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Zimbabwean Soldier Abducted and Sexually Assaulted for 4 Days by Female Rapists

April 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A Zimbabwean soldier, who was seeking a ride to the city of Mutare, was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by several women over a five-day period before leaving him injured from stoning at a mountain range.

The 25-year-old soldier said he was picked up by two women and a man in a Mercedes Benz. He said they drove for about an hour before the driver diverted from the route to Mutare. He was reportedly threatened with a knife when he asked to be dropped off.

Assistant Inspector Nuzondiwa Clean, with the Manicaland police, told NewsDay, “The soldier requested to be dropped, but the driver produced a knife and threatened him with it. One of the female passengers blindfolded the complainant with a black cloth.” The soldier was taken to an unknown house where he was undressed, his phone and $35 stolen.

During the time he was held captive, he was ordered to have sexual relations with one of the women several times. He was held April 19 to 23. Clean said on the day he was released, he was taken to the Dangamvura Mountains, where his left foot was severely damaged by his captors, who left him there.

Filed Under: African News, Sexual Assault Tagged With: , , , ,

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu Hospitalized in South Africa With Infection

April 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
300px Archbishop Tutu medium Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu Hospitalized in South Africa With Infection

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in South African Hospital with Infection (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

AFP reports Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is hospitalized in South Africa for non-surgical treatment and tests related to an ongoing infection.

“Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has checked into a Cape Town hospital for the treatment of a persistent infection and to undergo tests to discover the underlying cause,” his foundation said in a statement.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu Hospitalized in South Africa With Infection
Filed Under: African News Tagged With: , , , , ,

President Obama to Visit Africa, a Continent He Has Largely Ignored During First Term

April 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

President Obama To Visit Africa:  Secretary of State John Kerry said President Obama will visit Africa, though he didn’t give a time frame for such a trip. I am very surprised that President Obama hasn’t really paid much attention to the African continent, while China is playing a greater role in sub-Saharan Africa.

The first African-American President spent less than one day in Black Africa during his first visit in office four years ago. President Obama had made a stopover in Ghana six months after his inauguration in January 2009.

Some Africa specialists in the United States suggest that Mr Obama is unlikely to visit Kenya as long as President Uhuru Kenyatta remains under indictment by the International Criminal Court.

US-based Kenya scholar Joel Barkan told the Kenya’s DailyNation newspaper last month that the chances of Mr Obama travelling to Kenya in the coming year are “relatively remote.”

Ms Jendayi Frazer, who held the State Department’s top Africa post under President George W. Bush, agreed in March that an Obama trip to Kenya was unlikely to occur soon.

Secretary Kerry meanwhile announced on Thursday that he will attend the African Union summit in Ethiopia next month. Source: Zimbabwe Mail

Kerry recognizes that the Chinese are outpacing the U.S. in terms of investments on the continent. He referred to China’s growing presence having an impact on business practices and one that “has not been a positive one in some regards,” with a reference to “bribery.”

 

Filed Under: African News, Barack Obama, President Obama Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

South African Rastafarian Student Sikhokele Diniso Returns to School After Dust-Up Over Dreadlocks

April 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Sikhokele Diniso, a 10th grade student at Siphamandla High School in Khayelitsha, South Africa, was asked to leave because of his dreadlocks. Sikhokele Diniso, who is a Rastafarian, was ordered to stay away from school until he cut his hair, the Equal Education (EE) said on Thursday. That decision has since been reversed, but it just goes to show how ignorant some people in authority can be.

The non-governmental organisation met the principal of Siphamandla High School in Khayelitsha, the school’s governing body (SGB), and staff on Wednesday to discuss the pupil’s grievances, said EE chairwoman Yoliswa Dwane.

“It was agreed that the learner would be allowed back into school and that a catch-up plan would be provided,” said Dwane. He would not have to cut his hair.

The Cape Times reported last week that the Grade 10 pupil Sikhokele Diniso was told to leave the school last month. The education department said at the time Diniso could return to school as he had not been suspended.

Department spokeswoman Bronagh Casey said that according to the school principal, the pupil was asked to bring his parents to discuss the matter.

