August, 2020 - The African Mirror

Aug

2020

South‌ ‌Africa‌ ‌produces‌ ‌its‌ ‌first‌ ‌ventilators‌ ‌to‌ ‌fight‌ ‌COVID-19

WENDELL ROELF THE first of thousands of South African-designed ventilators rolled off a Cape Town assembly line on Friday, responding to requests from hospitals needing them for severe COVID-19 cases but unable to get them on global markets, officials said. Poorly resourced hospitals across Africa, which is nearing a million cases of COVID-19 -- more than half of them in South Africa -- have struggled to cope with a burgeoning caseload amid a global scramble favouring richer nations in procuring ventilators and protective gear. South Africa, which now has the world's fifth highest infection burden of around 482,169 confirmed cases,…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan peace talks offer little hope for protesters in Darfur

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NAFISA ELTAHIR and KHALID ABDELAZIZ EFFORTS to bring stability to Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region have failed to reassure residents fearful of rising violence which has cast a shadow over peace negotiations. The fall of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 raised hopes that Arab militias he supported, which have been accused of atrocities, would be reined in under the civilian-military government which replaced him. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is negotiating with rebel groups that had fought Bashir. But they hold little sway 17 years after a conflict which killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million erupted. Over the last month, 100…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Video games seen becoming a new frontier in digital rights

HUMAN RIGHTS

AVI ASHER-SCHAPIRO CRITICAL digital rights battles over privacy, free speech and anonymity are increasingly being fought in video games, a growing market that is becoming a "new political arena," experts and insiders said on Thursday. With the industry set to more than double annual revenues to $300 billion by 2025, questions about how video game operators, designers and governments handle sensitive issues take on added urgency, said participants at RightsCon, a virtual digital rights conference. In recent months, a Hong Kong activist staged a protest against Beijing's rule inside a popular social simulator game called Animal Crossing, and a member…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

South Africans push back against 5G towers in their backyards

NEWS

KIM HARRISBERG TENS of thousands of South Africans have written complaints to the government over a new policy that would let mobile networks build cellphone infrastructure like 5G towers on private land, which they say could devalue their property. Since communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams gazetted the policy last week, dissent has poured in through the website Dear South Africa, which collects online submissions to challenge or co-form policies before they become law. "There are concerns about radiation, about the resale value of properties and about this being used as an excuse to expropriate land without compensation," the group's founder, Rob…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

U.N. to train Botswana traditional leaders to fight gender-based abuse

NEWS

KELETSO THOBEGA DOZENS of traditional leaders in Botswana will take part in a U.N. training programme that aims to help them tackle high rates of gender-based violence in the country, officials and leaders said on Friday. Nearly 70% of women in the southern African nation have experienced physical or sexual abuse - more than double the global average, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF). As women's rights campaigners warn of a spike in domestic abuse due to coronavirus restrictions that have trapped women indoors with their abusers, traditional leaders welcomed the initiative and the opportunity to help. "No…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Verstappen claims first win of the season

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO RED Bull’s brave strategy paid off as Max Verstappen stormed past the chequered flag in first place after a fantastic drive from fourth in the British Grand Prix, a race that celebrated Formula One’s 70 years. Both Mercedes’ experienced tyre issues and found themselves responding to the quicker Red Bull, finishing in second and third. A late pit stop from last week’s race winner Lewis Hamilton saw him pass teammate Valtteri Bottas, who started on pole, with five laps to go. Ferrari experienced a mixed outing at Silverstone. Charles Leclerc endured a tough race to come home a…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Gunmen kill six French tourists, two Nigeriens in Niger – governor

NEWS

GUNMEN on motorcycles have killed six French tourists and two Nigeriens in a wildlife park in Niger, a senior official said. The attackers struck in a giraffe reserve in the West African country's Kouré area, the governor of Tillaberi, Tidjani Ibrahim Katiella, told Reuters. The two Nigeriens were working as the tourists' guide and driver, AFP news agency reported. The French foreign ministry said it was making checks into reports of the attack. There was no immediate comment from the government in Niger. The French government warns people against travelling to large parts of Niger where militant groups including Boko…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

South African Brad Binder claims historic MotoGP win

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO SOUTH African Brad Binder shocked the motorsport world by claiming his first MotoGP win at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno. The first year MotoGP rider became the first South African to win MotoGP’s premier division and the first rookie to win a MotoGP race since 2013 in only his third Grand Prix start. “This is a day I’ve dreamed about since I was a little boy. Today, it came true. I really wish my parents were here because they were the ones that backed me from the beginning. “I can't thank my team enough. They put…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

UK armed forces asked to help deal with migrant boats crossing Channel

NEWS

ESTELLE SHIRBON BRITAIN's armed forces have been asked to help deal with boats carrying migrants across the Channel from France, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday after a spate of arrivals on the southern English coast. Taking advantage of a spell of hot weather and calm sea conditions, hundreds of people including children and pregnant women have made the dangerous 33-km crossing in recent days, many in overloaded rubber dinghies and other small vessels. The Defence Ministry said it had received a formal request from the Home Office, or interior ministry, to assist the UK Border Force with its operations…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Algeria eases more coronavirus restrictions, including travel curbs and curfew

COVID-19

ALGERIA will further ease its coronavirus lockdown, including shortening an overnight curfew and lifting some travel curbs, the government has announced. In addition, large mosques will be allowed to reopen, along with beaches, entertainment venues, hotels, restaurants and cafes. The North African country has recorded 34,155 coronavirus infections, with 1,282 deaths. The new measures include lifting a travel ban on 29 provinces from Aug. 9 until the end of the month. During that period, a curfew will be shortened and will run from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. from the current 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., the government said. Mosques…