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Showing posts with label . Source :BBC news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label . Source :BBC news. Show all posts
Monday, 15 May 2017
South African Generations star Mandla Hlatshwayo killed
Image copyrightFACEBOOK
South Africans are paying tribute to a former actor on popular local TV series Generations who was killed during a mugging on Sunday night.
Mandla Hlatshwayo and his friend were shot after confronting a group of men who had robbed women of their mobile phones in a pub in Soweto.
Those who knew the 40-year-old have described him as a selfless man.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world with more than 50,000 cases reported every year.
Many are using social media to send message of condolences to the family of Mr Hlatshwayo, who was also a disc jockey for local radio station Jozi FM.
The hashtag #RIPMandla has been trending since news of his death broke on Monday morning.
Jozi FM head Mpho Mhlongo, who confirmed the star's death, noted that Mr Hlatshwayo's father was also killed some years ago during a robbery.
Mr Hlatshwayo's death has sparked a debate around how to tackle the country's rampant crime levels but it makes many realise there are no easy solutions, says the BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.
There have been no arrests yet.
South African Generations star Mandla Hlatshwayo killed
Image copyrightFACEBOOK
South Africans are paying tribute to a former actor on popular local TV series Generations who was killed during a mugging on Sunday night.
Mandla Hlatshwayo and his friend were shot after confronting a group of men who had robbed women of their mobile phones in a pub in Soweto.
Those who knew the 40-year-old have described him as a selfless man.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world with more than 50,000 cases reported every year.
Many are using social media to send message of condolences to the family of Mr Hlatshwayo, who was also a disc jockey for local radio station Jozi FM.
The hashtag #RIPMandla has been trending since news of his death broke on Monday morning.
Jozi FM head Mpho Mhlongo, who confirmed the star's death, noted that Mr Hlatshwayo's father was also killed some years ago during a robbery.
Mr Hlatshwayo's death has sparked a debate around how to tackle the country's rampant crime levels but it makes many realise there are no easy solutions, says the BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.
There have been no arrests yet.
Thursday, 19 January 2017
Gambia political crisis: What happens next?
Yahya Jammeh is refusing to stand down and has the support of his army chief
A political crisis in The Gambia appears to be coming to a head, with Senegalese troops massing on the border as a deadline for President Yahya Jammeh to step down came and went without any apparent change of heart from him. Mr Jammeh has refused to admit defeat in last month's elections and is still trying to hold on to his position. What happens next?
Why are there troops on the border?
Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, has mandated Senegal, which almost surrounds The Gambia, to spearhead military intervention, but only as a last resort and with the backing of the UN Security Council.
Wednesday was meant to be Mr Jammeh's last official day in office, but parliament extended his presidency by three more months. Still, Senegal set a deadline of midnight GMT for him to step down.
"If no political solution is found, we will step in," Col Abdou Ndiaye, a spokesman for the Senegalese military, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
Nigeria has also sent aircraft and troops to Senegal, and deployed a warship.
Senegal has reportedly circulated a draft UN Security Council Resolution that would back Ecowas taking "all necessary measures" to get Mr Jammeh to step down.
What is the significance of the state of emergency?
Mr Jammeh's declaration of a state of emergency on his penultimate day in office has raised the stakes in his battle to remain in power.
The Gambian president said the state of emergency would prevent a power vacuum while the Supreme Court considered his legal challenge to December's election result. It cannot sit until at least May, due to a lack of judges, who must be provided by The Gambia's West African neighbours.
Analysts said the move, along with parliament's extension of his term, clearly signalled his rejection of mediation efforts.
Gambia is a popular tourist destination and after the British Foreign Office updated its travel advice, holiday companies have started evacuating tourists.
Where does this leave the election winner, Adama Barrow?
Mr Barrow, who is in neighbouring Senegal, said before the declaration of the state of emergency that his inauguration would go ahead on Thursday on Gambian territory.
The plan was for the swearing-in ceremony to take place at the National Stadium in Bakau but, given Mr Jammeh's latest moves, those plans must now be viewed as being in severe doubt.
There had also been no word on who would conduct the swearing-in - it is usually done by the country's chief justice but lawyers say that, under the Gambian constitution, this is not necessary and it could be carried out even by a commissioner of oaths.
How are the Gambian people reacting?
Tension is high in the Gambian capital, Banjul, over concerns that the political conflict will continue to escalate. Checkpoints across the city are being manned by heavily armed security forces.
Thousands of people have fled to neighbouring countries or rural areas, fearing that violence may erupt. Before the declaration of the state of emergency, Mr Barrow's coalition urged Gambians to "exercise restraint, observe the rule of law and not to respond to provocation".
The BBC's Umaru Fofana, who is in Banjul, says people there are petrified. They are stocking up on food and water. Everyone is praying for a peaceful resolution, he says.
What is Mr Jammeh's position?
Mr Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, initially accepted that Mr Barrow had won the election but later reversed his position and said he would not step down.
