Atleast 19 people have killed in DRC by rebels

There are reports that at least 19 people have been killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in attacks blamed on a notorious rebel group.
Officials say the bodies of nine people who were kidnapped on Friday have been found in North Kivu Province.
In the neighbouring Ituri region, the same militia known as the Allied Democratic Forces or ADF attacked the village of Bukaka on Saturday killing ten civilians.
The ADF - which has no clear political agenda - has been blamed for killing around five hundred people in recent months in retaliation for an army crackdown on their bases in the forests.

Drivers demand allowances from MEC at KIA

There was drama at Kamuzu International Airport as the last chunk of ballot papers for Lilongwe remaind at the site as drivers demanded allowances before leaving the premises.
This comes as ballot papers for other districts left the cargo site.
Meanwhile, one of the drivers who opted for annonymity said they agreed not to leave the airport until the Malawi Electoral Commission gives them their upkeep allowance.
The source added that MEC promised to give them allowances by 8:30 Saturday morning but the promise was not fulfilled.
When MEC Chairperson Dr Chifundo Kachale was contacted, he said the Commission was to hold a press briefing on the following day, and directed the reporters to director of communications Sangwani Mwafulirwa who did not pick up his phone.
Team leader for Tonse Aliance Howard Kachipanda confirmed to MIJ FM that 23 trucks were grounded at airport saying MEC officials said they had run out of money

Bayern Munich offers City £36 million ($45m) for attacker Leroy Sane

Bayern Munich have offered Manchester City £36 million ($45m) for attacker Leroy Sane, claims Sport Bild. City have confirmed Sane has turned down the chance to extend his stay at the Etihad beyond 2021.

Missing ESCOM director of human resource found alive

Director of Human Resources and Administration at Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) Daphter Namandwa who went missing on Thursday in Mulanje, has been found alive.
ESCOM Public Relations Manager Innocent Chitosi has confirmed the development in an interview with the press.
“It is true that he has been found. Plans are that he sees a doctor for check up this morning as the police continue with their investigations,” Chitosi said.
According to a police report, Namandwa was found around 18:00 hours by a motorcycle (kabaza) operator at Thabwa along Nalipiri road,looking weak and desperate.
Meanwhile investigations are underway to establish the truth behind the matter.

Suspected armed robber shot in Mangochi

A suspected armed robber has been killed, two arrested, while two others are on the run after Police in the eastern region foiled their armed robbery mission in Mangochi Friday.

According to Mangochi Police Spokesperson, Inspector Roderick Maida, on the wee hours of Friday, the five suspected criminals attempted to rob one of the food processing companies in the district, Mother’s Food Company.
But Inspector Maida, said police officers were already alerted about the move by some members of the general public and were following them.
“The five robbers who were armed with air gun, panga knives and heavy metal bars stormed the place, attacked two watchmen before breaking into a house of the owner which is behind the company premises, but stole nothing,” said Maida.
He said the robbers then went on and broke the factory where police invaded them before accomplishing their mission.
Maida said sensing danger, the robbers tried to run away from the scene and in the process one suspect identified as Samuel Jeffrey charged towards a police officer and hit him with a metal bar on the right side before he was shot dead.
He said Ousman Kalinga, 50 from Mpindo village in the area of Traditional Authority Mulumbe in Zomba and James Misoya, 47 from Misomali Village in the area of Traditional Authority Chikumbu in Mulanje were arrested and are in their custody while other two escaped.
Police also managed to recover a motor vehicle, Toyota Corolla Registration Number BN 9692 and assorted breaking implements that were used in the operation, according to Maida.

David Luiz demands new two-year Arsenal deal

ARSENAL are set for crunch talks with David Luiz ahead of the defender's contract expiring at the end of the month.

Next Tuesday is the deadline for the Gunners to seal Luiz's future with reports suggesting he wants a new two-year deal.
The club can propose a temporary extension until the end of the season or activate an automatic 12-month renewal clause inserted into the player's contract.
However, according to the Mail, Arsenal do not want to pay Luiz his £120,000-a-week wages for another season.
The coronavirus pandemic is biting the club's finances hard, prompting a ten per cent pay cut agreed by the vast majority of the squad during football's shutdown.
A new contract on reduced terms may be on the table yet Mikel Arteta's side still favour a single year for the 33-year-old.
By contrast, Luiz reportedly wants a two-year deal having been a regular throughout the Gunners' turbulent season.
Kia Joorabchian, the Brazilian's agent, insisted on Thursday that the issue will be resolved in the coming days.

