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Machar leaves for South Africa

By
Bosco Agaba
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Riek Machar, SPLM-IO strongman declared war against Salva Kiir and his regime in Juba.

Embattled former South Sudan First Vice President Riek Machar has travelled to South Africa but it is not clear he will seek asylum there.

Early last month the SPLM-IO faction allied to former vice president Riek Machar said it was planning to relocate its leader to either Kenya or Ethiopia. The announcement was made by Peter Gatkuoth, who said that Machar would also tour some countries to clarify the armed group’s position on the peace agreement after the Juba events.

However, at about the same time Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta said talks spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) were underway to try and relocate the rebel leader to South Africa.

But according to another SPLM-IO spokesperson Mabior Garang, their leader, who has been holed in Sudan for about a month, will not seek asylum in South Africa.

In July Machar fled the South Sudan capital Juba for the bushes in the northern part of the country following confrontation between his troops and soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and later moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He later on moved to Khartoum in Sudan, reportedly for treatment and has been staying in his country’s northern neighbour since then.

 

 

 

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University of Zimbabwe ‘denies degrees to anti-Mugabe protestors’

By
Agencies
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TIRED: Anti Robert Mugabe protesters carry a placard denouncing the President.

A former student of Zimbabwe (UZ) Tonderai Dombo has claimed the registrar’s department is withholding his certificate and those of others as punishment for protesting in front of President Robert Mugabe at the recent graduation ceremony.

The trio of Dombo, Alex Mukamba and Tembinkosi Rushwaya protested at the graduation ceremony, expressing displeasure over the high unemployment rate and worsening economic situation in the country. They were later fined $10 each on public nuisance charges.

After the protest, Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo threatened to withhold their degrees, as punishment for their open protest.

Dombo said yesterday that they had been told by officials in the registrar’s department that they would not get their certificates for reportedly embarrassing the institution in Mugabe’s presence.

“Firstly, I have been going to my faculty to look for my certificate and I was told it was not there. I was told I should check with the registrar, but at the registrar’s office I was told it was not there as well. Officials there told me to leave, but I refused, saying they had to give me a satisfactory answer,” he said, adding security was called to throw him out.

“I was then told I embarrassed the institution and, as such, I would not receive the certificate. My other colleagues were told the same.”

Dombo said he will engage lawyers to force the institution to release his certificate.

“I am now going to take legal action if they insist on not giving me (my certificate). I will look for a lawyer to take up our case, because, as far as I am concerned, they have no legal standing to act in the manner they are doing,” he said.

Dombo said he was awarded a place to pursue a master’s degree at UZ before the graduation protest and was shocked to hear they wanted to stop him for the demonstration.

However, UZ spokesperson, Daniel Chihombori said certificates were issued to graduates on the day of the graduation ceremony.

“We suspect that on the day, the said individuals were not at the venue, where the certificates were being issued,” he said.

 

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Burundi Parliament approves quitting ICC

By
Agencies
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Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza.

Burundi’s parliament has overwhelmingly approved a bill that calls for the country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking a new stage in its growing isolation from the international community.

After the lower house of parliament passed the bill Wednesday morning, it was presented to the Senate and adopted unanimously (39 votes out of 39 voters). The bill now awaits the final signature by President Pierre Nkurunziza.

Even after the country votes to leave the ICC, the government must write a letter to the UN Secretary General explaining its intention to leave, and the withdrawal will only take effect a year after the letter is received.

“No letter received as of today indicating their decision,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. “Obviously, if a letter was received, it would be regrettable.”

A withdrawal of Burundi from the ICC would be a first in the history of the Court.

The vast majority of members who spoke before the National Assembly, in which the ruling party, CNDD-FDD, has a large majority (86 seats out of 121), justified the withdrawal.

“Those who use the ICC want to decapitate our institutions. I ask honorable members to vote for the withdrawal of Burundi ICC – for our independence,” justice minister, Aimee Laurentine Kanyana, was quoted as saying.

“The ICC is an instrument that is being used to try to change power” in Burundi, added a CNDD-FDD member, Aloys Ntakarutimana.

Very few dissenting voices were heard. “The output of Burundi of the ICC is a political and diplomatic error,” said Ndayizamba André, a member of the minority wing of UPRONA, a party generally close to the government.

Burundi expressed its intention to leave the ICC last week.

The country slid into political crisis after Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term as president, which many called unconstitutional. Since announcing his candidacy in April 2015, violence has left more than 500 dead and forced more than 270,000 people into exile.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda launched a preliminary investigation in April into murder, torture and rape in particular, in Burundi.