“The boy returned with his brother. The principal insisted on discussing the matter with the parents. “The parents eventually met the principal and agreed that the son should clean, comb, and tie his hair. The boy did not want to do this,” said Casey. Source

When I was a student in the Jamaican school system, we had to follow a strict code of conduct, including the dress code. If Sikhokele Diniso’s hair was unkempt, the school had a right to address that issue. Being a Rastafarian doesn’t mean one’s hair has to look like a hot mess.

Filed Under: African News Tagged With: , , , ,

Guinea-Bissau Ex-Navy Head Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto Arraigned on Drug Trafficking Charges in U.S. Federal Court

April 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Guinea Bissau Ex Navy Head Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto Arraigned on Drug Trafficking Charges in U.S. Federal Court

Guinea-Bissau Ex-Navy Head Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto Arraigned on Drug Trafficking Charges in U.S. Federal Court  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(HinterlandGazette) — Former head of Ginea-Bissau navy Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto was arrested and appeared in federal court Friday on cocaine trafficking charges. He was apprehended while he traveled on a yacht in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Guinea-Bissau is a known point of entry and departure for drug-smuggling. Along with Rear Adm. Na Tchuto, Manuel Mamadi Mane, Saliu Sisse, Papis Djeme and Tchamy Yala were arrested. According to the federal indictment, Na Tchuto and two others face charges of conspiring to import narcotics into the U.S. He has been designated a drug kingpin by the U.S. Treasury Department, the indictment says.

Inspector Ron Kubisty said cocaine is smuggled into Guinea-Bissau from Colombia, or other Latin American countries. The drug shipments are then rerouted to European countries and the United States. The indictment also says Na Tchuto and others worked together to receive cocaine shipments transported by ships from South America to Guinea-Bissau. They then stored the shipments before final shipment to other locations. Also arrested were two Colombian nationals, Rafael Antonio Garavito-Garcia and Gustavo Perez-Garcia.

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michele M. Leonhart, the Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) announced that five defendants – JOSE AMERICO BUBO NA TCHUTO, the former head of the Guinea-Bissau navy; MANUEL MAMADI MANE; SALIU SISSE; PAPIS DJEME; and TCHAMY YALA – arrived in the Southern District of New York on April 4, 2013. In a related action, RAFAEL ANTONIO GARAVITO-GARCIA and GUSTAVO PEREZ-GARCIA, both Colombian nationals, were arrested in Colombia today pursuant to Interpol Red Notices. MANE, SISSE, GARAVITO-GARCIA, and PEREZ-GARCIA are charged with conspiring to engage in narco-terrorism; conspiring to import narcotics into the United States; and conspiring to provide aid to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia (the “FARC”), a South American paramilitary group long designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”), by storing FARC-owned cocaine in West Africa. MANE, SISSE, and GARAVITO-GARCIA are also charged with conspiring to sell weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to be used to protect FARC cocaine processing operations in Colombia against U.S. military forces.

On April 4, 2013, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division (SOD), Bilateral Investigative Unit (BIU) Narco-Terrorism Group (NTG), working in conjunction with the DEA Lisbon Country Office and the DEA Bogota Country Office concluded a long-standing undercover operation conducted in Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere. The operation consisted of two separate undercover investigations. During the first part of the operation, NA TCHUTO, DJEME, and YALA were arrested on April 2 by the DEA Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Team (FAST) and the NTG off the coast of West Africa while onboard a vessel under DEA control in international waters. During the second part of the operation, MANE and SISSE were apprehended on April 4 in a West African Country and transferred thereafter to the custody of the United States. NA TCHUTO, DJEME, YALA, MANE, and SISSE were transported to New York for prosecution. GARAVITO-GARCIA and PEREZ-GARCIA remain in Colombia pending extradition to the United States.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “The narco-terrorism conspiracy alleged in these indictments shows the danger that can grow unchecked in far away places where unfortunate circumstances can allow narcotics traffickers and terrorism supporters to transact unseen at great risk to the United States and its interests. The link between narcotics traffickers and terrorists, their financers and supporters, needs to be broken wherever it is found. But thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our DEA partners, who have for years attacked the narco-terrorism threat, this conspiracy was thwarted and we can claim yet another victory in our unrelenting campaign against those who would harm Americans and American interests abroad.”

