24 women will be tried for wearing trouser in Khartoum Sudan

Twenty-four women will be tried in a district court in Khartoum on Sunday for 'inappropriate clothing'. Public order police stormed a party on Wednesday evening, where the girls and women were wearing trousers.

"The party took place in a closed hall in a building in El Mamoura. The girls were arrested for wearing trousers, despite obtaining a permit from the authorities."Most times when women are tried, however, a conviction follows. The crime is punishable by up to 40 lashes and a fine. Last August, Sudan's Public Order Court has dismissed charges against two girls, accused of wearing disgraceful dress, citing a lack of evidence by the police and because the judge concluded that "trousers are not disgraceful".

 

Probles of climate change

Climate change can course drought and food shortage, can also have  a huge impact on people's lives. For example, in Malawi  around 1.5 million girls as young as 13 facing the possibility of an early marriage because their families cannot feed them.

Cyril Ramaphosa is the new ANC president!!

Ramaphosa gets 2440 votes, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma gets 2261.

New 'Mega' Dinosaur Found in Lesotho

A team of scientists from universities in South Africa, the UK and Brazil have discovered the first evidence of a large carnivorous dinosaur roaming Southern Africa 200 million years ago. The discovery of the large footprints was made in the Roma Valley near the National University of Lesotho.

Kenya voted world's top safari destination

For the third time kenya has won in the category at the world travel awards. Kenya tourism board chairman, jimi kairuki, says kenya deserved the win since it has best safari hotspots such as the world famous maasai mara national reserve.
Amboseli national park, lake nakuru national park as well as tsavo east and west national parks.

Kenyans to vote again

A six  judge bench, by majority decision has found that the independent electoral and boundaries commission failed to conduct the polls according to the constitution and elections act. The polls agency has been ordered to conduct fresh presidential elections within strict  confines of the law  within boundariea.

Kenya: President Kenyatta Wins Election for Second Term, Pledges to Serve All Kenyans Equally

President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared winner in the 2017 presidential election with 8, 203, 290 votes translating to 54.2 percent of the total votes cast.

President Kenyatta urged Kenyans to remain united and to remember that they are all brothers and sisters. "To fellow Kenyans, elections come and go but Kenya is here to stay. Let us always remember that we are all brothers and sisters," said the President.

Mandela Day

Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery dies

Six years old Bradley Lowery has died of cancer.  The Sunderland fan was diagnosed with neuroblastoma - a rare type of cancer when he was 18 months old. 

 May his soul rest in peace!!

 

Police in Nigeria promise to rescue kidnapped students from Lagos

A top Lagos police official has assured parents of the students kidnapped 25 days ago that security agencies were working tirelessly to ensure the return of the students. six senior secondary school students were kidnapped on May after gunmen broke through the school's fence to gain access into the compound.

 

wife of new Lesotho PM shot dead

The estranged wife of Lesotho's incoming prime minister Thabane was shot dead on Wednesday night in a village in the outskirt of Maseru. Lipolelo Thabane 58 was about to enter the gate of her home when she was killed instantly by a gun man who opened a fire.  Her friend was seriously injured and is in critical condition at a local hospital.  Lipolelo's divorce with Thabane was yet to be finalised by the high court.

Girls sell sex for empty beer bottles in Zimbabwe

Girls as young as 12 are selling sex for empty beer bottles.  most of these girls have been forced into sex work by either poverty or the death of their parents.  some of their interviewed said that they were given empty beer or soft drink bottles as payment which they would then sell for less than $ 0.50 cents each.  others are being paid cash for providing their services, others are paid used blankets, clothes and food.  the highest amount these young sex workers were getting per day was $ 16.

Algeria: Beaten By Her Husband, and Nowhere to Turn

"Salwa's" husband started beating her in the early days of their marriage in 2006. She endured the punches until that fateful day in September 2011, when, she said, her husband hung her by the arms to a bar in the ceiling of their house with an iron wire and stripped her naked. He beat her with a broom, then slashed her breasts with scissors.

Bleeding and screaming, Salwa fainted. When she woke up, she was on the floor, freed from the wire. Her sister-in-law hovered over her, trying to wake her and give her something to wear. Then, her sister-in-law opened the door of the house and told Salwa to flee.