He filed a petition to the Supreme Court, challenging the election results, and says the existence of this legal process means it would be unconstitutional for Mr Barrow to assume office.
He also asked the Supreme Court for an injunction to stop the inauguration but the chief justice declined to rule on it, saying he must recuse himself from any case that could affect his own position - he would normally conduct the swearing in ceremony.
The secretary general of the Gambia Bar Association, Aziz Bensouda, said any such injunction would be unconstitutional.
Why is Mr Jammeh refusing to leave office?
Mr Jammeh has said there were irregularities in the election process, including the turning away of some of his supporters from polling stations, and errors made by the electoral commission.
The commission accepted that some of the results it initially published contained errors, but said Mr Barrow still won.
Mr Jammeh has said he will stay in office until new elections are held. Retaining power would also ensure he was not prosecuted in The Gambia for alleged abuses committed during his rule.
How have his allies reacted?
Ministers are continuing to desert Mr Jammeh's government. Four cabinet members, including the ministers of finance and foreign affairs, resigned on Tuesday. They join another two, who quit last week over the president's refusal to accept electoral defeat.
One of the ministers who resigned, former information chief Sheriff Bojang, said Mr Jammeh's arguments had a "veneer of constitutionalism" but were an attempt to subvert the will of the Gambian people. The international community has sided with Mr Barrow, saying he won fairly.
The Gambian army chief has declared his loyalty to Mr Jammeh.
The elite regiment of the army is also fiercely loyal, but other elements of the military may be less so.
Correspondents say there has been talk that some are unhappy with recent events and want a peaceful resolution.
What is happening at the Supreme Court?
Judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone have been hired to hear the petition to overturn the election result, but they have yet to arrive in Banjul.
Gambian chief justice Emmanuel Fagbenle has said the court will be able to convene no earlier than May, and possibly not until November, because the Nigerian who is to act as court president, Onogeme Uduma, is fully booked for the coming months.
How might this be resolved?
Mr Barrow has distanced himself from comments, made by other opposition figures, suggesting Mr Jammeh may be prosecuted over alleged abuses in power.
He said Mr Jammeh should be able to stay in The Gambia and would be honoured as, and receive the privileges of, a former head of state if he stepped down.
However, analysts say Mr Jammeh is unlikely to be persuaded by his opponent's apparently conciliatory language.
Another option, raised by Nigerian MPs, is that Mr Jammeh could be offered asylum and a comfortable retirement in another African country.
Besides Nigeria, Morocco has been mooted as a possible destination (Mr Jammeh's wife is Moroccan).
A third possibility has been made more likely by Mr Jammeh's declaration of a state of emergency - that, in the absence of a clear court ruling, Mr Jammeh attempts to cling to power with army backing, pending military intervention by regional powers.
Monday, 29 August 2016
Brazil's Dilma Rousseff to testify at impeachment trial
Dilma Rousseff is expected to deliver an impassionate defence later on Monday
The impeachment trial of Brazil's
Dilma Rousseff will reach a dramatic point on Monday, with the suspended
president set to defend herself in the Senate.
Ms Rousseff is accused of illegally manipulating the budget to hide a growing deficit.She denies the allegations and says the impeachment proceedings amount to a coup d'etat.
Senators are due to vote this week on whether to remove her from office for good or whether to reinstate her.
For her to be removed from the presidency permanently, 54 of the 81 senators would have to vote for her impeachment
Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo says it has spoken to all the senators ahead of the vote and that 52 have so far declared themselves in favour of the impeachment.
Eighteen told the newspaper they were opposed to the impeachment and 11 either did not say which way they would vote or were undecided.
If Ms Rousseff, 68, is impeached, acting President Michel Temer will serve out her term, which ends in December 2018.
Mr Temer, who was Ms Rousseff's vice-president, assumed the role of acting president in May when Ms Rousseff was suspended from office pending the impeachment trial.
'Political ploy'
Ms Rousseff will be given 30 minutes to speak and is expected to give a passionate defence of her time in office.Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Syria Aleppo siege: Fighting rages as Russian jets strike
Intense fighting has continued around the Syrian city of Aleppo, where a rebel offensive is trying to break a government siege of rebel-held areas.
Over the weekend, the rebels tried to reconnect an encircled area in the east with insurgent territory in the west.
They set off a huge tunnel bomb underneath army positions in the strategic Ramouseh district.
The army has been fighting back with the help of Russian air strikes to stop the rebels breaking through.
Around a quarter of a million civilians are living under siege in rebel-held areas since government forces cut them off last month.
"We are now overlooking the Ramousah area but Russian jets are intensifying their bombing, which is holding us back from moving quickly," a rebel commander told Reuters news agency.
Another rebel source told Reuters that about 10,000 troops, at least 95 tanks and several hundred rocket launchers had been deployed for what he described as the "great epic battle of Aleppo".
The source said scores of suicide bombers had also been prepared to drive explosive-laden military vehicles into army posts.
