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Showing posts from March, 2018

UGANDA SECURITY MINISTRY TO REGISTER RESERVE FORCE FOLLOWING MUSEVENIs DIRECTIVE. {My piece of opinion for Mr #Museveni: you can keep mortgaging citizens and yourself with firearms, missiles, axes, guns, hoes, pistols, kiffesi, crime promoters, and if not enough, you can go hire armed robbers. Obviously, you have been re-creating so many security agencies, amongst them include; ISO, NCPF, ESO, FS, CMI, RISO, SFC! to mention but a few, under false pretext to serve citizen's interest, which in fact, are serving your personally selfish interest. THERE IS A POINT YOU ARE NOT UNDERSTANDING, FREEDOM AND SAFETY UNDER ARMS IS NOT GUARANTEED. I wonder if, your people in NRM ~government~ and your spy agents read history at all}. THE STORY IS BELOW 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 30 March 2018. Source; Auto trigger from Reuters. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Ugandan army is to embark on a registration process of all crime preventers in the country. The registration follows President Yoweri Museveni’s announcement this week that the crime preventers would be recognised as a reserve force of the national army, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces. ‘‘Crime preventers will maintain their duties as they are now regarded as a Reserve Army of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).’‘ Crime preventers will maintain their duties as they are now regarded as a Reserve Army of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). Who are crime preventers? Crime preventers are a controversial subject in Uganda: where the police led by former police chief Kale Kayihura saw them as effective agents in implementing community policing, their critics describe them as criminals who destabilised established police structures and openly worked for the ruling party in the 2016 elections. The National Crime Preventers Forum (NCPF) describes itself as an umbrella body under which all crime preventers are organised and coordinated. It was founded in 2013 to promote community policing in Uganda in partnership with Uganda Police Force. The NCPF boss, Blaise Kamugisha, says there are 11 million crime preventers in the country, while the national army has about 45,000 active personnel. Local news portal ChimpReports talked to the UPDF Spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire, who revealed that the army will ‘identify, register and document all the crime preventers’. ‘‘We have to know who they are so we can call them in times of need. We intend to take advantage of the skills they have for the benefit of the country,” Brig Karemire said. He also clarified that the UPDF Act allows trained militants such as Local Defence Units to serve under the Reserve Force. Following Kayihura’s sacking, the future of the crime preventers hang in balance and local media reported that the new inspector general of police, Martin Okoth – Ochola was considering their fate before Museveni intervened.

UGANDA SECURITY MINISTRY TO REGISTER RESERVE FORCE FOLLOWING MUSEVENIs DIRECTIVE. {My piece of opinion for Mr #Museveni: you can keep mortgaging citizens and yourself with firearms, missiles, axes, guns, hoes, pistols, kiffesi, crime promoters, and if not enough, you can go hire armed robbers. Obviously, you have been re-creating so many security agencies, amongst them include; ISO, NCPF, ESO, FS, CMI, RISO, SFC! to mention but a few, under false pretext to serve citizen's interest, which in fact, are serving your personally selfish interest. THERE IS A POINT YOU ARE NOT UNDERSTANDING, FREEDOM AND SAFETY UNDER ARMS IS NOT GUARANTEED. I wonder if, your people in NRM ~government~ and your spy agents read history at all}. THE STORY IS BELOW 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 30 March 2018. Source; Auto trigger from Reuters. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________...

Botswana president #Ian_Kham (in picture) steps down after serving for 2 terms. He is currently 65 years old. 1.Tunisia president #Essebi is currently 94 years old. 2.Cameroon president #Biya is currently 85years old. 3.Algeria president #Bouteflika is currently 81 years old. 4.Guinea president #Conde is currently 80 years old. 5.Uganda president #Museveni is truethly 75 years old but we hear, he has amended it to 71 years old. May thunder strike the mouths of lies. #AMEN

Botswana president #Ian_Kham (in picture) steps down after serving for 2 terms. He is currently 65 years old. 1.Tunisia president #Essebi is currently 94 years old. 2.Cameroon president #Biya is currently 85years old. 3.Algeria president #Bouteflika is currently 81 years old. 4.Guinea president #Conde is currently 80 years old. 5.Uganda president #Museveni is truethly 75 years old but we hear, he has amended it to 71 years old. May thunder strike the mouths of lies. #AMEN

THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR SOME OF THOSE RUTHLESS AFRICAN RULERS KILLING CITIZENS, TO PAY FOR THEIR CRIMES IS COMING. This is yet the beginning. By that, i applause the Congolai`s fraternity in #Lingala; Bino Congo, esalanga bieee musalea musala. Toleka Toleka. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rebels attack Joseph Kabilas residence in eastern DRC, deaths reported. 30 March 2018. Armed rebels killed at least one soldier during an attack on a house owned by Congo President Joseph Kabila in the restive east where a number of conflicts have flared in recent months, rebel and Congo military sources said on Thursday. Kabila was not present when Mai-Mai militiamen attacked the house near the town of Beni and clashed with state soldiers, who were able to fend off the attack. The second assault on a presidential residence in three months points to a deteriorating security situation in Congo stoked in part by Kabila’s refusal to step down in 2016 when his mandate expired. A home belonging to Kabila was attacked and set on fire in North Kivu province in December. A policeman died in the incident. The security situation in the east, already a tinderbox of ethnic tensions, has worsened this year as state authority slips, forcing tens of thousands to flee and threatening to destabilise the whole country. A spokesman for the Mai-Mai rebel group said it killed three soldiers during the attack. An army spokesman said one of its soldiers and one assailant were killed. A spokesman for the president was not available for comment. The Mai-Mai comprise a number of armed bands that originally formed to resist Rwandan invasions in the 1990s. They have since morphed into a wide variety of ethnic-based militia, smuggling networks and protection rackets.

Rebels attack Kabila's residence in eastern DRC, deaths reported . 30 March 2018. Via @REUTERS. Armed rebels killed at least one soldier during an attack on a house owned by Congo President Joseph Kabila in the restive east where a number of conflicts have flared in recent months, rebel and Congo military sources said on Thursday. Kabila was not present when Mai-Mai militiamen attacked the house near the town of Beni and clashed with state soldiers, who were able to fend off the attack. The second assault on a presidential residence in three months points to a deteriorating security situation in Congo stoked in part by Kabila’s refusal to step down in 2016 when his mandate expired. A home belonging to Kabila was attacked and set on fire in North Kivu province in December. A policeman died in the incident. The security situation in the east, already a tinderbox of ethnic tensions, has worsened this year as state authority slips, forcing tens of thousands to flee and threatening to...

THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR SOME OF THOSE RUTHLESS AFRICAN RULERS KILLING CITIZENS, TO PAY FOR THEIR CRIMES IS COMING. This is yet the beginning. By that, i applause the Congolai`s fraternity in #Lingala; Bino Congo, esalanga bieee musalea musala. Toleka Toleka. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rebels attack Joseph Kabilas residence in eastern DRC, deaths reported. 30 March 2018. Armed rebels killed at least one soldier during an attack on a house owned by Congo President Joseph Kabila in the restive east where a number of conflicts have flared in recent months, rebel and Congo military sources said on Thursday. Kabila was not present when Mai-Mai militiamen attacked the house near the town of Beni and clashed with state soldiers, who were able to fend off the attack. The second assault on a presidential residence in three months points to a deteriorating security situation in Congo stoked in part by Kabila’s refusal to step down in 2016 when his mandate expired. A home belonging to Kabila was attacked and set on fire in North Kivu province in December. A policeman died in the incident. The security situation in the east, already a tinderbox of ethnic tensions, has worsened this year as state authority slips, forcing tens of thousands to flee and threatening to destabilise the whole country. A spokesman for the Mai-Mai rebel group said it killed three soldiers during the attack. An army spokesman said one of its soldiers and one assailant were killed. A spokesman for the president was not available for comment. The Mai-Mai comprise a number of armed bands that originally formed to resist Rwandan invasions in the 1990s. They have since morphed into a wide variety of ethnic-based militia, smuggling networks and protection rackets.

INFORMATION IS POWER, LEARNING AND EDUCATING IS THE WAY TO GO. Protecting your personal data on facebook [Sci Tech]. March 2018. Recent revelation about British-based company Cambridge Analytica using the private information of Facebook users for electoral purposes has come as a shock to many users of social media networks. Facebook has come under intense criticism for allowing the personal information of nearly 50 million its users to be compromised, many have called for tougher legislations regarding the activities of these social network companies. In today’s edition of Sci-Tech on Africanews’ Morning Call programme, Serge Koffi will give us guidelines as to how we can protect our personal data on Facebook without it being used by a third -part agent or agencies for financial gain.

Protecting your personal data on facebook [Sci Tech] . March 2018. #TECHNOLOGY Recent revelation about British-based company Cambridge Analytica using the private information of Facebook users for electoral purposes has come as a shock to many users of social media networks. Facebook has come under intense criticism for allowing the personal information of nearly 50 million its users to be compromised, many have called for tougher legislations regarding the activities of these social network companies. In today’s edition of Sci-Tech on Africanews’ Morning Call programme, Serge Koffi will give us guidelines as to how we can protect our personal data on Facebook without it being used by a third -part agent or agencies for financial gain.

UGANDA WITH A RAPED JUSTICE TEMPLE WOULDN'T DO SUCH TO CORRUPT AND GREEDY POLITICIANS WHO ARE LOYAL TO NATIONAL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT (NRM). Congratulations to Judiciary fraternity of Senegal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Senegal court jails former Dakar mayor 5 years for embezzlement. 30 March 2018. A court in Senegal sentenced opposition leader Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of the capital Dakar, to five years in prison on Friday for embezzlement and falsifying documents. Sall was arrested a year ago on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion CFAfrancs ($3.40 million). Prior to his arrest, he had been seen as a potential rival to President Macky Sall in elections set for next year. The two men are not related. Two of the former mayor’s accomplices also got five years. His supporters say the trial was politically motivated, a charge the ruling party denies. “I feel shame for my country,” deputy Dakar mayor Cheikh Gueye told Reuters. “This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate.” Senegal is seen as one of West Africa’s most stable and fair democracies, an image reinforced by a peaceful and well organised 2012 presidential poll. But in recent years, opponents of the ruling party say standards are slipping. Last year’s legislative polls were marred by problems, with many hundreds of Senegalese voters prevented from casting ballots because of delays in issuing biometric voting cards. Opposition supporters also decry what they say is a growing intolerance of dissent. Demonstrations in Dakar are often scattered by police tear gas. The coalition of 91-year-old former president Abdoulaye Wade has said his party would boycott future elections over these complaints. Wade’s group has the second highest number of seats in parliament while Khalifa Sall’s party is third. With little natural resource wealth, Senegal has been largely free of kleptocracy on the scale of the mineral-rich countries in the region, but has sometimes suffered corruption scandals nonetheless. Karim Wade, the son of former president Wade, served three years in prison for corruption, including hiding funds in offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands and Panama.

Senegal court jails former Dakar mayor 5 years for embezzlement . 30 March 2018. REUTERS. A court in Senegal sentenced opposition leader Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of the capital Dakar, to five years in prison on Friday for embezzlement and falsifying documents. Sall was arrested a year ago on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion CFAfrancs ($3.40 million). Prior to his arrest, he had been seen as a potential rival to President Macky Sall in elections set for next year. The two men are not related. Two of the former mayor’s accomplices also got five years. His supporters say the trial was politically motivated, a charge the ruling party denies. “I feel shame for my country,” deputy Dakar mayor Cheikh Gueye told Reuters. “This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate.” Senegal is seen as one of West Africa’s most stable and fair democracies, an image reinforced by a peaceful and well organis...

Congolese doubt credibility of upcoming polls, mistrust for Kabila soars - Survey. 30 March 2018. Eight in ten Congolese have an unfavourable opinion of President Joseph Kabila – but nearly seven in ten don’t think the December vote to replace him will be fair, according to a national poll published on Friday. The survey, conducted last month by the Congo Research Group at New York University and Congolese polling firm BERCI, gives a rare glimpse into the national mood as Congolese wait to see if Kabila finally steps down after 17 years in power. Elections in Democratic Republic of Congo are scheduled for Dec. 23, two years after Kabila’s mandate officially expired. But Kabila, who succeeded his assassinated father in 2001, has refused to publicly commit to stepping down. Uncertainty about his intentions and the prospect of the vote being delayed again have bred mistrust among Congo’s 80 million people. Security forces have killed dozens of people during street protests against the president’s extended rule. The political crisis has also contributed to rising militia violence in eastern Congo’s borderlands with Rwanda and Uganda, where millions died from hunger, disease and conflict in wars around the turn of the century. The Congo Research Group is directed by Jason Stearns, a former U.N. investigator in the country. Over 1,000 Congolese citizens in all 26 provinces were questioned. When asked if they had a “good opinion, bad opinion or no opinion at all” of their president, 80 percent said they had a bad opinion and 20 percent said they had a good opinion. In an indication of Kabila’s polarising effect, zero percent had no opinion. Congolese are eager for change, according to the poll. Ninety-five percent of those surveyed said they planned to vote in December and 64 percent said they were optimistic about the country’s future in the next five years. Exiled opposition leader Moise Katumbi would lead the presidential vote with 24 percent, trailed by another opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, with 13 percent. Katumbi’s support has fallen from 38 percent in a previous poll by CRG and BERCI a year ago. The pollsters said that could be due to his two-year absence from the country after being accused of hiring foreign mercenaries. Still, most in the vast nation that spans much of Central Africa are sceptical about the electoral process. Sixty-nine percent said they do not trust the electoral commission to conduct “free, fair and transparent elections”, up from 54 percent last year. The commission plans to use 100,000 electronic voting machines in December, a move that opposition leaders and international donors said could increase the risk of fraud.