Salwa, a mother of two from Annaba, Algeria, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, is far from unique. In 2016, Algerian police recorded 8,000 cases of violence against women, half of which involved domestic violence. And, as with Salwa, many cases may not be reported. In a 2006 survey by the State Ministry for the Family and the Status of Women, 9.4 percent of Algerian women between the ages of 19 and 64 who responded said they often - or even daily - experienced physical violence within their family.

The violence Salwa endured is just the beginning of her story. As she tells it, Salwa had to fight her way through Algeria's justice and social services system for the protection that she should have by right.

 

Fleeing her home, Salwa ran until she came to a hospital. She was covered with bruises, her face was swollen from her husband's beatings, and her clothes were bloodied. The police guarding the hospital escorted her inside. At the emergency unit, they gave her first aid, but they told her she could not stay.

The police at the hospital took her to a police station, where she filed a complaint against her husband. She accepted the police's offer to take her to a shelter. They first took her to a government-run shelter for homeless people. Finding the shelter "overcrowded, not clean," she asked the police to take her to another shelter, and they took her to one in Annaba that had been set up for battered women and run by a nongovernmental organization.

There, she finally got the help she needed. A doctor or nurse came to the shelter every day for two weeks to change her bandages. She had the time and space for her body to heal.

When she felt physically able to leave the shelter, she went to the police to inquire about her complaint. They told her, "We called your husband, he said you fell and that is why you are bruised." The police did not investigate her complaint further - they never summoned her husband for interrogation at the station nor did they arrest him, Salwa said. The police told her they were closing the case.

 

With the help of the group that ran the shelter, she hired a lawyer and filed yet another complaint against her husband for assault. She said that a court eventually sentenced him - but only to a fine and a suspended six-month prison sentence.

She also sought a divorce. Algerian law allows men to file for divorce without providing a reason. Women who seek divorce must cite one or more "legitimate" reasons from a prepared list and convince the court they are well-founded - or agree to repay their dowry.

The first time Salwa filed for divorce, in 2012, she represented herself in court. The court rejected her request, saying she hadn't adequately proved her husband had "harmed" her. It ordered her to return to her husband.

"The state didn't do anything for me," she said. "I was almost dead and the court ordered me to go back to him."

But Salwa wouldn't go back. The organization that was helping her provided her with a lawyer. She re-filed for divorce, and a year later the court granted it, also ruling that her children should live with her and ordering her husband to pay financial support. When her husband didn't pay, she filed a complaint against him. The court sentenced him to six months in prison and a fine, Salwa said, but he went into hiding, and the police said they could not find him.

As of April 2016, Salwa was still living in the shelter. Her family refused to take her in, she said, with her brothers even telling her, "We don't want divorce in our family, we don't want you here" - a familiar sentiment in Algeria. Through the organization that was helping her, she had found a part-time job, but she didn't earn enough to rent an apartment.

When we interviewed her, Salwa was angry and fearful, and worried about protecting her kids. They have no idea where her ex-husband is. She cried as she shared her story. "I don't want to remember those times," she said.

In December 2015, Algeria became the first country in North Africa to define some forms of domestic violence as crimes in its penal code. But this is only a first step. The government needs to do more to provide women like Salwa with the protection they need. Algeria's women need more shelters where women who have suffered domestic abuse can find refuge. The government needs to direct police and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic violence, and to offer legislation empowering the courts to issue protection orders requiring suspected abusers to keep a distance from their victim.

 

Tanzania mourning.

May the souls of the beautiful angels REST IN PEACE.

Tanzania: Children, Teachers Perish in School Bus Crash

MORE than 35 pupils of the Lucky Vincent English Medium Primary School of Kwa-Mrombo in Arusha have been killed in a tragic road accident early in the morning.

Among them 3 teachers and the driver, his assistant and 27 pupils.The accident occurred after their school bus plunged into the Marera gorge in Karatu District.