Blantyre DHO traces 16 Covid-19 escapees , 11 tested positive

Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) says it has traced 16 out of 441 returnees from South Africa who escaped from Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre last month before receiving their coronavirus test results.
Blantyre DHO spokesperson Chrissy Banda said 11 out of the 16 tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19).
She said all are from Blantyre.
She said the DHO has put the 11 on self-quarantine to ensure they are following necessary precautionary measures.
Last month, government started facilitating the repatriation of Malawians from South Africa and Zimbabwe following stiff lockdowns in the wake of the pandemic in the two countries.

Blantyre residents to experience water problems

Blantyre residents will today experience water interruption or low water pressure as the Blantyre Water Board’s (BWB) operations at Walkers ferry pumping station will be shut down.

 

This comes as the board intends to carry out maintenance works on the old main pipeline between Nkula and Chileka.

 

Following the development water from Walkers Ferry to Chileka will be supplied only through the new main pipeline, thereby reducing the amount of water into the supply area by 50 percent.

 

Therefore, the board is encouraging the public to store water for use during the maintenance period as the works may take the whole day to be completed.

Close to 4,000 school girls impregnated in Kenya during Covid-19 lockdown

Kenya has reported a sudden surge in teen pregnancies in one single county over a period of five months thus threatening to cut short the pursuit for education among school-going girls.
Machakos county, located in the north eastern province in Kenya is leading several other counties in terms of teenage pregnancies in Kenya according to Kenya Health Information System survey
The data shows that a total of 3,964 girls aged 19 years and below were reported pregnant within that period.

“During this coronavirus pandemic we do have 4000 impregnated girls. These are so many innocent girls,” she said.
She further reiterated that most of the cases were as a result of defilement by close family members
She adds that about 200 of these girls are aged 14 years and below.
“How can a 12 year old girl become a mother?” she posed.
“All the people who have impregnated these children needs be arraigned but it is becoming a challenge. We need special court sittings to address and deal with these cases,” Salome appealed.
She further blamed both the parents and the ineffective justice system for the prevailing crisis.
“Most of these cases you will find involve children who were taken from urban centres in the wake of Covid-19 and left in the hands of their grandmothers in the countryside as the parents returned to the towns,” Ms Muthama told reporters in Machakos Town.
Credit : Africanews

Ballot papers for fresh Presidential polls to jet in tomorrow

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has said ballot papers for the fresh Presidential polls will arrive in the country on Friday, 2020.
MEC Chairperson Justice Dr Chifundo Kachale disclosed this this today during National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF) meeting held in the capital Lilongwe.
Kachale said this follows completion of printing works by the company that was contracted by the electoral body from Dubai.
He however disclosed that MEC is in shortfall of MK8 billion.
The fresh Presidential polls are scheduled for June 23, 2020.

Mia says Chakwera is not ill

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Vice President Muhammad Sidik Mia has refuted rumours hovering on the social media that Tonse Alliance torchbearer Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is sick, saying the reports are untrue.
Mia refuted the claims through a statement posted on his official facebook page seen by this publication.
“I was quizzed yesterday in Nkhotakota on the absence of the incoming President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, as he was scheduled to be the guest speaker. I responded saying he was enganged with equally important business hence delegating me to address the rally.
“Today, social media propagandists are at it, peddling lies that the incoming President is not feeling well…that he is this, oh he is that!,” wrote Mia.
He added: “The President, as I said, is fine and we must thank the Almighty God that we will for once, have a President who is enjoying a clean bill of health, one who is fit to run the affairs of the State.
“your own information, this morning, the President met Honorable Kwacha Chisiza. The Honorable Chisiza is the last born of the late Yatuta Chisiza and they met in a rare gesture of healing past wounds so we can move on together towards nation-building.”
Mia has since urged Malawians to turnout in large numbers and vote in the fresh Presidential polls scheduled for June 23, 2020
“We now have few days to go before we take back our country from plunderers of our national purse.
“Let us all turn-out in our large numbers to vote for Dr Chakwera and Dr Chilima,” said Mia.
Chakwera will face President Peter Mutharika in the fresh Presidential polls.

