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Nigeria’s First Lady warns against spread of Fake News
Queen wraps up speech and leaves House of Lords
Elizabeth II has finished delivering her Queen’s Speech, in which she announced plans for 26 bills — most of which focused on domestic policies.
She has now left the throne in the House of Lords, alongside her son, the Prince of Wales.
MEANWHILE; Lawmakers return to House of Commons
MPs are filing back into the House of Commons, where they will spend days debating the contents of Boris Johnson’s Queen’s Speech.
There is plenty in there to discuss — including bills on important issues such as domestic abuse, pensions, healthcare, the environment and animal welfare.
Several bills were also dedicated to criminal justice, as Johnson continues to make law and order a central plank of his pitch to the public.
But it’s fairly unlikely that none of these bills will see the light of day in this Parliament, thanks to the very first part of the agenda — Brexit — which is expected to force a general election in the coming weeks.
Remains of crash victims arrive in Kenya
Nobel peace prize awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who made peace last year with bitter foe Eritrea.
He was awarded the prize for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation”.
Mr Abiy’s peace deal with Eritrea ended a 20-year military stalemate following their 1998-2000 border war.
He was named as the winner of the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, where he will receive the award in December. It is worth some nine million Swedish crowns (about £730,000; $900,000)
There had been great speculation over who would win the prize, with climate activist Greta Thunberg widely tipped as the favorite. Under the Nobel Foundation’s rules, nomination shortlists are not allowed to be published for 50 years, and the organisation says any speculation ahead of the announcement is “sheer guesswork”.
Government Announces D50m For TRRC Trust Fund
The government of The Gambia Monday announced the endorsement of D50 million to the Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) Victim Fund.
“Today, almost one year into the TRRC public hearing, the government is fulfilling its promise to grant reparation for the victims of human rights violations and abuses within the mandates of the TRRC. On behalf of President Barrow, it is with great pleasure that I announce to you the decision of the government to contribute to the TRRC Victim Trust Fund an initial amount of D50 million dalasis with immediate effect,” Abubacarr B. Tambadou, the attorney general and minister of Justice said.
Mr. Tambadou was speaking on Monday during a press conference in Banjul.
He said: “In order to underscore the importance the government attaches to these objectives, the word ‘reparation’ was included in the title of our truth commission, making it the first of its kind anywhere in the world.”
The D50 million, he said, is paid out from the proceeds of sales of the former president’s assets which were currently sold in accordance with the recommendations of the Janneh Commission.
The Justice minister thanked Gambians based in the country and those in diaspora for their individual and collective act of generosity towards the welfare of the victims.
He called on private business enterprises to become so generous and donate to the TRRC Victim Trust Fund “so that we can together make reparations meaningful for the victims who deserve our individual and collective support to rebuild lives.
“Let us demonstrate to the world our true Gambian characters of benevolence, compassion, selflessness and humanity,” he said, while thanking the victims for their continuous understanding and forbearance.
The government, he added, also reiterated its support and firm commitment and gratitude to the TRRC commissioners and staff for their contribution towards establishing the truth about our dark past and encouraging national reconciliation in the process.
Lamin J. Sise, the chairman of the TRRC said: “We at the TRRC are very grateful about the announcement made by the Justice minister. Fifty million is a splendid contribution by the government to the reparation funds that we established and announced few weeks ago.”
The gesture, he added, will assist the healing, the reconciliation and hopefully, bring justice to the process. “The victims deserve this kind of attention. They are the ones who really suffered enormously in the 22 years of dictatorship. Those victims cannot be forgotten. Therefore, looking at the nature of the people and our country, that is not going to happen.”
Dr. Sise said: “Every Gambian was a victim under the brutal regime that ruled the country for 22 years. Our role is to try to establish record of these atrocities of these gross violations of human rights and abuses for healing and reconciliation.”
The victims, he went on, need this kind of attention and this kind of help. “The gesture is a first step of bringing about healing and bringing about reconciliation and to certain extents of justice. Your contribution will help us move the process of paying reparation or handing reparation the way we are doing it in a very unique of Gambian way.”
Commission recommends leases issued to Jammeh be cancelled
The findings and recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on the public land grants by the State and District Authorities (general) were accepted by the government that the “leases issued to former President Jammeh be cancelled and/or rescinded.