The ICC cannot investigate non-member countries of its own initiative, but may do so if the UN Security Council authorized it, as was the case in Darfur (2005) and Libya (2011).

The Burundian government has faced series of accusations in the past few weeks by the United Nations, for its alleged involvement in the violence and forced disappearances in the country.

On September 20th, a UN report accused Bujumbura of being responsible for serious human rights violations, systematic and consistent, and warned against possible ‘crimes against humanity’ and a ‘great danger of genocide’.

 

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South Sudan minister threatens to block internet as Kiir death rumour refuted

By
Agencies
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President Salva Kiir with the Chief of General Staff Gen Paul Awan Malong. Photo credit/nyamile.co.

The South Sudan Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth has threatened to block the internet services in the country following rumours yesterday that President Salva Kiir had been killed.

According to the minister, if the internet was blocked it would stop warmongers from ‘circulating rumours in order to cause insecurity in the country.’ “Yesterday another mad person decided to put in the media that Salva Kiir is dead, it was also another problem, and I have been receiving calls all over the world that Salva Kiir is dead, and this is done here, this is unfortunate,” he said.

“Yesterday I was called and asked a clear question, is Salva Kiir dead or alive, this was a direct question, and I said no, this is a mere lie, there is nothing as such, Salva Kiir has not even been sick, he was in the office since morning up to this afternoon, he left the office at 4:30 pm, and at present he is in his house,” said Lueth, without elaborating on the source of the news and who called him to ask.

In the past two days the rumour circulated in the capital, Juba, and beyond that there was also power struggle between politicians and senior army commanders over who should succeed him.

But in response Information Minister Lueth convened a news conference yesterday, at which denied the rumours that there was an attempted coup being organized by former dissidents of Riek Machar, politicians from the Equatoria region and members of ethnic Murle tribe in Juba.

“All these are wild rumours which are usually created in order to cause havoc and inculcate fear into the people in Juba, and people are advised to leave Juba claiming that the situation will worsen in Juba this time round,” Lueth told reporters at a news conference also broadcast live by the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

“There is nothing like [that]. These are just creations of some people to cause confusion,” he said.

Lueth, who speaks as the official government spokesperson, asserted that the situation was under control in Juba as well as the security situation across the country. He advised people not to panic.

He also dismissed reports that there was an ongoing killing in the capital in retaliation to the roadside ambushes in which passengers, predominantly members of the Dinka, from which president Kiir hails, were targeted last week while traveling in a convoy of commercial vehicles which he said were stopped at gunpoint by unknown gunmen.

The source of the plot to remove from power president Salva Kiir and his death remains unclear. Observers say there were circulations on social media alleging the death of the president until his spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny, came out with a release claiming to refute the allegation on the social media. He did not cite source of the allegation.

Critics and political analysts are keen to stress that the story was made by some government officials in order to deflect the public outcry about the rising insecurity on major highways compounded by economic crisis.

“They make up their own stories and come out to deny them,” a political analyst who did not want to be named, said on Wednesday when asked to comment on the two allegations.

“I am surprised the minister of information came out to convene a press conference when there was any allegation circulating anywhere whatsoever. I checked major news sources and I failed to get [it]. What I got was what the presidential press secretary Ateny Wek Ateny himself circulated in the press. He did not cite any source. He was himself the source of the statement denying the allegations and no more source of the allegation he was denying,” he challenged.

“Also the story of coup plot was another made story. The whole intention is to deflect the attention of the public from demanding protection from the government. They (government officials) feared that if they do not come out with such scary story, the public may go out to protest their ineptness in protecting the population,” he said.

 

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Black is beautiful as Irene Ntale’s kid sister marries ahead of her

By
Badru Kasadah
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FOR 'BIGGER THINGS': Singer Irene Ntale

A reasonable section of black ladies believe the lighter one is, the more attractive you are. However, this statement is contradicted by many as black women have gone to the extreme to acquire a light skin complexion.

Here are some of the photos from the introduction.

ntale1
Nevertheless, it turns out black is beautiful. This is if we are to go with the Saturday’s introduction of Irene Ntale’s kid sister, Sandra Ntale.
This is because Sandra, who still retains her natural skin colours has been taken before her big sister, who is believed to have bleached her skin. At one time Oriflame, which had signed a deal with her threatened to cancel it over the same, saying she didn’t have a white skin complexion at the time she signed the deal.

ntale2

 

They were worried her new look would scare their clients thinking their products bleach skins. Ntale has previously been linked to her fellow musicians like Ray Signature, Daxx Kartel and Tonix. Sandra introduced her longtime boyfriend only identified as Shem to her parents at their home on Saturday.