Chilima hails Chimunthu Banda for joining Tonse Alliance

State Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima has hailed formers Speaker of the National Assembly Henry Chimunthu Banda for joining Tonse Alliance ahead of the fresh Presidential poll scheduled for June 23, 2020.
Chimunthu Banda disclosed that he has dumped the ruling Democratic progressive party (DPP) today during an interview with Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS).
Member of Parliament for Nkhotakota North said the decision is supported by the whole constituency structures.
Speaking at Tukombo in Nkhata-Bay, Chilima said the endorsement speaks volume of how Malawians are in need of change.
Chilima then urged Malawians to vote for Tonse Alliance torchbearer Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.

Chimunthu Banda Endorses Tonse Alliance

Former speaker of National Assembly Henry Chimunthu Banda has endorsed Tonse Alliance ahead of fresh presidential polls, Faceofmalawi can reveal.
CHimunthu Banda said all his constituency structures support his decision.
Chimunthu Banda who is also parliamentarian said Tonse Alliance under the leadership of Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima has sound development and policies compared to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
According to Chimunthu Banda the country has been in stagnation for too long under the leadership of the current administration.
Chakwera president of Malawi Congress party (MCP) is the torchbearer of the alliance and Chilima of United Transformation Movement (UTM) who is also the state vice president is the running-mate.
Recently, Chimunthu Banda rejected a ministerial position offered to him by President Peter Mutharika.

Law Professor Edge Kanyongolo Accuses Minister of Information Mark Botomani of Misleading the Nation

Chancellor College Law Professor Edge Kanyongolo has accused minister of information Mark Botomani of misleading the nation over the retirement of Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda.
Professor Kanyongolo said this following a press statement issued by the minister on Tuesday on the status of o the Honourable Chief Justice’s tenure of office.
In the statement, Botomani said there is nothing political in sending one to leave pending to his retirement as other people are putting it.
Speaking today during lawyers’ peaceful march in defense of the judiciary independence, Kanyongolo asked the minister to stop misleading the nation.
On June 12, Chief Secretary to the government Lloyd Muhara released a statement saying the Justice Nyirenda will go to leave pending his retirement.
According to reports, Justice Nyirenda is expected to retire on December 31, 2021.

Breakthrough as scientist prove 1st life-saving drug of Covid-19

A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus.
The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say.
The drug is part of the world's biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus.
It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth.
Had the drug had been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved, researchers say.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was a genuine case to celebrate "a remarkable British scientific achievement", adding: "We have taken steps to ensure we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak."
Chief Medical Officer for England Prof Chris Whitty said it would save lives around the world.
About 19 out of 20 patients with coronavirus recover without being admitted to hospital.
Of those who are admitted, most also recover but some may need oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
And these are the high-risk patients dexamethasone appears to help.
The drug is already used to reduce inflammation in a range of other conditions, including arthritis, asthma and some skin conditions.
And it appears to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body's immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight off coronavirus.
This over-reaction, a cytokine storm, can be deadly.
In the trial, led by a team from Oxford University, about 2,000 hospital patients were given dexamethasone and compared with more than 4,000 who were not.
For patients on ventilators, it cut the risk of death from 40% to 28%.
For patients needing oxygen, it cut the risk of death from 25% to 20%.
Chief investigator Prof Peter Horby said: "This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality - and it reduces it significantly. It's a major breakthrough."

Source: BBC

Tonse Alliance supporters involved in car crash

Reports reaching UmodziUpadates indicate that at least 4 supporters for Tonse Alliance have sustained serious injuries after being involved in two separate road accidents in Mchinji on Tuesday.
One of the victims was hit by a speeding vehicle along the Kapiri-Kamwendo road, while the other three got injured when a lorry that carried 39 supporters, failed to negotiate a sharp bend along the Kawere-Mkanda road.
The two accidents happened when the Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara held a number of whistle stop rallies in the district.
Mchinji police spokesperson Kondwani Kandiado said the four, that include three men and a woman, have been admitted to Mchinji District Hospital.

Gvt insists Nyirenda should go on leave

Government insists that Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda has accumulated more than 572 leave days and hence, should proceed on leave pending his retirement.
In a statement issued last night, government Spokesperson and Information Minister Mark Botomani maintains an earlier position made in a communiqué by Chief Secretary to government Lloyd Muhara on June 12, 2020.
“Government further observes that the Chief Justice will not be the first judicial officer to have proceeded on leave pending retirement.” Said the statement in part.
The statement cites retired Chief Justices Lovemore Munlo and Anastazia Msosa who both proceeded on leave pending retirement from the Office of Chief Justice of Malawi.
“It is for this reason that Government finds it proper that the Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda should enjoy his leave days, with his family, while still enjoying full benefits of his office,” the statement added.
The Botomani statement is coming just a few days after two injunctions were obtained, restricting the executive from effecting the action pending judicial review.
There has also been widespread local and international condemnation against usurping the powers of the judiciary and lawyers in the country are today holding demonstrations in defence of judicial independence and the rule of law.

