Sofonie Dala - Young Talents from Africa

Monday, 8 August 2022

Brittney Griner Sentenced to 9 Years in Russian Prison on Drug Possession Charges

The White House, meanwhile, has said they are working on a potential prisoner exchange with Russia to bring Griner and another American imprisoned in the country back to the U.S.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison, on charges of smuggling drugs into the country.

Griner's lawyers said, in a statement shared with PEOPLE, that the verdict, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years, is "absolutely unreasonable" and said they will "certainly file an appeal."

A Russian judge read Griner, 31, her verdict Thursday about an hour after her lawyers and the prosecution presented their closing arguments. The Phoenix Mercury star had given an emotional speech, reiterating her stance that though she pled guilty to bringing less than 1 gram of cannabis oil into Russia, she did so "inadvertently" and asked the court for leniency.

For more on Brittney Griner, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"That's why I pled guilty to my charges. I understand everything that's been said against me, the charges that are against me and that is why I pled guilty but I had no intents to break any Russian laws," Griner said, according to CNN.

In a statement, President Joe Biden said the ruling was "unacceptable."

"Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney," he said. "It's unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible."

Russian prosecutors had asked the judge during closing arguments to sentence Griner to nine years and six months in prison, just below the maximum allowed sentence of 10 years. The prosecution also asked that Griner was fined 1 million rubles, roughly equivalent to $16,600, according to The New York Times.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner holds images standing in a cage in a courtroom prior to a hearing at the Khimki City Court outside Moscow, Russia, 27 July 2022. Griner, a World Champion player of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury team was arrested in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after some hash oil was detected and found in her luggage, for which she now could face a prison sentence of up to ten years. US basketball player Brittney Griner attends hearing on drug charges, Moscow, Russian Federation - 27 Jul 2022 — Brittney Griner. ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

As the Russian court ruled on Griner's case, the Biden administration is still working on a striking a deal with Russian officials to bring Griner and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in the country, home.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday that the Russian court's ruling "spotlights our concerns with the Russian government's use of wrongful detentions."

Last Wednesday, Blinken said that the Biden administration offered a "substantial" deal to Russia to secure the pair's release, the White House confirmed to PEOPLE, and he reiterated Thursday that they plan to "do everything we can" to bring Griner and Paul Whelan home "as soon as possible."

RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner Says She 'Had No Intention to Break the Law' While Testifying in Russian Court

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Elections 2022: Second Summary of the 15th day of campaign

Luanda - Marches and airtime on radio and television were the highlight on Sunday, 15th day of campaign across the country, in the scope of the general elections, slated for 24 August, with the involvement of the eight contenders.

PHA

The Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) in its ten minutes of airtime on Angola National Radio (RNA) station called for the alignment of public administration with the principles of the democratic rule of law and the new humanism from the point of view of organization, operation and conduct of its agents.

P-NJANGO

Eduardo Chingunji, candidate of P-NJANGO for President of the Republic, during the ten-minute airtime in the RNA, advised his competitors to sensitize the population so that the elections take place in a climate of peace and festivity.

UNITA

The head of the UNITA list, Adalberto Costa Júnior, appealed to the need for Angolans to unite for a better future, similar to the last 20 years, in which “everyone made efforts to unite the country”.

The politician was speaking during the party´s Radio airtime, as part of the election campaign.

FNLA

The candidate for President of the Republic, Nimi Simbi, reaffirmed in Uige Province the priority placed on developing agriculture, in order to promote food self-sufficiency in the country.

CASA-CE

The head of the Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola - Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE) called for greater speed in the processing of legal cases so that the country gain credibility and attract foreign investment capable of reviving the national economy and stimulating sustainable development.

Manuel Fernandes was speaking during the party´s ten minutes of airtime on the public radio.

APN

The head of the National Patriotic Alliance (APN), Quintino Moreira, in Namibe Province, called on Angolans to go to the polls to exercise their right to vote in this year´s general elections.

PRS

The Social Renewal Party (PRS) intends to propose to the National Assembly (parliament), the approval of the law on traditional authorities, in case of winning the general elections.