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Roger Mugisha surprises fiancée at baby shower

By
Badru Kasadah
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Former hitman Roger Mugisha and fiancée Nassali.

Celebrated radio presenter and corporate events MC is to be a dad again soon.

We have reliably learnt that the girlfriend to the ex-shadow angels’ boss, Shibah Nassali is just a few days away from giving birth.

mugisha1

 

In fact, the couple held a baby shower party yesterday, where Shibah received several gifts from family and friends who attended the event. It’s at the party that the Namuwongo based Monitor Publication Limited Development Manager surprised his girlfriend with several gifts.

mugisha2

 

The two have been dating for quite some time from 2013 though it wasn’t until last year that Shibah introduced him to her parents at their home in Kiyanja.

mugisha3

This will be the couple’s first child though Roger has other children from previous relationships.

 

mugisha4

Congs Shibah & Roger!

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Defiant Besigye vows to boycott Court

By
Francisco Adongo
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FDC-strongman, Dr. Kizza Besigye

Former FDC presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye has threatened not to return to Nakawa Chief Magistrate Court for his treason case.

This was after the State Attorney, Deborah Itwau asked presiding Chief Magistrate Lillian Bucyana to grant the prosecution more time to enable them to “complete investigations” into the case before they can commit Besigye to the High Court to stand trial.

However, Besigye protested this, saying prosecution has been asking for more time to conclude the investigations but it is almost six months and they haven’t completed the investigation. Expressing his fears that he was likely to return to court when investigations are not done again.

The Magistrate requested him to give them (State) a benefit of doubt. Itwau assured him that his case was coming up for mention because “investigations are in advanced stages”.
The case was adjourned to November 16.However, speaking to journalists after court, Besigye threatened to boycott Nakawa Magistrate’s court “because it has nothing to do with my case”.
“Court cases like I have mentioned are faulty. This case will never be heard in this court. It will be heard in the High Court. I got it from the High Court in this case…for a case that is not yet before the High Court. So I have committed myself to the court that will try me…that will be available at the right time. I don’t see any reason why I continue coming to this court which does not do anything at all, particular to this case.”

Adding “And this is the same for all capital offences across the country. They waste a lot of court time in courts that have no role at all,” he said.
Besigye is accused of swearing-in himself as president at an undisclosed location following the disputed February 18 general elections. The swearing-in was captured on a video clip that was circulated on social media on May 11. According to prosecution, this tantamount to treason. Besigye is now out of prison on bail pending trial.

 

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Trump trails Clinton by 8 points after tape scandal, debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll

By
Agencies
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Donald Trump is said to be trailing Hilary Clinton with 8 points after the second debate.

Donald Trump has fallen further behind Hillary Clinton and now trails her by 8 points among likely voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, with 1 in 5 Republicans saying his vulgar comments about groping women disqualify him from the presidency.

The national tracking poll was launched after Sunday night’s second presidential debate, where Trump was pressed to explain his comments in a 2005 videotape about grabbing women’s genitalia. He described the remarks, which first surfaced on Friday, as “locker room” banter and apologized to Americans.

The poll released on Tuesday showed Clinton, the Democratic nominee, had increased her lead over Trump, the Republican nominee, to 8 percentage points on Monday from 5 points last week.

When asked to pick between the two major-party candidates, 45 percent of likely voters said they supported Clinton while 37 percent supported Trump. Another 18 percent said they would not support either candidate.

Trump was under pressure during Sunday’s debate to restore confidence in his struggling campaign after dozens of lawmakers repudiated him over the weekend. He hammered Clinton’s handling of classified information while serving as secretary of state and referred to her as “the devil.” At one point, he said he would jail Clinton if he were president.

Among those who said they watched at least portions of the debate, 53 percent said Clinton won while 32 percent said Trump won. The results fell along partisan lines, however: 82 percent of Democrats felt Clinton won, while 68 percent of Republicans felt that Trump won.

Among likely voters who watched the debate, 48 percent said they supported Clinton while 38 percent supported Trump.

In the 2005 Access Hollywood video Trump boasted about making unwanted sexual advances toward women. “When you’re a star they let you do it,” he is heard saying.

Some 61 percent of those polled said that “lots of men” occasionally engage in similar conversations, and 46 percent, a plurality, said it was unfair to judge someone on conversations “that they did not intend for anyone else to hear.”