Bakili Muluzi Backs Fyness Mwagonjwa’s Tribalism Remarks

Former President Bakili Muluzi has come to the defense of Democratic Progressive Party’s youngest lawmaker Fyness Magonjwa on the remarks she made in Machinga threatening traditional leaders with consequences if they ever entertain opposition leaders in the district.
The Machinga South East Constituency legislator faced backlash from opposition supporters and other stakeholders after uttering the words that were deemed as “tribally”.
However, Former President Bakili Muluzi has backed the legislator by reminding people that when Joyce Banda had a shade from the president Peter Mutharika, everyone came out to defend “a woman” but when this “courageous” young and “charismatic” lady stood up and exercised her right to freedom of speech, many insulted her without seeing she’s a woman.
“Our country has become lovers of politicians than lovers of the nation.
“I defeated the Kamuzu regime but, whenever he did right things, we were clapping hands and whenever he did wrong, we were protesting.
“This young democratic was not wrong to speak about the right things to applaud in DPP. That is real democracy,” Muluzi said.

BET announces 2020 award nominees, see who is representing Africa

BET announced the list of this year’s, 2020 BET award nominees and here is everybody in Africa that made a cut:
Burna Boy is a nominee for an enviable BET Award and some people have already made a judgement that he will not win.
[caption id="attachment_192702" align="alignnone" width="750"] Burna Boy[/caption]The African Giant was nominated for the BET Best International Act award against South Africa’s and INNOSS’B of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
[caption id="attachment_192699" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Sho Madjozi[/caption]Some of the other nominees are Wizkid via Beyonce and their collabo hit, Brown Skin Girl.
Nigeria’s Rema is competing for Viewers Choice Award, Best New International Act against Sha Sha of Zimbabwe.
[caption id="attachment_192697" align="alignnone" width="600"] Rema[/caption]The award ceremony is expected to be a virtual concert on the night of Sunday, June 28 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Voting is still open until June 19.
Here in Africa the show will be broadcast on BET Africa at 2am, June 29 Central Africa Time.
Comedian and Insecure actress Amanda Seales of Insecure will host the BET Awards this year.
The ceremony will feature special performances by Alicia Keys, Chloe x Halle, DaBaby, D Smoke, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Lil Wayne, Megan Thee Stallion, Usher, and many more talented artists.
BET is known for supporting black talent in the entertainment industry all the way to sports and philanthropy.

Man arrested for abducting, killing his ex-girlfriend

A man has been arrested for abducting and killing his ex-girlfriend.
The body of the South African woman, Lindelwa Peni was found in a bushy area near Chicken Farm, Reeston, East London, after the man was arrested on Monday afternoon.
Peni’s sister, Nosiphiwo, said the 43-year-old single mother of two went missing last Wednesday night after leaving her home accompanied by her ex-boyfriend.
According to Nosiphiwo, a frantic search was launched after it became clear that Peni might have been abducted.
“We couldn’t call her since she left her phone behind,” Nosiphiwo told DispatchLIVE.
A neighbour allegedly saw Peni leaving with her ex-boyfriend, who was driving a Toyota Quantam.
“The neighbour noticed that there was an argument,” Nosiphiwo said.
She said the family never knew of any issues between the pair. She said the suspect “looked like a nice guy” who would never cause any harm.
“We only suspected that there might have been a problem when we checked my sister’s phone … she had blocked the man’s number,” Nosiphiwo said.
She said the family was still struggling to come to terms with the death of her sister.
“This is so painful. Now we will have to raise her two kids,” said Nosiphiwo.
The taxi driver cannot be named until he appears in court.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Col Sibongile Soci confirmed that the 61-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday at Ncera Village 7.
Soci said the man had been charged for kidnapping and murder after the discovery of the body of the 43-year-old woman who was reported kidnapped on June 12  2020.
“Thorough investigation led police to the suspect and the body of the victim,” she said.
The suspect will appear in court on Wednesday.