Early reports as affirmed by the Karatu District Commissioner, Theresia Mahongo, indicate that the Minibus with around 40 people on board, mostly pupils and their teachers, had departed from Arusha City at around 7.00 am going to Karatu Township where the pupils were supposed to participate in inter-school mock examinations with their Tumaini Primary School counterparts of Karatu District.

Later, after the examinations, the pupils planned to have an excursion into the Ngorongoro Crater.

Condolences to the families in their great loss. RIP beautiful souls.

South Africa: Teen Bitten By Shark At Plettenberg Bay

A 14-year-old boy sustained minor injuries after a shark bit his leg at Plettenberg Bay on Saturday afternoon, emergency services said.

The boy is believed to have been bitten by a white shark while surfing at popular surf spot Keurbooms, National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said in a statement.

The boy turned to catch a wave when he saw a fin approaching him when he felt a bump on his right calf where he was bitten, Lambinon said.

The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he received sutures. He will be kept in hospital overnight as a normal precaution.

Craig said investigations are currently underway to determine the species and size of the shark.

Initial indications lean towards the bite being made by a White Shark of approximately two metres length.

News24 on Friday reported that a large amount of white sharks was spotted in the Plettenberg Bay area.

At the time, the NSRI asked the public to avoid swimming or other water related activities in areas where birds, dolphins or seals were feeding, where fishing was taking place, or where a whale was stranded.

White sharks are also colloquially known as Great White sharks.

Source: News24

Security Fears Over Mugabe's Children

President Robert Mugabe's two sons have reportedly relocated to South Africa from Dubai and Zimbabwe respectively amid fears their personal security might be "compromised" in the neighboring country.

                                        The Mugabes.

Kenya: How to Deal With Kibera's 'Flying Toilets'

 Boys sit on a boulder overlooking the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Nairobi — Wherever you walk in Kibera, the Kenyan capital's biggest slum, there's one golden rule that must always be observed, local resident Abdul Abdallah says.

"Don't step on any plastic or paper bag you see on the road."

Among the endless piles of rubbish that line Kibera's streets are what are known as "flying toilets".

"People poo in the bags at night, and they tie it and throw it and throw it away," Abdallah tells Al Jazeera.

The flying toilets are a symptom of Kibera's lack of a proper sewage system.

Hardly any in this impoverished corner of Nairobi has the luxury of a toilet inside their home. Some have an outdoor toilet, shared between multiple dwellings, but these are simple pit latrines that need to be emptied - usually into the open sewers outside.

"You remove it from your face and put it to another person's face," Harun Wainaina, another local resident, says with a bitter laugh.

Inside his compact - but neat and tidy - home, his two children play video games. He says he's had to take them to the doctor on more than one occasion to treat diseases they picked up after playing in the streets.

"If you go to the hospital, you will find many cases like this," Wainaina tells Al Jazeera. "This is a crisis."

Al Jazeera spent time with several of Kibera's residents, examining the effect of the slum's waste crisis and the innovative solutions some locals have developed to tackle the problem.

Kenya: Man Dies As He Attempts to Retrieve Sh3000 From Pit Latrine

A man suffocated to death while trying to retrieve money from a pit latrine in Ngiriambu village, Kirinyaga County.

The victim, 30, and his two friends went down into the pit to remove their neighbour's Sh3,000 that had accidentally dropped.

According to a witness, the woman had promised to share the money with the young men if they recovered the money.

Excited, the men descended into the 50-feet hole and got to the bottom. But as they were searching for the cash they started suffocating due to lack of sufficient oxygen.

On realising the situation was getting worse, they hurriedly started climbing up but the victim got stuck inside.

The survivors raised an alarm, attracting dozens of villagers who embarked on rescue mission.

The shocked villagers tried to rescue the man for but they were unsuccessful.

Police were alerted and they managed to get the body out the latrine.

A villager, Beatrice Muthoni said it took the police six hours to remove the man's body from the latrine.

Kirinyaga police boss Hussein Arur said it was unfortunate hat the young man died painfully.

He said investigations were underway to establish the actual circumstances of the man's death.

Tanzania: Why Jakaya Kikwete Got Hero's Welcome in Bunge

Dodoma — MPs from across the political divide yesterday cheered Retired President Jakaya Kikwete for ten minutes in Parliament, prompting debate as to what message the lawmakers were trying to convey.

