Trial of Moroccan journalist accused of sexual assault postponed

 

Human rights activists and supporters of Moroccan journalist Soulaimane Raissouni at the Casablanca Appeals Courts on Tuesday Febraury 10, 2021.  -  

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Africanews

MOROCCO

Human rights activists and supporters took part in a sit-in at the Casablanca Appeals Court to rally behind a journalist, who’s being tried over accusation of sexual assault in Morocco.

The trial of editor-in-chief of the Akhbar Al Yaoun newspaper, Soulaimane Raissouni was postponed to March 2 at a hearing on Tuesday. Raissouni has been in detention since May 22 last year pending resolution to his case.

"Today, this demonstration comes on the occasion of the first hearing of Soulaimane Raissouni after 9 months of investigation which is very long for his family. We thought that during the past 9 months, Soulaimane will be tried in a state of freedom’’, 32-year old Kholoud Mokhtari, wife of the journalist said.

Soulaimane Raissouni's trial follows sexual assault charges filed by an LGBT rights activist. The 48-year old has consistently denied the charges.

Mid-May last year, an LGBT community activist, who is only identified as ‘’A.M’’ by AFP claimed that the journalist ‘’jumped on him’’, ‘’taking advantage of his weakness and moral health to satisfy his sexual desires’’. According to ‘’A.M’’, the alleged assault dated back to the end of 2018, when the journalist’s wife had offered to collaborate on a film about the LGBT community.

On the evening of Soulaimane Raissouni’s arrest, Director of Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire, tweeted: ‘’We express our full solidarity with Moroccan journalist Souleiman Raissouni, editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language newspaper Akhbar el Yaoum, victim of a smear campaign relayed by online media close to the intelligence services’’.

Other civil society organizations were in support of the accused. "The culture of rape has a bright future ahead of it. Solidarity with the accused or how to question the plaintiff's word", said Ibtissam "Betty" Lachgar, co-founder of the Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties.By Rédaction Africanews

Two killed as convoy of Nigerian governor is involved in fatal accident

 

A road accident involving a vehicle on the convoy of Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has reportedly led to the deaths of two people.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, February 9, when the governor was heading to Maiduguri after a visit from Mafa local government area (LGA).

One of the vehicles was said to have had a road mishap and crashed along Mafa- Maiduguri road.

Some other top government officials were said to be on the convoy. Photo: @IamMkyari/Twitter, Engr. Dr. Babagana Umara Zulum/Facebook

According to a police source who confirmed the incident, the vehicle somersaulted after a tyre deflated.

Sources also told the Vanguard newspaper that a traditional ruler was one of the deceased:

“Two occupants including Mai Kanuribe of Lagos, Alhaji Mustapha Muhammadu died at the spot while the driver who sustained serious injuries later died some few hours after.''“The Governor and his entourage on Tuesday went to his hometown, Mafa Local Government Area to participate in the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) Registration and Revalidation Exercise, unfortunately, while on their way back after the exercise, one of the vehicles in the convoy, conveying the Mai Kanuribe of Lagos had a road mishap and crashed along Mafa- Maiduguri road.

A former governor Borno governor, Kashim Shettima, was said to be among other top officials who were travelling in the convoy.

In another report, the commissioner of health in Borno state, Salihu Kwaya-Buara, has been relieved of his duties by the state governor, Babagana Zulum.

According to Gusau, the removal was part of measures to reposition the ministry, adding that the chief of staff to the governor, Isa Marte, has been asked to take over the ministry, the commissioner's sack was contained in a statement by the special adviser to the governor on public relations and strategy, Malam Isa Gusau.

Haiti protests continue despite police crackdown

 

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Dieu Nalio Chery/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

By Rédaction Africanews 

with afp

 

HAITI

The struggle over Haiti's presidency intensified Monday as opposition politicians named their own leader of the country in an effort to drive out President Jovenel Moise, whose term they say has expired.

The smoldering political crisis flared up Sunday, when officials claimed they had foiled an attempt to murder the president and overthrow the government in a coup.

Moise has been governing without any checks on his power for the past year and says he is president until February 7, 2022 -- an interpretation of the constitution rejected by the opposition, which led to protests asserting his term ended on Sunday. 

Some small demonstrations took place over the weekend, which included clashes with police, but residents of the capital Port-au-Prince largely stayed at home in a nation gripped by political uncertainty and a resurgence of kidnappings for ransom.

In a video statement sent to AFP, judge Joseph Mecene Jean-Louis, 72, said he "accepted the choice of the opposition and civil society, to serve (his) country as interim president for the transition."

But the United States has accepted Moise's claim to power and he appears to have retained leadership of the Caribbean island nation, which has a long history of instability and deep poverty worsened by natural disasters.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is monitoring the situation "with concern," his spokesman said, adding that "it's very important that all stakeholders address their differences through peaceful means."

