NEWSBRIEFS

Photo: Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has been in power since a 1989 coup.

Sudan Leader Faces Calls For Removal As Price Of Bread Spikes

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | KHARTOUM (IDN) – In the face of a growing movement of Sudanese opposition, protesting rising costs of bread and other essentials, security forces of the government of President Omar al-Bashir moved forcefully on December 25 to end the demonstrations using tear gas, night sticks and live ammunition, according to witnesses.

States of emergency and curfews have been declared in several of the northeast African country's protesting cities. The protesters – organized by a group of professional unions including doctors, lawyers, teachers and students and supported by two of the largest opposition parties – are calling for President Omar al-Bashir to step down.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 25 December 2018

Photo: Home and boats on the water. © Curt Carnemark/World Bank

Africa's Blue Economy Or a Global Ocean Grab by the Rich?

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Six counties in Kenya’s coastal region have been tagged for technical training in the blue economy – what some have called "the new frontier of the African Renaissance". The goal is to enable young people to find jobs in the maritime industry.

Kevit Desai, a Kenyan vocational training principal, says institutions of higher learning must begin to focus on developing skills, nurturing innovations and enterprise creation for this "overlooked opportunity". He suggested a post-Blue Economy Conference workshop to create awareness and enhance community participation in this vision for the future.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 18 December 2018

Photo: The Awood Center is a place for the East African Community to learn, defend our rights at work, and build East African worker power. Credit: Awood Center

East Africans Score Victory for Minneapolis’ Amazon Workers

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Somali women packers for the giant Amazon distribution center in Minneapolis are fired up and refusing to speed up the production line, becoming the first known group to defy Amazon management and bring them to the bargaining table.

“Nobody would assume a Muslim worker with limited language skills in the middle of Minnesota could be a leader in a viable fight against one of the biggest employers in the world and bring them to the table,” said Abdirahman Muse, executive director of Awood, the Somali word for “power.”

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 11 December 2018

Photo: Entrance to a new boma built by the displaced Maasai. Credit: The Oakland Institute.

Maasai Fight Efforts to Convert Their Lands to Game Parks

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – “The water that quenches our thirst, the air that we breathe, the trees that provide shade and the animals that give us company, all make life real and creation complete.”

So begins a prayer by an elder of the Maasai people of Tanzania whose traditional knowledge encompasses herbal medicine, grazing practices, landscape ecology, the behaviour of animals, livestock management, and the gathering of wild plant foods.

For centuries, Maasai communities lived in harmony within the rich ecosystems of East Africa. But in recent decades, evictions under the banner of “conservation” and “tourism” have been carving out huge chunks of Maasai lands.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 11 December 2018

Photo: Global Citizens help fulfill Mandela’s Vision of ending extreme poverty by taking 5.6M Actions. Credit: Global Citizen

Muggings Mar Mandela Centenary Concert in South Africa

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | JOHANNESBURG (IDN) – A massive turnout of die-hard fans of superstars Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z filled every available square inch of the Johannesburg FNB stadium for the closing night of the Global Citizen Festival organized to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela and raise $1 billion to address poverty, food security, global health and other social issues.

Beyonce and Jay-Z were the headline act for the sold-out closing affair that featured a 90-minute performance with the popular superstars that included a rendition of her 2008 single “Halo” accompanied by a South African choir.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 04 December 2018

Photo: Oilrig in the sea. Source: Public Domain

New Scrutiny of Nigerian Billions Swiped in Massive Fraud

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – It’s been called one of the biggest corruption cases in corporate history which has escaped the attention of much of the media and few have even heard about it.

In the drama, playing out in an Italian court, two middlemen have been convicted for their role in the scheme involving one of Africa’s most promising oil fields and its sale – allegedly engineered by oil giants Italian-owned Eni and Royal Dutch Shell – that deprived the people of Nigeria of an estimated $6 billion in future revenues.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 28 November 2018

Photo: Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar was found dead of strangulation on June 4, 2017, in housing he shared with three other special operations forces personnel in Bamako, Mali. Credit: Army Times

Teammates of U.S. Green Beret Face Murder Prosecution

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – More than a year has passed since the death of U.S. Green Beret Logan Melgar in Bamako, Mali. Investigators now believe they have men of interest – two Navy SEALS and two Marine Raiders. The four face charges that include felony murder in the strangulation death of Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.

A preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for December 4.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 20 November 2018

Photo: Gladness Munuo addressing a meeting.

Violence Against Women – Never Acceptable, Never Ending

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – "I love you, that's why I beat you." So ends a poem by the Ghanaian writer Mariska Araba Taylor-Darko about a violent spouse and an abused woman who lays the blame of the daily beating on herself.

The poem, A Beating for Love, takes special significance, particularly as this year's UN theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (November 25-December 10) – “Orange the World: #HearMeToo” – aims to support women and girls around the world.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 20 November 2018

Huge Heist by Ghanaian Bank Officers Worse Than Feared

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | ACCRA (IDN) – Depositors may want to steer clear of banking in Ghana while over a dozen bank officers and shareholders face claims they lent themselves millions of dollars but failed to repay.

Business Ghana, a local news outlet, reported that 13 shareholders and directors of the defunct Capital Bank Ghana Limited and UT Bank engaged in acts that led to the collapse of the two banks.

By their alleged actions, the defendants “have breached their fiduciary duties under the Companies Code and have caused serious financial loss to the banks,” say receivers for the defunct banks.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 13 November 2018

Photo: Karipbek Kuyukov with Kazakh Ambassador to Austria.

ATOM Project Ambassador Kuyukov Receives Nuclear-Free Future Award

By Kazinform

ASTANA (IDN) – Kazakhstan's famous artist, activist of the international anti-nuclear movement and Honorary Ambassador of ATOM Project Karipbek Kuyukov has received Nuclear-Free Future Award (NFFA).

The awarding ceremony was held end of October at Salzburg University in Austria.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria Kairat Sarybay congratulated NFFA laureates and highly praised their anti-nuclear activity. He said that the award proves recognition of Kazakhstan's role and Kazakh President's initiative on global processes in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.