Congolese doubt credibility of upcoming polls, mistrust for Kabila soars - Survey . 30 March 2018. Via REUTERS. Eight in ten Congolese have an unfavourable opinion of President Joseph Kabila – but nearly seven in ten don’t think the December vote to replace him will be fair, according to a national poll published on Friday. The survey, conducted last month by the Congo Research Group at New York University and Congolese polling firm BERCI, gives a rare glimpse into the national mood as Congolese wait to see if Kabila finally steps down after 17 years in power. Elections in Democratic Republic of Congo are scheduled for Dec. 23, two years after Kabila’s mandate officially expired. But Kabila, who succeeded his assassinated father in 2001, has refused to publicly commit to stepping down. Uncertainty about his intentions and the prospect of the vote being delayed again have bred mistrust among Congo’s 80 million people. Security forces have killed dozens of pe...

SO, TRAITOR #RAILA_ODINGA HAS THE GUT TO DROWN #MIGUNA. Oooh my God!. Miguna cries from Dubai says govt should release his Kenyan passport. 30 March 2018. Kenyan opposition politician Miguna Miguna has issued an appeal from Dubai where the government forcibly deported him to. In a message posted on his Facebook page, the lawyer said he was stranded in Dubai and needed the authorities back home to send him his Kenyan passport so that he can travel back home. Wednesday evening’s deportation was the second such in under two months. He was first deported to Canada in February when he played a key role in a mock swearing-in by opposition chief Raila Odinga. I don’t have any travel document or passport. I need Kihalangwa and Matiang’i to deliver my Kenyan passport to me here in Dubai tomorrow, March 30,2018 as multiple courts have ordered them to do so that I can use it to travel to Nairobi immediately? Government at the time said he had denounced his Kenyan citizenship and was holding a Canadian passport. Miguna’s lawyers secured court orders asking government to facilitate his return to the country. In a much publicized return early this week, the government insisted on arrival that Miguna applies for a visa which he flatly refused to, stressing that at no point had he denounced his Kenyan citizenship. He was held for two days at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) amid scuffles with security authorities. A court ordered him to be produced on Wednesday but the police and immigration chiefs failed so to do instead he was reportedly dragged, drugged and deported to Dubai. The Milimani Court on Thursday slapped the Interior Minister, the Immigration and Police chiefs with fines in the region of $2,000 for defying the courts orders. The said amount was to be deducted directly from their next salaries. Meanwhile, opposition and human rights groups have slammed the government for its handling of the matter. Media rights groups have also expressed worry over how some journalists covering the standoff had been mistreated by security agents.

Miguna cries from Dubai says govt should release his Kenyan passport . 30 March 2018. Via REUTERS. Kenyan opposition politician Miguna Miguna has issued an appeal from Dubai where the government forcibly deported him to. In a message posted on his Facebook page, the lawyer said he was stranded in Dubai and needed the authorities back home to send him his Kenyan passport so that he can travel back home. Wednesday evening’s deportation was the second such in under two months. He was first deported to Canada in February when he played a key role in a mock swearing-in by opposition chief Raila Odinga. I don’t have any travel document or passport. I need Kihalangwa and Matiang’i to deliver my Kenyan passport to me here in Dubai tomorrow, March 30,2018 as multiple courts have ordered them to do so that I can use it to travel to Nairobi immediately? Government at the time said he had denounced his Kenyan citizenship and was holding a Canadian passport. Miguna’s lawyers secured court orders a...

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Egypt 2018 polls: Moussa concedes defeat, pledges to lead constructive opposition. Egyptians await official results of the presidential election from the National Elections Authority (NEA), the presidential candidate and head of El Ghad Party, Moussa Moustafa Moussa has said he plans to champion constructive opposition after his ‘electoral defeat’. While the NEA is set to announce results on April 2, Moussa has literally conceded defeat as local media report a landslide victory for incumbent president Abdel Fattah el Sisi. Moussa, whose presidential ambitions were questioned by many, has repeatedly acknowledged his support for Sisi and his government policies. In 2017, Moussa launched a campaign to mobilise support for Sisi’s second term before he was revealed as a surprise challenger to Sisi in January. The opposition is not likely to accept Moussa’s leadership, having called for a boycott of these elections that they called a ‘masquerade’. Many potentially strong contenders for the position of president withdrew their bids citing state intimidation and bias from the electoral authorities. Moussa believes that opposition to the ruling government must work in favor of the Egyptian people, arguing that the country needs all political parties to cooperate to face the challenges ahead. He has declared the Egyptian people as the ultimate winners in the election and stressed his willingness to cooperate with Sisi in his next four-year term.

Egypt 2018 polls: Moussa concedes defeat, pledges to lead constructive opposition . 30 March 2018. Egyptians await official results of the presidential election from the National Elections Authority (NEA), the presidential candidate and head of El Ghad Party, Moussa Moustafa Moussa has said he plans to champion constructive opposition after his ‘electoral defeat’. While the NEA is set to announce results on April 2, Moussa has literally conceded defeat as local media report a landslide victory for incumbent president Abdel Fattah el Sisi. Moussa, whose presidential ambitions were questioned by many, has repeatedly acknowledged his support for Sisi and his government policies. In 2017, Moussa launched a campaign to mobilise support for Sisi’s second term before he was revealed as a surprise challenger to Sisi in January. The opposition is not likely to accept Moussa’s leadership, having called for a boycott of these elections that they called a ‘ma...

Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi Back To Work. amama mbabazi Having been off the scene for a while, leaving his supporters and some citizens wondering, the former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi is now newly employed. The former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi was appointed to the Brazaville Foundation advisory board. What is Brazaville Foundation advisory? The Brazaville Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation, registered as a charity in the UK. It is managed by an experienced Board of Trustees, supported by an international Advisory Board made up of highly distinguished individuals whose experience and expertise enable them to give guidance to the Foundation and assist it in its work. The Brazaville foundation announced the appointment of Mbabazi on their website. It said: “We’re honoured to announce that Mr. Amama Mbabazi, former presidential candidate of Uganda has joined Brazzaville Foundation’s advisory board.”

Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi Back To Work . March 2018. amama mbabazi Having been off the scene for a while, leaving his supporters and some citizens wondering, the former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi is now newly employed. The former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi was appointed to the Brazaville Foundation advisory board. What is Brazaville Foundation advisory? The Brazaville Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation, registered as a charity in the UK . It is managed by an experienced Board of Trustees, supported by an international Advisory Board made up of highly distinguished individuals whose experience and expertise enable them to give guidance to the Foundation and assist it in its work. The Brazaville foundation announced the appointment of Mbabazi on their website. It said: “We’re honoured to announce that Mr. Amama Mbabazi, former presidential candidate of Uganda has joined Brazzaville Foundation’s ...