The spokesman noted that Moise "was sworn in in February 2017 for a five-year term," without commenting directly on whether the UN considered the president to be legitimate.

- Disputed elections -

Former senator Youri Latortue said that the transition period was expected to take time.

"There's a two-year roadmap laid out, with the establishing of a national conference, the setting out of a new constitution and the holding of elections," he said.

The opposition has also attacked the claim Moise was targeted by a coup attempt, saying he was no longer legally the president.

"We are waiting for Jovenel Moise to leave the National Palace (the president's official office) so that we can get on with installing Mr Mecene Jean-Louis," opposition figure Andre Michel told AFP.

The dispute over when the president's term ends stems from Moise's original election: he was voted into office in a poll subsequently canceled after allegations of fraud, and then elected again a year later, in 2016.

After that poll was also disputed, demonstrations demanding his resignation intensified in the summer of 2018.

Voting to elect deputies, senators, mayors and local officials should have been held in 2018, but the elections have been delayed, triggering the vacuum in which Moise says he is entitled to stay for another year.

At present Haiti lacks institutions that could break the stalemate over the presidency. The Constitutional Council, which should have decided on the length of the presidential term, only exists on paper.

Nor can the Senate establish itself as a high court as the law allows, because only a third of senators remain in office due to the lack of elections under the Moise administration.

In the last presidential elections, barely more than 20 percent of voters took part in the ballot that brought Moise to power.By Rédaction Africanews 

with afp

Congo urges calm after latest Ebola case

Matanda hospital near Butembo where the Ebola victim was admitted before she passed away  -  

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Cleared

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

DR Congo on Sunday announced a "resurgence" of Ebola in its troubled east after a woman died of the disease, just three months after authorities declared the end of the country's latest outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had dispatched a team of epidemiologists to the scene of the latest death to investigate.

The victim was married to an Ebola survivor.North Kivu provincial minister of health Eugene Nzanzu Syalita said they were investigating if the latest case is linked to a previous outbreak.

"It could happen because we know that she is the wife of an Ebola survivor, so it could happen. So, we are here, people should stay calm and measures should be respected", said Syalita.

Butembo and Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were the epicenters of a previous outbreak that run from August 1, 2018 to June 25, 2020, that killed more than 2,200 people.

Ebola haemorrhagic fever was first identified in 1976 after scientists probed a string of unexplained deaths in what is now northern DRC.

The symptoms are severe: high fever and muscle pain followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, skin eruptions, kidney and liver failure, internal and external bleeding.

The average fatality rate from Ebola is around 50 percent but this can rise to 90 percent for some epidemics, according to the WHO.

The virus that causes the disease is believed to reside in bats.

By Rédaction Africanews

Election et al to dominate Arab League meeting underway in Cairo

 

A handout picture by the Arab League on February 8, 2021 shows a view of a meeting to discus the Palestinian cause, at the league headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.  -  

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-/AFP or licensors

EGYPT

Key Palestinian factions opened talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo on Monday.

Discussions between Fatah and Hamas, are aimed at paving the way for the first elections in the West Bank and Gaza since 2006. Egyptian state television reports that negotiations are under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"Egypt continues its full efforts to end the Palestinian division, and did not hesitate to offer all kinds of support to Palestine to restore unity. Egypt believes that achieving reconciliation in Palestine will have a positive effect on the ability of the Palestinian people to move on in the negotiations process and achieve its goals", said Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry.

Judicial, security arrangements for the vote and the fate of Palestinian voters in the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem are thorny issues on the agenda.

The May 22 elections will be the first parliamentary elections in 15 years. The Islamist movement Hamas won an unexpected landslide in the last vote, a victory not recognized by president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah. This led to bloody clashes the following year and a split in Palestinian governance.

Fatah has run the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Hamas has held power in the Gaza Strip since 2007. It was the year Israel imposed a devastating blockade on the Mediterranean enclave.

The divide has left the Palestinian territories under two different political systems and without a functioning parliament.

14 Palestinian political groups are taking part in the sessions sponsored by Egypt.

By Rédaction Africanews

Anthony Joshua Nigerian boxer, wants women to value themselves, fires warning to Tyson Fury ahead of £200m mega-fight

 British and Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua has urged all women to value themselves regardless of the situation they might be going through in life.

The 31-year-old is one of the biggest boxers in the world considering his records in boxing and even the money the Nigerian star has made so far.

Going by his name and achievements, it is expected that Anthony Joshua will be the choice of most women who would love to have him around them.

Although there is no clear indication if Anthony Joshua is married, but the world boxing champion has a son named Joseph who has a mother called Nicole Osbourne.