UK-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the rebel offensive as the largest so far, involving fighting across the divided city's main battle fronts.
It said government forces had regained two villages and two hilltops in the south-west suburbs of Aleppo late on Tuesday.
"The regime is launching counter-attacks to absorb the fierce rebel offensive," observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
'No food and daily attacks' - Aleppo resident tells BBC of fight for survival
"Basic food has completely disappeared. For families who have children, there is no milk in the markets.
"Every day we have at least 20 to 30 attacks by Russian aircraft or by the helicopters.
"There are no cars going around. Public transport has completely stopped because of the lack of fuel. People are staying inside their houses to avoid shelling."
The observatory said 50 rebel fighters and jihadists had been killed since the operation began on Sunday, as well as dozens of government soldiers.
It has been reported that barrels suspected to contain chlorine gas were dropped on the town of Saraqeb near Aleppo.
About 30 people, mostly women and children, were reported to have been affected. Chlorine gas can cause victims to become short of breath and to foam blood from the mouth.
It is not clear who was responsible.
The attack took place near to where a Russian military transport helicopter was shot down by rebels hours earlier killing all five personnel on board.
It was the deadliest single incident for Russia's military since its air campaign began last September.
The Russian government has responded to US criticism over its actions in Syria by arguing that it is "unacceptable" to demand restraint around Aleppo.
Aleppo was once Syria's commercial capital and also boasted a rich architectural and archaeological heritage.
Much of it has been destroyed or looted during more than five years of war.
Russia and Syria have announced the opening of what they called humanitarian corridors for civilians and rebels wanting to surrender but few people are reported to have used them.
Wednesday, 20 July 2016
US Election 2016: Trump seals Republican nomination
Donald Trump has secured the Republican nomination for US president on day two of the Republican National Convention.
The House Speaker, Paul Ryan, urged delegates to unite behind Mr Trump, a day after splits in the party were evident as the convention opened.
The Trump campaign also faces accusations a speech by Mr Trump's wife Melania on Monday was plagiarised.
Tuesday's speakers focused almost exclusively on attacking Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former prosecutor, held a mock trial for Mrs Clinton as the crowd chanted "lock her up".
Mr Christie and others criticised Mrs Clinton's use of a private email account while she was serving as secretary of state.
An FBI investigation said she was "extremely careless" but found her actions didn't warrant criminal prosecution. However, Mr Christie and and the crowd disagreed as Mr Christie repeatedly yelled "guilty".
He said she has "selfish, awful judgement" and was to blame for various foreign policy problems in Libya, Syria and elsewhere.
Mr Trump is expected to accept the nomination on Thursday.
His children played a prominent role on Tuesday, standing with the New York delegation as he was declared winner and delivering remarks.
At the scene - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Cleveland
The result hasn't really been in doubt for months, but now it's a reality. The Republican Party's nomination for president of the United States is Donald Trump's to accept when he takes the stage on Thursday night.
Thanks to a bit of procedural manoeuvring, it was New York that gave him the winning margin in the state-by-state roll call vote. His oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, voice wavering with emotion, made it official.
"Congratulations, Dad, we love you," he said.
As a band blared the song New York, New York, the jumbo screens in this converted basketball arena proclaimed "Over the Top" with exploding gold fireworks.
Perhaps there was no more fitting way to announce the elevation of the latest Republican standard-bearer, the real-estate mogul who confesses to being a bit "braggadocious" and whose rise has roiled the party establishment and turned conventional wisdom on its head.
A tough general election fight against Hillary Clinton awaits. Conventional wisdom is the odds are long, but they aren't any more remote than what Mr Trump has already overcome to get to this point.
Mr Trump youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, whose mother is former model and dancer Marla Maples, told some personal stories about her father.
She recalled scribbling notes in her school report cards and how excited she becomes when introducing him to her friends.
Her father is a "natural-born encourager" who has motivated her to work hard, she said.
His son Donald Trump Jr described him as his best friend and role model.
"When people tell him it can't be done, that guarantees it will get done," he said of his father.
He said Mrs Clinton was a risk the US could not afford to take and that "if she were elected, she would be the first president who can't pass a background check".
Mr Trump addressed the audience via a live-stream and said the nomination was an honour.
"This is a movement, but we have to go all the way," he said. "This is going to be a leadership that puts American people first."
Parts of Donald Trump Jr's speech used segments of an article that had already appeared in the journal The American Conservative.
But the article's author, FH Buckley, said it was not plagiarism, as Mr Buckley himself acted as one of the family's speechwriters.
After speaking at the convention on Monday, Melania Trump, the mogul's third wife, faced accusations that a portion of her speech plagiarised Michelle Obama.
But Mr Trump's team said she used "common words" and accused the Clinton campaign of stoking the controversy.
On Monday, anti-Trump delegates failed in their final push to block his nomination.
A vote that would have allowed delegates to back a candidate of their choice was quashed when three states reportedly backed out.
Some said the Republican Party officials had sabotaged their efforts on purpose.
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