Most of those polled said they believe Trump is a sexist, but they were split on whether his comments disqualify him from being president. Some 42 percent of American adults, including 19 percent of registered Republicans, said Trump’s comments disqualified him, while 43 percent said they did not.

Among Republicans, 58 percent said they want Trump to remain atop their party’s ticket, and 68 percent said the Republican leadership should stand by him.

The video doesn’t appear to have worsened Trump’s standing among women, who mostly had a low opinion of him already, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling over the past 12 months.

When asked to pick between the two candidates, about 44 percent of women chose Clinton while 29 percent selected Trump – roughly the same proportion as measured in polls conducted before the weekend.

Trump, however, appears to be shedding support among evangelicals, who are usually a wellspring of support for Republican presidential candidates. Monday’s poll showed that Trump had only a 1-point edge over Clinton among people who identified as evangelicals. That’s down from a 12-point advantage for Trump in July.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll is conducted online in English in all 50 states. The poll of 2,386 American adults included 1,839 people who watched the debates, 1,605 people who were considered likely voters due to their registration status, voting history and stated intention to vote in the election. Among the likely voters, the poll counted 798 Democrats and 586 Republicans.

The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2 percentage points for the entire group, 3 points for likely voters and the debate watchers, 4 points for Democrats and 5 points for Republicans.

National opinion polls have measured support for the candidates in different ways this year, yet most agree that Clinton is leading and that her advantage has strengthened as the general election approaches.

RealClearPolitics, which tracks most major opinion polls, shows Clinton ahead of Trump by an average of 7 percentage points, and that her lead has grown since the middle of September.

 

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Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell & Shelly-Ann to be honoured by Jamaican gov’t

By
Our Reporter
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Usain Bolt

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in Jamaica has commissioned the production of statues of several track and field athletes, in honour of their outstanding contribution to the development of Jamaican track and field.
Four statues will be made of track and field stars Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Asafa Powell over the next two years.

They will be mounted at the National Stadium Statue Park as part of a wider planned development of the stadium complex, which includes the National Sport Museum.
Sport Minister Olivia Grange, who provided details of the Government’s programme of activities to celebrate the nation’s Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic heroes, at Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, on Wednesday said the first two statues – Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – will be completed in time for the Jamaica 55 Independence celebrations in 2017.
The statues of Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell will be completed for the following year.
The statues will be crafted by renowned Jamaican artist and sculptor Basil Watson, who sculpted the statue for sports icon Herb McKenley.

 

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Kasiwukira’s widow did not murder husband -Court

By
Badru Kasadah
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Sarah-Nabikolo at court before the ruling.Photo credit, Daily Monitor.

The widow of slain city businessman Eriya Bugembe popularly known as Kasiwukira has been acquitted of murdering her husband.

Sarah Nabikolo had been the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, however, she has been acquitted by the High Court on Wednesday on grounds that she wasn’t involved. It was instead her co-accused who turns out to be her cousin, Sandra Kakungu who was convicted together with Ashraf Jaden, a police officer at Muyenga community police station.

The presiding judge, Justice Wilson Masalu Musene said the two had a common intention to kill Kasiwukira. Ashraf knocked Kasiwukira and therefore, was guilty of murder according to the judge.

Kasiwukira, then a treasurer of the ‘Kwagalana group’, a group for wealthy businessmen in Kampala was murdered on October 17, 2014 at about 6am in Muyenga diplomatic zone.He was knocked down by a speeding car as he jogged in the neighborhood of Muyenga. About two months later, Nabikolo, Nakungu and Jaden were charged with his murder and the case has been ongoing until today when the ruling was given.

At one time the case took a dramatic turn a month back when one of the suspects, Ashraf told court that city businessman, Godfrey Kirumira who was is a chairman of the ‘Kwagalana’ group at the time of Kasiwukira’s death had tried to bribe him so as to implicate the widow and her cousin.

Jaden testified before court that two police officers told him that Kirumira was to offer him Shs200 million and a house in case he pinned Kasiwukira’s widow Nabikolo, her cousin, Nakungu and children of the deceased. There were also testimonies about witchcraft in the home. Nabikolo was represented by seasoned lawyers; MacDosman Kabega, Nsubuga Mubiru and Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi.

Kasiwukira is remembered for having played a big role in the development of the local music industry. He was the first person to duplicate songs of different artistes onto cassette tapes in the early 1980s, which tapes he would brand with his logo “Kasiwukira” and then have hawkers sell them around the city.

 

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