This was revealed in a government White Paper, an excerpt of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the financial activities of public bodies, enterprises and offices as regards their dealings with former president, Yahya Jammeh and connected matters.
It was noted in the report that former President Jammeh was engaged in a land grab and he abused his authority as president to do so. He as well acquired several leased lands in the tourism development area (TDA), which are public lands leased to him by the State and local communities with the approval of the minister responsible for lands, without payment of any form of consideration.
Among these several other lands according to the Commission’s report including forests, lagoons, reserves and parks, islands and these are public lands leased to him by the State directly or by district authorities.
As per the recommendation it was noted that “it would be unconscionable and contrary to public policy if former President Jammeh were allowed to keep gifts of community lands needed for the livelihoods and development of entire communities.”
It continued that, since the government accepts these findings, in so far as they relate to lands allocated by local communities to former President Jammeh and accordingly that the government accepts the recommendations of the Commission that the said lands be confiscated by the State and properly planned to serve the most urgent public needs of local communities “the said land are (were) hereby confiscated.”
Kidnappers demand ransom for Nigerian school girls
Gunmen who kidnapped six female students and two staff members from their hostels at a remote school in northern Nigeria have made a ransom demand, the regional governor said.
Armed assailants gained entry to Engravers College, a mixed boarding school in a remote area just south of the city of Kaduna, early on Thursday and seized the victims.
“They have made a demand for money and that is being negotiated,” state governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai told reporters in the capital Abuja.
They have made a demand for money and that is being negotiated.
The governor refused to disclose details of the demands or negotiations as the authorities were “trying to protect the victims and secure their release”.
Abductions for ransom are common in Nigeria and the school is located in an area that has become notorious for armed banditry.
It is far to the west of the region notorious for attacks by the Boko Haram jihadist group.
Boko Haram grabbed headlines around the world in 2014 for the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from the remote northeastern town of Chibok in Borno state.
Ethnic clashes kill 22 in Ethiopia’s Amhara region
Ethiopia continues to struggle with inter-ethnic clashes, with the latest round of violence between regional special forces and a minority ethnic group killing at least 20 people in the past five days in the northern state of Amhara.
The clashes are another headache for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose political and economic reforms in what was once one of Africa’s most repressive nations have also emboldened powerful strongmen building ethnic power bases.
Amhara, Ethiopia’s second-most populous province, has been a flash point for tensions following violence that killed dozens of people, including the region’s president, in June. The federal government described that violence as a coup led by a rogue state militia leader.
The latest clashes erupted last Friday, when armed men killed 10 people when they ambushed a minibus travelling to the city of Gondar in northern Amhara, Desalegn Chane, president of the new National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) party, told Reuters by phone.
The next day, 12 soldiers were killed when two convoys transporting Amhara special forces were also attacked, he said.
Iraq protests: Death toll soars after four days of protests
The death toll in anti-government protests that have swept Iraq the past five days has soared to at least 70, security and medical sources say. The figure has more than doubled since Friday, as clashes between protesters and police intensified.
The military said “unidentified snipers” had killed four people in Baghdad, including two police officers.
However the authorities lifted a daytime curfew in the capital early on Saturday.
Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi earlier said protesters’ “legitimate demands” had been heard, but appealed for calm.
Spontaneous protests erupted on Tuesday amid frustration over Iraq’s high youth unemployment rate, its dire public services and chronic corruption.
It is seen as the first major challenge to Mr Mahdi’s fragile government, nearly a year since he came to power.
PDOIS wants clarification from F. Tambajang
The PDOIS is asking former Vice President Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajnag to clarify whether there was an amendment in the original text of the Coalition agreement which was signed by its members; and if so, whether the amended version has been signed too.
Below is the letter addressed to Ms. Jallow Tambajang:
Dear Honourable Jallow Tambajang,
The media houses have been approaching PDOIS for explanation whether the text of an amendment to the 17th October 2016 Coalition agreement had been agreed upon and signed by coalition partners. We are not aware of the crafting and signing of any text purporting to be an amendment to the original text signed by Coalition partners and are therefore finding it difficult to give accurate information to the media, on the subject matter.
It should therefore be highly appreciated if you would clarify whether any document purporting to be an amended version of the coalition agreement has been signed. If such a document exists please forward it to us before Monday, 7 October 2019, when we intend to issue a Press Releasse on the matte
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