 

Guinea Bissau Ex Navy Head Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto Arraigned on Drug Trafficking Charges in U.S. Federal Court
Filed Under: African News, Crime News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Uganda Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo Proposes Bill to Arrest Women for Wearing Miniskirts, Ban Beyonce from TV

April 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
simon lokodo Uganda Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo Proposes Bill to Arrest Women for Wearing Miniskirts, Ban Beyonce from TV

Uganda Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo Proposes Bill to Arrest Women for Wearing Miniskirts, Ban Beyonce from TV

(HinterlandGazette) — Uganda’s government is living in the dark ages. Women living in Uganda who go out wearing miniskirts could face jail or a heavy fine under new anti-pornography laws. The legislation, if passed, will also ban television shows and films. That would also extend to entertainers such as Beyonce and Madonna.

The bill was proposed by Simon Lokodo, Uganda’s ethics and integrity minister. Lokodo said, “Any attire which exposes intimate parts of the human body, especially areas that are of erotic function, are outlawed. Anything above the knee is outlawed. If a woman wears a miniskirt, we will arrest her.”

It’s interesting to learn that Simon Lokodo was a former priest who was kicked out by the Vatican for his involvement in politics. So, it should come as no surprise he is trying to force his views on the women of Uganda. He said the bill would mean celebrities like Beyoncé and Madonna would be banned from his country’s airwaves and television should not broadcast a sexy person. Makes one wonder what skeletons are in this man’s closet. 

Lokodo said the bill was needed to protect women and children against exploitation and curb increasing immorality. You will recall dictator Idi Amin banned short skirts during his reign of terror. So, I guess Simon Lokodo is Idi Amin-lite.

The Anti-Pornography Bill 2011 proposes that any one found guilty of abetting pornography be fined heavily or face up to 10 years in prison, or both. There are some countries, some right wingnuts in the U.S., who want to keep women in a subservient position. The internet would also be monitored under this bill.

Show your support for the women of Uganda by using the hashtag #saveminiskirt.

 

Filed Under: African News, Women's Rights Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

NBCUniversal’s South African Network Apologizes for Airing Nelson Mandela Obituary “Remembering Madiba”

April 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nelson Mandela NBCUniversals South African Network Apologizes for Airing Nelson Mandela Obituary Remembering Madiba

NBCUniversal’s South African Network Apologizes for Airing Obituary About Nelson Mandela’s Death. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NBCUniversal’s South African division, Universal Networks apologizes for airing Nelson Mandela obituary, entitled “Remembering Madiba 1918-2013.” Wow, how incredibly insensitive!

The anti-apartheid legend was admitted to a Pretoria hospital last week with a recurrence of pneumonia. The president’s office continues to indicate that he is improving, saying, “his doctors say he continues to respond satisfactorily to treatment and is much better now that he was when he was admitted to hospital” and “he has been visited by family and continues to make steady progress.”

Running the clips were in poor taste and Nelson Mandela deserves better than this. Why am I not surprised it was a network connected to a U.S. media company that jumped the gun? It’s shameful that they have this clip ready for when Nelson Mandela, 94, dies. The network issued a statement apologizing for the “technical error” and said it regretted the “alarm and offense” caused by the mistake. The statement also said, “like any international broadcaster, Universal Networks holds obituaries ready for every major statesman in the world.” 

There’s no need to start the race to see who get issue a Nelson Mandela obituary first, he’s still with us. Let him live the rest of his life out in dignity and not start inciting hysteria in South Africa and across the world.

NBCUniversals South African Network Apologizes for Airing Nelson Mandela Obituary Remembering Madiba
Filed Under: African News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Nelson Mandela Has Pneumonia, But Reportedly ‘Breathing Without Difficulty’ After Treatment

March 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
300px Nelson Mandela 2008 %28edit%29 Nelson Mandela Has Pneumonia, But Reportedly Breathing Without Difficulty After Treatment

Nelson Mandela Has Pneumonia, But Reportedly Breathing Without Difficulty After Treatment (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela has pneumonia, but is reportedly breathing without difficulty after treatment.