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LESSON FOR ALL THE AFRICAN COUNTRIES. Do not think you are safe and secure at all. It is a common norm within poor and greedy people to be bribed to serve injustice to citizens of their country. You are paid to incarcerate and kill Activists who fight for the rights of the poor citizens, then you think free. NEVER! We can not let taboo criminals / Rulers to wipe people away and just go easy like that. We document all your everyday wickedly barbaric actions. We write them down or we just upload the videos on Internet, so as to remain permanent. You must pay for your committed atrocities but if you die before paying, your children are there. DILEMMA IN GAMBIA IS BELOW HERE Gambia makes more arrests over death of activist Solo Sandeng in 2016. March 2018. The Gambia police announced on Monday that they arrested another senior intelligence official in connection with the April 2016 murder of activist, Solo Sandeng. The death in custody of Solo Sandeng triggered a political movement that brought down the then president Yahya Jammeh, in power for 22 years. The alleged torture and murder of the organiser of the United Democratic Party (UDP) had provoked uncommon demonstrations in this small landlocked West African country and encouraged a weak and divided opposition to unite against authoritarian rule. About 20 members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are on trial or face trial for the murder of the activist, who was arrested during a demonstration. Police spokesman David Kujabie said Monday that NIA security chief James Mendy had been detained by police and was being investigated “in connection with the murder of Solo Sandeng”. Nine other NIA members, including its former leader, Yankuba Badjie, are already being tried for their role in Sandeng’s murder. The trial is proceeding slowly: thirteen witnesses have been called. Two other former intelligence officers, Ngora Njie and Shiekh Tijan Camara, agreed last week to become prosecution witnesses.

Gambia makes more arrests over death of activist Solo Sandeng in 2016 . March 2018. The Gambia police announced on Monday that they arrested another senior intelligence official in connection with the April 2016 murder of activist, Solo Sandeng. The death in custody of Solo Sandeng triggered a political movement that brought down the then president Yahya Jammeh, in power for 22 years. The alleged torture and murder of the organiser of the United Democratic Party (UDP) had provoked uncommon demonstrations in this small landlocked West African country and encouraged a weak and divided opposition to unite against authoritarian rule. About 20 members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are on trial or face trial for the murder of the activist, who was arrested during a demonstration. Police spokesman David Kujabie said Monday that NIA security chief James Mendy had been detained by police and was being investigated “in connection with the murder of Solo Sandeng”. Nine other...

Amnesty to new Ethiopia PM: Release political prisoners and repeal repressive laws. 29 March 2018. Ethiopia’s incoming prime minister must prioritize addressing the deep-rooted human rights crisis in the country, said Amnesty International, following the election of Abiy Ahmed as chairman of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party. ‘‘If approved as prime minister, Abiy and his government must take urgent measures to address the human rights crisis in Ethiopia, through concrete and genuine reforms,’‘ Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. Abiy’s elevation to the helm of the ruling coalition comes at a time when the country has declared a state of emergency, the second of its kind in less than two years, imposing severe restrictions on the exercise of human rights and freedoms. If approved as prime minister, Abiy and his government must take urgent measures to address the human rights crisis in Ethiopia, through concrete and genuine reforms. The state of emergency has met stiff resistance from the people in the Oromiya and Amhara regions and has been criticised by many of Ethiopia’s allies in the West. In one of the most shocking incidents since the announcement of the state of emergency on 16 February, security forces killed at least 12 civilians and wounded many more in the southern town of Moyale. The Command Post for the state of emergency admitted wrongful killings of civilians in Moyale, alleging it was caused by “mistaken intelligence report”. Political prisoners including opposition leaders, bloggers and journalists who were recently released as part of reforms advanced by the former premier, have recently been arrested and detained without charges. ‘‘The killings of civilians, re-arrest of recently released political prisoners and the new wave of arrests bodes ill for the long-promised reform agenda in Ethiopia,’‘ added Shetty. “Abiy’s new government must start by releasing all prisoners of conscience and reforming or repealing all repressive laws, including the draconian Anti-Terrorism Proclamation and the Ethiopian Charities and Societies Proclamation, which have played a significant role in rolling back the human rights gains in the country.” Parliament will convene on Monday April 2 to confirm Abiy as the country’s new prime minister.

Amnesty to new Ethiopia PM: Release political prisoners and repeal repressive laws . 29 March 2018. REUTERS. Ethiopia’s incoming prime minister must prioritize addressing the deep-rooted human rights crisis in the country, said Amnesty International, following the election of Abiy Ahmed as chairman of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party. ‘‘If approved as prime minister, Abiy and his government must take urgent measures to address the human rights crisis in Ethiopia, through concrete and genuine reforms,’‘ Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. Abiy’s elevation to the helm of the ruling coalition comes at a time when the country has declared a state of emergency, the second of its kind in less than two years, imposing severe restrictions on the exercise of human rights and freedoms. If approved as prime minister, Abiy and his government must take urgent measures to address the human rights c...

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UN URGES NIGERIA TO LEGALISE MARIJUANA. 27 March 2017. The United Nations on Monday urged the Nigerian government to relax laws on consumption of cannabis in future, saying it has approved the use of the drug for medical purposes. The UN is also insisting on decriminalization of drug users in parts of the world, especially sick people who used the drug for treatment, care and rehabilitation. The global body’s position on the drug was revealed by the Project Officer of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes in Nigeria, Harsheth Kaur Virk, during her presentation at a one day public hearing on the need to check menace of pharmaceutical drugs abuse among youths in Nigeria. The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Health. Virk said cannabis is a miracle drug allowed for medical purposes by UN but not for recreational purposes. She said: “The Drugs and Crime Office of the UN sees addictive drugs users as people who are sick and in need of treatment, care and rehabilitation.”

UN URGES NIGERIA TO LEGALISE MARIJUANA . 27 March 2017. Via #Auto_Trigger The United Nations on Monday urged the Nigerian government to relax laws on consumption of cannabis in future, saying it has approved the use of the drug for medical purposes. The UN is also insisting on decriminalization of drug users in parts of the world, especially sick people who used the drug for treatment, care and rehabilitation. The global body’s position on the drug was revealed by the Project Officer of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes in Nigeria, Harsheth Kaur Virk, during her presentation at a one day public hearing on the need to check menace of pharmaceutical drugs abuse among youths in Nigeria. The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Health. Virk said cannabis is a miracle drug allowed for medical purposes by UN but not for recreational purposes. She said: “The Drugs and Crime Office of the UN sees addictive drugs users as people who are s...

UN URGES NIGERIA TO LEGALISE MARIJUANA. 27 March 2017. The United Nations on Monday urged the Nigerian government to relax laws on consumption of cannabis in future, saying it has approved the use of the drug for medical purposes. The UN is also insisting on decriminalization of drug users in parts of the world, especially sick people who used the drug for treatment, care and rehabilitation. The global body’s position on the drug was revealed by the Project Officer of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes in Nigeria, Harsheth Kaur Virk, during her presentation at a one day public hearing on the need to check menace of pharmaceutical drugs abuse among youths in Nigeria. The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Health. Virk said cannabis is a miracle drug allowed for medical purposes by UN but not for recreational purposes. She said: “The Drugs and Crime Office of the UN sees addictive drugs users as people who are sick and in need of treatment, care and rehabilitation.”