MPs from both the ruling CCM and Opposition burst into applause after the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Job Ndugai, announced that Mr Kikwete was among visitors following proceedings from the public gallery.

The former head of state was in Parliament to witness the swearing-in of his wife Salma as an MP. President John Magufuli nominated the former first lady as a lawmaker last month. "We miss you!" some of the MPs shouted as they gave Mr Kikwete a standing ovation.

Mr Ndugai had a difficult time trying to restore order as MPs ignored his repeated calls for House business to resume.

Mr Ndugai admitted that the reception Mr Kikwete received in Parliament was unprecedented.

"This is my fourth term in Parliament, but I have never seen a visitor get such a reception. I can see that people are missing him. Let's give him a standing ovation," said Mr Ndugai as ear-splitting applause shook the debating chamber.

"Let him come and greet us," some MPs were heard saying as others asked the Speaker to temporarily revoke Standing Orders to allow the former head of state to address the House.

MPs speak out

Lawmakers who spoke to The Citizen said MPs communicated an "important message" by wildly cheering Mr Kikwete.

Mr Peter Msigwa (Iringa Urban-Chadema) said they accorded Mr Kikwete a standing ovation in recognition of his role in promoting democracy in Tanzania.

"Mr Kikwete had no problem when opposition MPs walked out as he addressed Parliament. That is democracy. He knew that people could express themselves in various ways in a democratic setting. Unfortunately, this is not something that can be tolerated today," he said.

Ms Esther Matiku (Tarime Urban-Chadema) said opposition MPs had in the past walked out of Parliament as Mr Kikwete spoke not because they hated him.

 MPs walked out in protest, and Mr Kikwete showed that he was a true democrat who could stomach criticism and divergent views. This is not something we are seeing today. People are now victimised for dissent," she said.

Mr Zitto Kabwe (Kigoma Urban-ACT Wazalendo) said MPs honoured Mr Kikwete for cherishing freedom of speech.

"Mr Kikwete allowed freedom of speech. He even allowed Parliament to review the Budget, something which is unthinkable under the current government," he said.

Ms Margaret Sitta (Urambo-CCM) said the standing ovation was MPs' way of remembering Mr Kikwete's achievements during his ten years in office.

"He did a wonderful job. I will not forget how hard it was to reach Tabora from other parts of the country before Mr Kikwete was elected as president. The roads were terrible back then. So, why shouldn't we celebrate him?" she asked.

Dr Raphael Chegeni (Busega-CCM) said it was normal for people to be happy when they reunite after not seeing each other for a long time.

Mr Marwa Ryoba (Serengeti-Chadema) said MPs' reaction was partly driven by the current "grim" economic situation.

"Although the Fifth Phase government often brags about substantially increasing revenue collection, the fact is that very little goes to development projects. People are feeling the pinch at all levels," he said.

Mr Masoud Abdallah Salum, (Mtambile-CUF) said Mr Kikwete was affable and easily accessible during his time at State House, adding that he used to listen to people and address their concerns.

"If you want to appreciate a person's good qualities, you have to compare them with someone else, and that is what has happened. In the past there was greater democratic space compared to the present," he said.

Ms Pendo Peneza (Special Seats-Chadema) said Mr Kikwete never interfered with Parliament, adding that this enabled the House to exercise its oversight role freely and effectively. "I praise Kikwete because he was a dignified man. He respected people irrespective of political affiliation."

South Africa: New Social Media Research Finds Xenophobia Rife Among South Africans

A new study of social media posts has found that a large number of South Africans are xenophobic.

Director of the Citizen Research Centre Stuart Jones has been conducting research on xenophobia in terms of social media since 2011.

The organisation isolated and analysed all public social media posts pertaining to xenophobia across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, forums, chat rooms, comments and blog posts in SA.

Jones said he chose social media because he felt strongly that the data represented the truest expression of people's views on any given subject.

The data excluded social media posts from other countries.

"The remaining comments made by individuals constituted a data set of almost two million relevant posts since 2011... If we isolate just the Twitter posts from this data set, they had a total of 5.7 billion potential impressions. This effectively means that collectively these posts landed in 5.7 billion twitter feeds," said Jones.