Nelson Mandela is breathing ‘without difficulty’ after undergoing a procedure to clear fluid in his lung area which was caused by pneumonia, a South African presidential spokesman said today. This is Mandela, 94, third admission to the hospital since December, when he was treated for a lung infection and also had gallstones removed.

President Jacob Zuma’s office said in a statement that Nelson Mandela’s medical team reported that he had developed ‘a pleural effusion which was tapped.’ That resulted in him being able to breathe without difficulty, the report said.

Nelson Mandela was admitted a Pretoria hospital late Wednesday night.

 

Nelson Mandela Has Pneumonia, But Reportedly Breathing Without Difficulty After Treatment
Filed Under: African News Tagged With: , , , ,

Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel Titi Aynaw Calls President Obama a “World Class Hunk”

March 22, 2013 by 1 Comment
300px Official portrait of Barack Obama Ethiopian Born Miss Israel Titi Aynaw Calls President Obama a World Class Hunk

Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel Titi Aynaw Calls President Obama a “World Class Hunk” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The right wing will have a freak-out over Miss Israel, Ethiopian-born Titi Aynaw who met Obama  calling President Obama a “world class hunk” as though his predecessor George W. Bush or his father were.

“He’s an exciting man, a world-class hunk, charming and an extraordinary gentleman,” she told the Israeli publication Yediot Aharonot.

Aynaw and Obama were introduced by Israeli President Shimon Peres during the state dinner that occurred on Obama’s first presidential trip to Israel, according to Israeli news accounts.

“You are very beautiful,” Obama told her, according to the report. He added, “And Michelle would have been very happy to be as tall as you are.” Source

Of course, some idiot had to ask if Titi Aynaw thought Michelle Obama would be jealous of her. Um, really? In case they haven’t noticed, self-esteem and confidence aren’t problems Michelle Obama has, so no. She won’t be jealous.

Ethiopian Born Miss Israel Titi Aynaw Calls President Obama a World Class Hunk
Filed Under: African News, President Obama Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

RIP: ‘Things Fall Apart’ Writer Chinua Achebe Dies at Age 82

March 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
8580337990 c46b2d197c m RIP: Things Fall Apart Writer Chinua Achebe Dies at Age 82

RIP:  ’Things Fall Apart’ Writer Chinua Achebe Dies at Age 82 (Photo credit: briggz5d)

RIP:  Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe dies at age 82.  He will best be remembered for his book, “Things Fall Apart,” published in 1958,  which tells the story of Okonkwo, who rises from poverty to become an affluent farmer and village leader. “Things Fall Apart” was among the books we read in high school and it had a profound impact on me during my childhood.

“Things Fall Apart” was set in the Ibo countryside in the late 19th century, but with the advent of British colonial rule and cultural values, the protagonist’s life is thrown into a tailspin. In the end, Okonkwo was unable to adapt and kills an African working for a Briton, then committed suicide. “Things Fall Apart” sold more than 10 million copies and has been translated into 45 different languages.

…Mr. Achebe barely had time to savor the critical acclaim when he suffered a car accident in 1990 on a road outside Lagos that left him paralyzed from the waist down. After extensive medical treatment in London, he moved to the United States, taking up his post at Bard. Meanwhile, back in Nigeria, the political situation grew more repressive under a succession of military dictators.

The return of civilian, democratic rule after 16 years with the election ofOlusegun Obasanjoas the new president in 1999 prompted Mr. Achebe to visit Nigeria for the first time in almost a decade. He met President Obasanjo and cautiously praised him as the best possible leader “at this time.” He also traveled to his native village, Ogidi, where he was enthusiastically received by the inhabitants. But within weeks, Mr. Achebe decided to return to the United States.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria doesn’t have the health care facilities to allow a physically challenged individual like myself to live with self-reliance and dignity,” he said in New York at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in a brief interview before publicly reading passages from “Home and Exile” in 2000.

His long exile did not diminish his view of himself as a writer inexorably tied to his homeland. Source

RIP Chinua Achebe. A literary giant has been silenced but he has done well…..

RIP: Things Fall Apart Writer Chinua Achebe Dies at Age 82
pixel RIP: Things Fall Apart Writer Chinua Achebe Dies at Age 82
Filed Under: African News Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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