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Oracle Wins Revival of Billion-Dollar Case Against Google. 27 March 2018. Googles use of Java wasn’t ‘fair use,’ appeals court rules Case remanded to determine how much Google should pay Google could owe Oracle Corp. billions of dollars after an appeals court said it didn’t have the right to use the Oracle-owned Java programming code in its Android operating system on mobile devices. Google’s use of Java shortcuts to develop Android went too far and was a violation of Oracle’s copyrights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled. The case was remanded to a federal court in California to determine how much the Alphabet Inc. unit should pay. The dispute is over pre-written directions known as application program interfaces, or APIs, which can work across different types of devices and provide the instructions for things like connecting to the internet or accessing certain types of files. By using the APIs, programmers don’t have to write new code from scratch to implement every function in their software or change it for every type of device. The case has divided Silicon Valley for years, testing the boundaries between the rights of those who develop interface code and those who rely on it to develop software programs. Oracle said its APIs are freely available to those who want to build applications for computers and mobile devices, but draws the line at anyone who wants to use them for a competing platform or to embed them in an electronic device. It said it was entitled to $8.8 billion in damages from Google during the 2016 trial. “The fact that Android is free of charge does not make Google’s use of the Java API packages noncommercial,” the Federal Circuit ruled, noting that Android had generated more than $42 million in revenue from advertising. It also said that Google had not made any alteration of the copyrighted material. Officials with the two companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Oracle claims Google was in such a rush in the mid-2000s to create an operating system for mobile devices that the company used key parts of copyrighted Java technology without paying royalties. Google, which gets the bulk of its profit from selling advertisements connected to search results, faced an “existential threat” because its search wasn’t optimized for mobile devices, according to Oracle. Google countered that Oracle was just jealous because it did what Oracle could not -- develop an operating system for mobile devices that was free and wildly popular. Google said it used a minuscule percentage of Oracle’s code, only enough to enable programmers to write applications for Android in the Java language. A federal jury in California agreed in 2016, saying Google’s actions were a “fair use” that was exempt from copyright law. Tuesday’s Federal Circuit opinion reverses that verdict. “There is nothing fair about taking a copyrighted work verbatim and using it for the same purpose and function as the original in a competing platform,” the appeals court ruled. In a closely watched 2014 decision in the dispute, the Federal Circuit said the APIs were entitled to copyright protection. Java was created by Sun Microsystems Inc. in the 1990s, and some have accused Oracle of violating Sun’s pledge to ensure that Java is widely available. Oracle boughtSun in January 2010 for $7.4 billion and suedGoogle less than eight months later. Among Oracle’s supporters in the case is Sun co-founder Scott McNealy, who said Java was created to be a platform-neutral system where programmers could “write once, run anywhere.” Java “is the foundation upon which our digital world is built,” McNealy said in a filing with the court. “Google stole that foundation, used it to build Android, and destroyed Oracle’s market in the process.” Mozilla Corp., which makes the Firefox internet browser using an open-source software, said Google’s actions were in line with the “the fundamental purpose of copyright, which is to promote creative works” and said a victory for Oracle would have far-reaching implications. “Technology will be less inclusive, slower to develop and more expensive,” Mozilla said in a filing with the court. “There must be latitude for such uses of code to be fair so that the software industry can continue to flourish.” Part of Google’s defense focused on the idea that Java was developed for desktop computers, while Android was created for phones and other mobile devices. Oracle soughtto extend the case to desktops, where Android is now available, but the trial judge said he wanted to keep the case narrowly focused. The case is Oracle America Inc. v. Google Inc., 17-1118, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Washington). The trial court case is Oracle America Inc. v. Google Inc., 10cv3561, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Oracle Wins Revival of Billion-Dollar Case Against Google . 27 March 2018. Via REUTERS. Google’s use of Java wasn’t ‘fair use,’ appeals court rules Case remanded to determine how much Google should pay Google could owe Oracle Corp. billions of dollars after an appeals court said it didn’t have the right to use the Oracle-owned Java programming code in its Android operating system on mobile devices. Google’s use of Java shortcuts to develop Android went too far and was a violation of Oracle’s copyrights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled. The case was remanded to a federal court in California to determine how much the Alphabet Inc. unit should pay. The dispute is over pre-written directions known as application program interfaces, or APIs, which can work across different types of devices and provide the instructions for things like connecting to the internet or accessing certain types of f...

Zambia slaps Canadian mining giant with $8bn bill for unpaid import duties. March 2018. Canada’s First Quantum Minerals on Wednesday was hopeful of resolving a dispute with Zambia over a whopping 76.5 billion Zambian kwacha ($8.07 billion) bill for unpaid duties on imported mining equipment. Zambia has reduced “significant” tax assessments against it in the past, Chief Executive Philip Pascall said on a conference call with analysts. He declined to speculate on the possible outcome of Zambia’s review of the latest claim, which involves more than 23,000 documents and could take up to six months. The bill comprises $150 million in higher import duties, $2.1 billion in penalties and $5.7 billion in interest, First Quantum said. It relates to $540 million in mining equipment imported to its Sentinel copper mine between 2012 and 2017. We have, in the past, seen assessments that were significant and then the settlement might be reduced considerably. In this context, it’s not prudent for us try and speculate. “We have, in the past, seen assessments that were significant and then the settlement might be reduced considerably,” Pascall said. “In this context, it’s not prudent for us try and speculate.” The company’s preliminary review of assessment documents, which require approval by the Zambian Revenue Authority (ZRA) before imports are released, show an erroneous application of both higher and lower duties than appropriate, Pascall said. It was unclear how Zambia calculated the $2.1 billion penalty, First Quantum said, noting that smuggled goods tend to get a 300-percent penalty for customs avoidance, while simple errors typically get a 15-percent penalty. “This is clearly an eye-watering amount,” Bernstein analyst Paul Gait said in a note to clients, comparing the $8-billion bill to First Quantum’s market capitalization on Wednesday morning of about $9.5 billion. “If anything like these claims is actually enforced, it will make Zambia largely uninvestable for any mining company, and probably any other industry as well,” Gait said. First Quantum, which has paid a cumulative $3 billion in taxes to Zambia, said it was unaware why the matter was made public, an unusual move for Zambia. The company’s two copper mines in Zambia are unaffected by the issue. Zambia, which collected 39.1 billion kwacha in taxes last year, netted 4.4 billion kwacha in hidden assets from small companies after they were offered amnesty for such declarations. Dozens of mining companies operate in Zambia, primarily extracting copper. The Zambian Revenue Authority said it had started detailed audits on all companies for compliance, suggesting other miners may come under scrutiny. First Quantum shares dipped nearly 2 percent on Wednesday to C$17.68. Shares sank 12.4 percent in Toronto on Tuesday before trading in the stock was suspended

Zambia slaps Canadian mining giant with $8bn bill for unpaid import duties . March 2018. Via REUTERS. Canada’s First Quantum Minerals on Wednesday was hopeful of resolving a dispute with Zambia over a whopping 76.5 billion Zambian kwacha ($8.07 billion) bill for unpaid duties on imported mining equipment. Zambia has reduced “significant” tax assessments against it in the past, Chief Executive Philip Pascall said on a conference call with analysts. He declined to speculate on the possible outcome of Zambia’s review of the latest claim, which involves more than 23,000 documents and could take up to six months. The bill comprises $150 million in higher import duties, $2.1 billion in penalties and $5.7 billion in interest, First Quantum said. It relates to $540 million in mining equipment imported to its Sentinel copper mine between 2012 and 2017. We have, in the past, seen assessments that were significant and then the settlement might be reduced considerably. In th...