'All foreigners should leave the country'

The findings and analysis of the posts provided Jones with clear lessons in how social media was linked to xenophobia on the streets as well as in how to help moderate the conversation.

"From 2011 to now, the average number of posts has ticked along at 760 posts per day."

Jones said social media responded to real life and the number of posts increased dramatically during times of crises in the country.

Two important xenophobic incidences have been noted in the research, one in April 2015 and one in February 2017.

In April 2015, Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini reportedly said that "all foreigners should leave the country".

Jones said violence directed at African foreigners erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and rapidly spread to the rest of the country as a result of the comments made by Zwelithini.

"During the violence, social media conversation around xenophobia grew to 5 670 posts a day."

'Holding our country to ransom'

In January and February 2017 there was an average of nearly 2 000 posts per day on the subject.

"This was in the build-up to the march at the end of February. Again this was inflamed by a public figure, with Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba linking foreigners to crime. He was quoted as having said, 'You see, for me, when I call these criminals, criminals, I want them to understand that they are criminals. They are holding our country to ransom and I am going to be the last South African to allow it.'"

Looking at the conversations in detail, Jones said, xenophobic social media posts made up between 8% and 28% of all conversation, depending on the year.

"There is a recent tendency to associate foreigners with criminal activity. This was aggravated by, if not caused by, Herman Mashaba's recent comments.

"As a result, hateful speech against foreigners associating them with crime has risen threefold to 13% of the total conversation since his statement."

Jones said what would be classified as extreme hate speech and incitement to violence had remained a fairly small component of the total conversation.

Pacifying voices

"In 2015 there were 21 660 posts that could be classified as such and in the first two months of this year there have already been 1 100 posts that fit this description."

Research also found that pacifying voices increased in times of crisis, and range from 15% to 42% of the conversation.

"Crucially, pacifying voices have been weakest before xenophobic violence and protest hit. For example, only 15% of posts spoke against xenophobia."

He said politicians and community leaders played an important role in pacifying sentiments.

"Their anti-xenophobic views are widely distributed and discussed on social media. [EFF leader] Julius Malema, [Police Minister] Fikile Mbalula and [DA leader] Mmusi Maimane all tweeted strong statements against xenophobia.

"Julius Malema, though, had the biggest effect in countering xenophobic views, probably because he engaged early and because he has an active support base on social media."

Anti-white posts

Jones said that in 2016 there had been a dramatic shift in the xenophobia conversation.

Data showed that anti-xenophobic and anti-colonialist or anti-white South African posts have also grown exponentially.

"The typical narrative here is that we shouldn't take our anger out on fellow Africans, but rather on 'the real enemy', colonialism or white South Africans. This is allied to the #FeesMustFall movement."

 ones said this sentiment was less than 1% of the conversation in 2011. In the first two months of 2017, it made up 24% of the total conversation around xenophobia.

"In other words, in January and February this year, one in four posts referring to xenophobia from any angle, positive or negative, on social media in SA fell into the anti-white or anti-colonial category. This points to a dramatic shift in South Africa's political landscape, especially among young black South Africans."

Politicians 'must do more'

Jones said government needed to admit that there was a problem.

"Saying that South Africans are not xenophobic does not change the fact that a great many South Africans are xenophobic. The first step toward dealing with a problem is acknowledging that it exists. Various politicians, including President Jacob Zuma, have denied that there is a xenophobia problem."

Jones said politicians also needed to be more responsible about what they say to communities.

"It may be more helpful to start calling xenophobia what it is in the South African context, it is Afrophobia. The most hateful, unpublishable bile that is said on social media is directed toward Africans from other countries."

He said politicians can provide the necessary momentum in the counter narrative against xenophobia.

"Very few politicians entered the conversation, rather sitting silently by, and more can definitely be done here," Jones said.

Source: News24

South Africa

New pyramid remains discovered south of Cairo

A top antiquities official said that an Egyptian excavation team has discovered the remains of a new pyramid that dates back to the 13th Dynasty, some 3,700 years ago.