Anthony Joshua while speaking also enjoined women to be close to God in everything they do.Nicole Osbourne is an Englishwoman and she's reportedly no longer dating the Nigerian boxer.

''Women, make sure you value yourselves no matter the situation you are into, never forget your value. The Creator of life, closest thing to God,''

Joshua recently knocked out Kubrat Pulev in his last boxing fight and there have been news linking him with next battle against Tyson Fury.

Tyson Fury has explained many times that he is ready to face Anthony Joshua claiming that the Nigerian boxer would be defeated.

The Englishman was so superb in his last fight against Deontay Wilder as he defeated the American in great styles.

Anthony Joshua, Nigerian boxer. Photo by David M. Benett

Anthony Joshua may be knocking out opponents as the heavyweight but the British-born Nigerian boxer surely has a soft spot for women.

The IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight made a post on his Instagram handle backing women for their relentless efforts in keeping the family.The 31-year-old who is a close friend to his mother revealed that any man who maltreats a woman will never experience peace in their lives.

Joshua is currently preparing for the heavyweight unification fight with fellow British fighter and WBC champion Tyson Fury.

The date of the historic fight is yet to be announced but Joshua's manager Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the showpiece will take place in a yet to be decided venue. 

Anthony Joshua has stylishly warned Tyson Fury ahead of their much publicised heavyweight mega-fight slated for later this year.

Boxing fans across the globe are expecting a date for the tantalising clash to be fixed, but politics within the sport has threatened to prevent the bout.

The pair are billed to earn a minimum of £100million each in the first clash of a two-bout deal and now both camps are pushing for the fight to materialise. 

And as negotiations over the deal continue, Joshua has hinted about what it takes to become an elite boxer.

“In this life, 99 per cent of the population are civilised people - the job I've chosen is for the uncivilised,' he told his YouTube channel. He said via Daily Mail:

“No matter what the tactics are, no matter how much you study, no matter how much you think you can beat me, I'm just there to win. That's the fighter's mentality - some people may not understand it.

“This is a sport of combat and war. We're not civilised people, we're warriors, and I love it."

Anthony Joshua . Photo: Andrew Couldridge

A Nigerian judge finds out he's not the biological father of 3 kids from ex-wife

 

A judge of the Delta state high court, Anthony Okorodas, has revealed that he is not the biological father of the three children from his marriage with his former wife identified as Celia Juliet Ototo.

It was indicated in a statement issued by the legal luminary that Celia left the marriage eleven years ago, 

The judge said during the COVID-19 lockdown in April 2019, an anonymous source informed him that the last of the three children was not his biological child.

The heartbroken man said after conducting a DNA test, the result confirmed the information he received from the source.

 Justice Okorodas Photo credit: The News Nigeria

According to Okorodas, he was prompted to run DNA on the other two kids and the results were heart-wrenching: the children are not his.

He said the situation has been traumatic for him, his current wife and their four kids as well as Celia's three kids.

Okorodas said he decided to conduct DNA on the four kids from his current marriage and results showed that he is their biological father.

According to the judge, he will not stop taking care of Celia's kids, three of whom are undergraduates

A Swiss legal practitioner has given more insights into Late Abacha's looting spree

A Swiss lawyer, Enrico Monfrini says he has been working for the past twenty years to recover funds looted by the military government of Late General Sani Abacha government.

Channels Television quoted Mr. Monfrini as saying he was first contacted by the civilian government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to help with the recovery of the funds stolen by Abacha.

He also explained some of his findings on how the former military dictator diverted the funds to Swiss banks which he described as dollars by truckloads.

General Sani Abacha. Photo credit: @CFR_org

According to him, by 2018, the amount of Abacha stolen funds Switzerland had returned to Nigeria had reached more than $1billion.

He alleged that the late dictator diverted over four to five billion dollars at the initial stage.

He added that he is still expecting $30million from the United Kingdom to be returned, along with $144million in France and a further $18million in New Jersey, USA.

Meanwhile, the immediate past Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major-General Tukur Buratai now holds the title of Nigeria's longest-serving COAS beating Late Abacha's record.

The Borno-born General spent a total of 66 months as the nation's top army chief and he is followed closely by Abacha who spent 60 months as the COAS.

David Ejoor served as the COAS for 56 months, TY Danjuma served for 51 months and Azubuike Ihejirika served for 40 months.

Out of those mentioned, only Danjuma from Taraba state and Ihejirika from Abia state are still alive.

The president made the promise in his 2021 new year message to Nigerians on Friday, January 1, adding that the security agencies will be trained adequately on how to engage, push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups.Recall that President Buhari had promised to reorganise Nigeria's security architecture in the year 2021.