15 TRUTHS ALL SINGLE LADIES SHOULD KNOW. 1 – The way to a man’s heart is no longer his stomach but the quality of your brain 2 – If your man must be Tall, Dark and Handsome then be ready to be the 2nd best because what you desire, others’ seek too. 3 – If you allow your parents’ pressure push you into marriage, you may end up a single-mom. 4 – A man that slaps you before marriage will build a boxing ring after marriage. Guess who his opponent will be– YOU! 5 – If you are yet to know any member of his family after 6–12 months of courting him, then, is either he wants you as his baby-mama or aback-up plan. 6 – If what attracted him to you are your bosoms and the sexy legs you flaunted, the contents of your brain had better keep him, else, there are too many well-rounded and bigger bosoms waiting to snatch him away. 7 – If he doesn't discuss future plans with you in the picture, he just want a fling. 8 – Even when you trust each other, a little jealousy reminds him that you care. 9 – Men love a listener; No matter how much you want your opinion to push through, listen to his details and don’t counter it. 10 – When you are already living with him before marriage, he won’t propose quickly. 11 – Don’t waste your years waiting for an unserious man to propose just because his parents loves you, you’re going to be married and living with the man, not his parents. 12 – When you seek his advice, you make him feel more of a man than he is. 13 – Your encouragement or concern about his career or job works faster than listening to a motivational tape. 14 - take note of this, An engagement ring isn't an assurance for marriage, it could possibly make you his regular sex- mate. 15 – Don’t endure domestic abuse in a marriage because of your kids and what people will say. If you die as a result, the man, people and the kids will bid you dust-to-dust, he will marry another woman and she will be your kid's mother and might maltreat them. ❤

1 – The way to a man’s heart is no longer his stomach but the quality of your brain 2 – If your man must be Tall, Dark and Handsome then be ready to be the 2nd best because what you desire, others’ seek too. 3 – If you allow your parents’ pressure push you into marriage, you may end up a single-mom. 4 – A man that slaps you before marriage will build a boxing ring after marriage. Guess who his opponent will be– YOU! 5 – If you are yet to know any member of his family after 6–12 months of courting him, then, is either he wants you as his baby-mama or aback-up plan. 6 – If what attracted him to you are your bosoms and the sexy legs you flaunted, the contents of your brain had better keep him, else, there are too many well-rounded and bigger bosoms waiting to snatch him away. 7 – If he doesn't discuss future plans with you in the picture, he just want a fling. 8 – Even when you trust each other, a little jealousy reminds him that you care. 9 – Men love a listener; No matter how much y...

DR Congo government to hold talks with mining companies on Friday. March 2018. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Democratic Republic of Congo said it would open talks on Friday with mining companies about implementing some of the most contentious provisions in a new mining code that hikes taxes and royalties in the face of objections from industry. President Joseph Kabila signed the new code earlier this month, replacing the previous 2002 law. Foreign investors in Congo, which include Glencore, Randgold, China Molybdenum and Ivanhoe, said it would scare off investment and violate existing agreements. In a meeting before he signed the code, Kabila assured the companies their concerns would be discussed in follow-up talks to draft regulations for the sector. Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu told reporters on Wednesday that the talks with major companies present in Congo, which is Africa’s top copper producer and mines more than half the world’s cobalt, would begin on Friday at 0900 GMT. According to a work plan Kabwelulu sent to the companies, the negotiations will be divided into six “pillars” running from March 16 to April 24, with a preliminary draft of the regulations to be completed by May 2. Government officials have already begun work on pillar 1. The regulations must be adopted by the government within 90 days of the code’s signing, precisely on June 7. The work plan sets aside 25 days, from March 27 to April 24, for discussions on the fiscal and customs regimes, including the new code’s so-called stability clause, which is the most contentious point between the government and industry. Miners enjoyed a 10-year protection under the former code’s stability clause against changes to the fiscal and customs regime but those were annulled by the new law, which says that its provisions enter into effect immediately. The companies still hope the government will honor the 10-year exemptions but Congolese officials have said no compromises reached in the talks can contradict provisions in the code. The work plan refers only to “the guarantee of stability of the revised mining code (five years for new mining rights)” and not to protection for mining titles that existed under the previous code. It also calls for discussions about royalty increases, which would raise payments up to five-fold on metals designated “strategic substances” by the government. The office of Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala appeared to preempt those discussions last week by saying cobalt, whose price has more than tripled in the past two years due to rising demand for electric vehicles, would be declared a strategic substance and that copper could be as well.

DR Congo government to hold talks with mining companies on Friday . March 2018. Via REUTERS. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Democratic Republic of Congo said it would open talks on Friday with mining companies about implementing some of the most contentious provisions in a new mining code that hikes taxes and royalties in the face of objections from industry. President Joseph Kabila signed the new code earlier this month, replacing the previous 2002 law. Foreign investors in Congo, which include Glencore, Randgold, China Molybdenum and Ivanhoe, said it would scare off investment and violate existing agreements. In a meeting before he signed the code, Kabila assured the companies their concerns would be discussed in follow-up talks to draft regulations for the sector. Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu told reporters on Wednesday that the talks with major companies present in Congo, which is Africa’s top copper producer and mines more than half the world’s cobalt, would begin on F...

IGAD to end house arrest of South Sudans Riek Machar House Arrest. 27 March 2018. The Council of Ministers of the regional bloc, Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has decided to release South Sudan’s exiled rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar from house arrest in South Africa. Rebel leader Machar is a de facto prisoner in a farmhouse outside of Johannesburg. He is isolated from his friends and family, and has been frozen out of South Sudan’s peace process. The IGAD’s communique issued following its 61st Extra-Ordinary Session held on Monday in Addis Ababa, said it would release Dr. Machar as soon as possible if he would agree to renounce violence, not obstruct the peace process and relocate to any country “outside the region not neighboring South Sudan.’‘ If you read it carefully, actually, there is no lifting of any house arrest. Dr. Machar’s wife described the conditional “lifting of house arrest” as unfair. “If you read it carefully, actually, there is no lifting of any house arrest. Because what they said is very clear that they will transfer him from where he is now, which is South Africa, to another location that is not in the region, and that would not be in any proximity with South Sudan,’‘ Angelina Teny, Machar’s wife said, who is also a senior opposition member. Can Machar and Kiir work together again? Dr Machar returned to Juba in April 2016 and formed a transitional government with President Salva Kiir and other groups according to 2015 peace agreement. However, fresh fighting broke out in Juba in July 2016 and Dr Machar had to flee to the Democratic Republic of Congo, from where he was airlifted to Khartoum. He then moved to Ethiopia until Kiir, working with IGAD negotiated a house arrest with the South African government. The opposition groups say they are upset by the government demand to exclude Machar from the SPLM reunification process, peace revitalization forum, and the national transitional government. President Kiir government made it clear that Machar can only run for president at the end constitutional process, insisting that he would sabotage the peace process if allowed to participate. However, the observers said this new condition may obstruct the peace process as the third round of revitalization process is at doorstep. Machar, who has long dominated South Sudanese politics, though he was rebelled against former SPLM leader Dr. John Garang De Mabior, was an instrumental figure in South Sudan’s fight for independence from Sudan, and has served as vice president twice in the very short history of the world’s newest nation. South Sudan became independent in 2011.

