find legitimate means to curb fake news, but also come to terms that social media have no gatekeeper. Therefore, we must cultivate the culture of sieving the genuine from fake news.’‘
 
Buhari herself had cautioned that the courge of Fake News ‘could lead us to something unimaginable’.
 
The president himself has repeatedly warned against the rise of fake news and hate speech in Nigerian discourse.

Queen wraps up speech and leaves House of Lords

Elizabeth II has finished delivering her Queen’s Speech, in which she announced plans for 26 bills — most of which focused on domestic policies.

She has now left the throne in the House of Lords, alongside her son, the Prince of Wales.
MEANWHILE; Lawmakers return to House of Commons
MPs are filing back into the House of Commons, where they will spend days debating the contents of Boris Johnson’s Queen’s Speech.

There is plenty in there to discuss — including bills on important issues such as domestic abuse, pensions, healthcare, the environment and animal welfare.

Several bills were also dedicated to criminal justice, as Johnson continues to make law and order a central plank of his pitch to the public.

But it’s fairly unlikely that none of these bills will see the light of day in this Parliament, thanks to the very first part of the agenda — Brexit — which is expected to force a general election in the coming weeks.

Remains of crash victims arrive in Kenya

The remains of Kenyans who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March are being flown back home.
 
Flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to Nairobi in Kenya crashed shortly after take-off.
 
DNA matching of the remains of the 157 people killed in the crash was done several months after the accident.
 
People from 30 countries were on board the plane with the largest number of victims being Kenyan.
 
It has been an emotional weekend for families of the 32 Kenyan victims as they were for the first time allowed to view the remains of their loved ones.
 
A private memorial service will be held on Monday but it is not clear when the remains of the victims will be released to their families.
 
Ethiopian authorities say other unmatched body parts and personal items might be buried at a memorial area to be erected at the crash site.
 
The Boeing 737 Max-8 plane crashed just six months after another aircraft of the same model went down in Indonesia killing 190 people on board.
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Nobel peace prize awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who made peace last year with bitter foe Eritrea.

He was awarded the prize for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation”.

Mr Abiy’s peace deal with Eritrea ended a 20-year military stalemate following their 1998-2000 border war.

He was named as the winner of the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, where he will receive the award in December. It is worth some nine million Swedish crowns (about £730,000; $900,000)

There had been great speculation over who would win the prize, with climate activist Greta Thunberg widely tipped as the favorite. Under the Nobel Foundation’s rules, nomination shortlists are not allowed to be published for 50 years, and the organisation says any speculation ahead of the announcement is “sheer guesswork”.

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