The head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector, Mahmoud Afifi, said in a statement on Monday that the remains were located north of King Sneferu's bent pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis, about 40km south of Cairo.

Owing to the bent slope of its sides, the pyramid is believed to have been ancient Egypt's first attempt to build a smooth-sided pyramid.

The necropolis was the burial site for courtiers and high-ranking officials.

Adel Okasha, the head of Dahshur necropolis, said that the remains belong to the inner structure of the pyramid, including a corridor. Other remains included blocks showing the interior design of the pyramid.

congratulations Dr. Mwele Malecela

Dr. Mwele Malecela is the new Director of Africa Centres for diseases and control and prevention - Who. She will be living at Congo.

Uganda: Woman Survives As Police Chopper Blows Off Rooftop

Kampala — A woman and her two children on Monday afternoon escaped death after a helicopter flipped over their house in Biina, Butabika Parish in Nakawa Division and blew off the rooftop.

Ms Nampijja, now homeless, is being housed by her neighbour.

Narrating her life petrifying experience to this newspaper yesterday, Ms Nampijja said she saw a chopper coming down at a lower altitude and descending towards her house at around 2:30pm.

Upon sensing danger, she dashed into the house to rescue her children who were asleep but did not make it on time and out of shock, she got trapped in the house with her two children.

"We had not yet moved out when the helicopter blew off the roof. We cannot tell what had happened to the chopper," Ms Nampijja said.

The iron sheets flew off in different directions although none of her children was hurt by the falling debris.

Thugs, however, took advantage of the misfortune to rip off her belongings.

"I locked the shuttered door with the padlock but in the morning I found when thieves had robbed us clean," Nampijja said.

The Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, yesterday sent Mr Andrew Kaweesi, the police spokesperson, to ascertain the magnitude of the damage caused by their helicopter.

"I have come with our officers from our engineering unit to examine what needs to be done to repair this house. That is the message IGP [Kayihura] told me to come and tell you. It was our helicopter and we cannot deny that," Mr Kaweesi said.

Mr Edward Agaba, an eye witness, suspects that the helicopter might have lost balance since it allegedly rotated before it hit the house.

"It would rotate and stop in the air for seconds. It started moving at a very low height and we were all scared. We saw it moving as if it was going to crash-land," Agaba said.

However, Mr Kaweesi dismissed claims that the chopper was in a bad mechanical condition.

He suspected it might have been a "flying miscalculation by the pilot".

Col Ham Kaija, commandant Police Air wing and Capt Aziz Sentamu, who was flying the chopper, attributed the crash to bad weather.

"I was flying at a high loftiness but I realised there were clouds in this area that could not allow me have a clear view. I was forced to move at a very low elevation," Captain Sentamu said.

Col Kaija said Biina is one of the holding power centres for aircrafts before they are released to land. He added that planes are usually advised to move on elevated ground whenever they are uncertain of the weather.

Cameroon Beats Egypt To Lift #AFCON2017 Title

Cameroon celebrates winning the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations 2017 in Gabon.

Cameroon: Afcon 2017 - Unfavoured, Unliked, Unbelievable Cameroon Seal Fifth Title in Fine Fashion

Heading into the tournament, Cameroon weren't even underdogs: they weren't given a hope in hell. But the squad that was considered the weakest ever Indomitable Lions side to go to an Africa Cup of Nations overcame all the odds under the tutelage of a coach who didn't even make the original five-man shortlist for the job. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

It was the final that nobody would have predicted and the champions nobody saw coming. Cameroon claimed a 2-1 win over Egypt on Sunday night to claim their fifth Africa Cup of Nations after a tournament which has been defined by them defying expectation.

In a rather frenetic match, an inexperienced Indomitable Lions side pipped veterans Egypt as they scripted the final chapter in what has been a tremendous journey. Egypt were unbeaten in Afcon for 13 years and had not conceded two goals in any match since November 2014. Until now.

On paper, Egypt and Cameroon could not be more different. In goal, Egypt's 44-year old Essam El-Hadary started playing football before Cameroon's 21-year-old Fabrice Ondoa was even born. Egypt had won seven titles, their most recent victory coming in 2010. Cameroon have won four, their last victory coming in...