IGAD to end house arrest of South Sudan's Riek Machar House Arrest . 27 March 2018. Via REUTERS. The Council of Ministers of the regional bloc, Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has decided to release South Sudan’s exiled rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar from house arrest in South Africa. Rebel leader Machar is a de facto prisoner in a farmhouse outside of Johannesburg. He is isolated from his friends and family, and has been frozen out of South Sudan’s peace process. The IGAD’s communique issued following its 61st Extra-Ordinary Session held on Monday in Addis Ababa, said it would release Dr. Machar as soon as possible if he would agree to renounce violence, not obstruct the peace process and relocate to any country “outside the region not neighboring South Sudan.’‘ If you read it carefully, actually, there is no lifting of any house arrest. Dr. Machar’s wife described the conditional “lifting of house arrest” as unf...

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Former Somali president denied U.S. visa under Trump travel ban. 26 March 2018. The former president of Somalia, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has reportedly been denied a visa to the United States of America where he was scheduled to deliver a lecture on Tuesday March 27, titled ‘Somalia the Crossroads: Opportunities and Challenges post civil war’. Mohamud who was head of state of Somalia from 2012 to 2017 was a victim of the Trump travel ban that came into force last year, according to the World Council Affairs of Maine (WCM), which had organised the lecture. Somalia is one of three African countries whose citizens are banned from travelling to the United States. We regret to share that H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was denied visa issuance by the U.S. Consulate in Somalia under Executive Order 13769, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. In a statement issued on their Facebook page, WCM said Mohamud was denied a visa under Executive Order 13769 protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States’. ‘‘We regret to share that H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was denied visa issuance by the U.S. Consulate in Somalia under Executive Order 13769, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.’‘ The statement has since been deleted from the Facebook account, but the website of the organisations shows that the event has been cancelled. Mohamud visited the U.S. several times while serving as the President of Somalia, including visits to the U.N General Assembly in New York and the White House. His predecessor, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo who holds dual U.S. and Somali citizenship has pledged to work towards the lifting of the travel ban. For Mohamud, this will be the second time he is being denied a visa by a foreign country. In February this year, he cancelled a similar invitation to address a lecture in Sweden after after the country’s Embassy in Ankara Turkey declined to stamp the visa on his Passport. Most Scandinavian countries do not recognize the Somali Passport following the fall of the central government in 1991. Mohamud has not yet addressed the reported denial of a visa and instead posted about the simmering tensions along the Somali Kenya border where the latter is building a wall in the Balad Hawo town, on his Facebook page on Sunday.

F ormer Somali president denied U.S. visa under Trump travel ban. 26 March 2018. Via @REUTERS. The former president of Somalia, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has reportedly been denied a visa to the United States of America where he was scheduled to deliver a lecture on Tuesday March 27, titled ‘Somalia the Crossroads: Opportunities and Challenges post civil war’. Mohamud who was head of state of Somalia from 2012 to 2017 was a victim of the Trump travel ban that came into force last year, according to the World Council Affairs of Maine (WCM), which had organised the lecture. Somalia is one of three African countries whose citizens are banned from travelling to the United States. We regret to share that H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was denied visa issuance by the U.S. Consulate in Somalia under Executive Order 13769, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. In a statement issued on their Facebook page, WCM said Mohamud was denied a visa under Execu...

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Ethiopia rearrests opposition leaders, journalists during 'prisoner release' celebrations. Ethiopia 26 March 2018. The Ethiopian government is being blasted by human rights and press freedom activists after it rearrested bloggers and opposition leaders that it had released a few weeks ago. Andualem Aragie, leader of Ethiopian opposition UDJ party, journalists Eskinder Nega and Temesgen Desalegn, bloggers Befeqadu Hailu and Zelalem Workagegnehu were arrested on Sunday during a celebration organized for all the political prisoners released recently. Ethiopia has already released more than 6,000 prisoners since January, including some high-profile journalists and opposition leaders. Declaring the campaign to release political prisoners, the former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the releases were designed to increase “political space” in Ethiopia following anti-government protests that began in 2015. Desalegn has since resigned and a state of emergency has been imposed in the country, despite defiant protests by the opposition in the Oromiya and Amhara regions. Amha Mekonnen, who represented a number of the detainees told the Associated Press that his clients were arrested for violating the state of emergency., in addition to displaying a prohibited national flag. “I also understand they were accused of gathering en masse in violation of the state of emergency rule.” Under Ethiopia’s latest state of emergency declared earlier this year, people are prohibited from such gatherings without authorities’ prior knowledge. American based Ethiopian news agency, Zehabesha, had earlier reported that police accused the opposition leaders who had gathered at the invitation of Andualem Aragie, Andualem Aragie, of using the original Ethiopian plain flag, which does not have the new EPRDF blue disc with 5 point star in the middle. Ethiopians in the opposition have on several occasions expressed their displeasure with the new flag arguing that the EPRDF blue disc star symbolises ethnic division. A proclamation regarding the use of the Ethiopian flag prohibits the display of the flag without the emblem at its center and those contravening the law could be sentenced to up to a year and a half in prison. Eskinder recently told journalists in the Ethiopian capital that ‘he was prepared to go back to prison’ if that was the price to be paid for pursuing democratic reforms in the country. After his release, UDJ leader Andualem Aragie equally condemned recent tribal conflicts in the country which he described as ‘barbarism that do not belong in the 21st century’. “It is very bad to have an ethnic mindset, we must work together for our country. Dictatorship is inhuman but racism is worse. We must fight this kind of barbarism to make a peaceful country. We are not human if we attack somebody based on the languages they speak or the tribe they belong to. “ It is unknown when the arrested journalists, bloggers and opposition leaders will be released.

Ethiopia rearrests opposition leaders, journalists during 'prisoner release' celebrations . Ethiopia 26 March 2018. Pic credit; Addis Standard. The Ethiopian government is being blasted by human rights and press freedom activists after it rearrested bloggers and opposition leaders that it had released a few weeks ago. Andualem Aragie, leader of Ethiopian opposition UDJ party, journalists Eskinder Nega and Temesgen Desalegn, bloggers Befeqadu Hailu and Zelalem Workagegnehu were arrested on Sunday during a celebration organized for all the political prisoners released recently. Ethiopia has already released more than 6,000 prisoners since January, including some high-profile journalists and opposition leaders. Declaring the campaign to release political prisoners, the former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the releases were designed to increase “political space” in Ethiopia following anti-government protests that began in 2015. Desalegn has since resigned an...

Ethiopia rearrests opposition leaders, journalists during 'prisoner release' celebrations. Ethiopia 26 March 2018. The Ethiopian government is being blasted by human rights and press freedom activists after it rearrested bloggers and opposition leaders that it had released a few weeks ago. Andualem Aragie, leader of Ethiopian opposition UDJ party, journalists Eskinder Nega and Temesgen Desalegn, bloggers Befeqadu Hailu and Zelalem Workagegnehu were arrested on Sunday during a celebration organized for all the political prisoners released recently. Ethiopia has already released more than 6,000 prisoners since January, including some high-profile journalists and opposition leaders. Declaring the campaign to release political prisoners, the former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the releases were designed to increase “political space” in Ethiopia following anti-government protests that began in 2015. Desalegn has since resigned and a state of emergency has been imposed in the country, despite defiant protests by the opposition in the Oromiya and Amhara regions. Amha Mekonnen, who represented a number of the detainees told the Associated Press that his clients were arrested for violating the state of emergency., in addition to displaying a prohibited national flag. “I also understand they were accused of gathering en masse in violation of the state of emergency rule.” Under Ethiopia’s latest state of emergency declared earlier this year, people are prohibited from such gatherings without authorities’ prior knowledge. American based Ethiopian news agency, Zehabesha, had earlier reported that police accused the opposition leaders who had gathered at the invitation of Andualem Aragie, Andualem Aragie, of using the original Ethiopian plain flag, which does not have the new EPRDF blue disc with 5 point star in the middle. Ethiopians in the opposition have on several occasions expressed their displeasure with the new flag arguing that the EPRDF blue disc star symbolises ethnic division. A proclamation regarding the use of the Ethiopian flag prohibits the display of the flag without the emblem at its center and those contravening the law could be sentenced to up to a year and a half in prison. Eskinder recently told journalists in the Ethiopian capital that ‘he was prepared to go back to prison’ if that was the price to be paid for pursuing democratic reforms in the country. After his release, UDJ leader Andualem Aragie equally condemned recent tribal conflicts in the country which he described as ‘barbarism that do not belong in the 21st century’. “It is very bad to have an ethnic mindset, we must work together for our country. Dictatorship is inhuman but racism is worse. We must fight this kind of barbarism to make a peaceful country. We are not human if we attack somebody based on the languages they speak or the tribe they belong to. “ It is unknown when the arrested journalists, bloggers and opposition leaders will be released.

SIERRA LEONE COURT LIFTS ORDER HALTING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 26 March 2018. The High Court in Sierra Leone has lifted an interim injunction halting Sierra Leone’s runoff presidential election. In the session held on Monday afternoon in Freetown, the court ordered that the interim injunction refraining the electoral commission from organising the election runoff is vacated. ‘‘The interim injunction that the 1st and 2nd defendants should be refrained from conducting the March 27 presidential elections is vacated.’‘ The interim injunction that the 1st and 2nd defendants should be refrained from conducting the March 27 presidential elections is vacated. The court then went ahead to give orders to the electoral commission relating to how the runoff should be conducted to ensure transparency and adherence to the Public Elections Act 2012. Police and security forces had cordoned off the court premises to prevent angry protesters from disrupting proceedings. On Saturday, court granted one Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, a lawyer linked to the ruling All People’s Congress Party (APC) a temporary injunction, after he argued that electoral fraud allegations should be investigated before the vote goes ahead. While the leading opposition party, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the country’s civil society organisations had roundly rejected the injunction, insisting that polls must be held as scheduled, the ruling party had argued that the court verdict should direct the people of Sierra Leone. The APC’s candidate, Samura Kamara, finished slightly behind Julius Maada Bio of the opposition SLPP in the first round of voting on March 7, but neither candidate gained the 55 percent of votes needed to win outright. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced on Saturday that they had halted preparations for the election runoff pending the court verdict. NEC is yet to respond to the court verdict, announcing whether the runoff will be held tomorrow as scheduled or at a latter date.

SIERRA LEONE COURT LIFTS ORDER HALTING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 26 March 2018. Via @REUTERS The High Court in Sierra Leone has lifted an interim injunction halting Sierra Leone’s runoff presidential election. In the session held on Monday afternoon in Freetown, the court ordered that the interim injunction refraining the electoral commission from organising the election runoff is vacated. ‘‘The interim injunction that the 1st and 2nd defendants should be refrained from conducting the March 27 presidential elections is vacated.’‘ The interim injunction that the 1st and 2nd defendants should be refrained from conducting the March 27 presidential elections is vacated. The court then went ahead to give orders to the electoral commission relating to how the runoff should be conducted to ensure transparency and adherence to the Public Elections Act 2012. Police and security forces had cordoned off the court premises to prevent angry protesters from disrupting proce...

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BREAKING NEWS. EGYPT LAUNCHES ITS OWN FACEBOOK VERSION, TO OVERSHADOW POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA GIANT FACEBOOK. 24 March 2018. {My comment; Other people might say this is a development for Egypt and Africans at large. Garbage! People stop making such trash comments about trash developments. I heard the dull ICT charlatans working in #Uganda_Communication_Commission and ICT ministry screaming all over Newspapers / Televisions, Yeah we gonna develop our own Facebook and Internet sites. Idiots just. Who would even visit such a Trapping track site?. Only an idiot of an idiot would visit such government generated APPs and Sites. I bet Uganda is gonna applause Egypt for such a development. Guess what, Most African Rulers are stupid and illiterate. They become mad and greedy of power. They can do anything to sustain their stay in power! Thus, by using so many ways and one of them is through entrapping political / human rights activists via Internet. Ruthless rulers fear and hate speech of dissidents. Birds of the same feather, most times flock together}. MY MESSAGE TO THE EGYPTIANS; it's up on you unto decide for yourselves since the problems entailing these 2 countries (Egypt and Uganda) are different. #THANKS. Below is the article __________________________________________________________________________________ AGYPT LAUNCHES FACEBOOK RIVAL, #EGPYT_FACE 23 March 2018. There is a new social media network launched in Egypt, EgyptFace is said to be a project by the government to rival the global tech giants, Facebook according to media reports. The network comes about two weeks after the Communications Minister,Yasser Al-Qadi, announced that Egypt was set to launch its own social network. Soon as Egypt Face was launched, a large number of people signed up for the new social network, some of whom called for their experience, although the site was still anonymous and was not endorsed by anyone,” a Lebanese news portal, An Nahar said. They added that: As per the date of registration of the site’s domain egface.com, it was registered on March 14, two days after the statements of the Minister of Communications. Click here 👇👇 ift.tt/2l0u6Ov To read more

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