During the ten minutes of airtime on the radio, the PRS president said that traditional authorities conserve the face of the identity and origin of the people and should, therefore, have a legislation to regulate them.

MPLA

The MPLA candidate for President of the Republic, João Lourenço, met on Sunday with professional and amateur cyclists, young people from different social strata and civil servants.

João Lourenço, 68, pedalled a bicycle for 23 kilometres in 50 minutes across the city of Luanda and, at the end of the ride, urged the youth to do sports to build a healthy country.

Angolan government reiterates commitment to peace, reconciliation

Luanda – The minister of State for Social Affairs, Carolina Cerqueira, reinforced Sunday at Muxima locality, Luanda’s Quissama Municipality, the commitment of the Angolan government to peace, dialogue and harmonious relations among Angolans.

Speaking to ANGOP on the sidelines of the closing mass of the pilgrimage to the Muxima Sanctuary, Carolina Cerqueira appealed to Angolans to remain united due to the goals of national reconciliation, sustainable development and prosperity of families.

Carolina Cerqueira said that after a two-year break for the biggest national religious event because of the covid-19 pandemic, Catholic worshipers have gathered for an act of popular piety, to celebrate the journey of the christian faith.

According to the minister, the Catholic faithful who attended the event have prayed for free, fair and transparent elections so that the officials to be elected may prioritise the common good and the national interest, so that Angola continue to be a respected nation.

Regarding the elections, she appealed to voters to participate massively and in an orderly manner, with citizenship and patriotism spirit to honour democracy and boost the credibility of the process.

She requested that each one should refrain from acts and words that create distrust, promoting social and spiritual tranquillity through bridges of understanding and harmony.

She congratulated young people, who will vote for the first time, calling on them to be exemplar in order to dignify the youth and the future of the country.

The ceremony was presided by the Bishop of Luanda in the presence of Cardinal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento and the Bishop of the Diocese of Viana, Dom Emílio Sumbelelo.

Meanwhile, the closing mass of the pilgrimage to the Muxima Sanctuary was also attended by the vice-governor of Luanda for Political and Social Sector, Júlio Bessa, the minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, Filipe Zau, State Secretaries, plus the Administrator of Quissama Municipality, Marta Mendes Amaro.

Uganda Shuts Down Prominent LGBT Rights Group

Ugandan officials have banned a prominent LGBT rights group in a major setback for the community there.

Sexual Minorities Uganda (Smug) has been ordered to shut down with “immediate effect” for not registering properly with authorities.

The campaign group decried the order as a “clear witch hunt” by the government against LGBT Ugandans.

Sexual minorities face widespread persecution in Uganda, where anti-gay and transphobic views are common.

Gay relationships are illegal in Uganda, where they can be punished by up to life in prison for committing “unnatural offences.”

Official police data shows that 194 people were charged with the offence between 2017 and 2020, including 25 who went on to be convicted.

“This is a clear witch hunt rooted in systematic homophobia, fuelled by anti-gay and anti-gender movements,” said Smug’s director Frank Mugisha, who is a gay Ugandan activist.

He accused authorities of treating members of Uganda’s LGBT minority as second-class citizens and trying to erase their existence completely.

On Friday Ugandan officials announced they were halting Smug’s operations because the campaign group, founded in 2004, had failed to register its name with the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) properly.

It is the same reason given last year when dozens of civil society groups – including pro-democracy organisations – were also banned by Ugandan authorities.

This time officials say that the issue stems from Smug’s name itself – Sexual Minorities Uganda.

In a statement, the NGO Bureau acknowledged that Smug had attempted to register with authorities in 2012, but that the application had been rejected because Smug’s full name was considered “undesirable.”

President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in office since 1986, has made homophobic comments in the past – including in a 2016 CNN interview when he called gay people “disgusting.”

Although there are no laws specifically criminalising being transgender in Uganda, trans people are regularly prosecuted for other offences including “personation” (false representation), according to reports compiled by rights organisations.

Since its establishment almost two decades ago, Smug has campaigned for the rights of LGBT people in Uganda by promoting access to health services and supporting members of the LGBT community to live openly.

It has also taken legal action to protect gay people from hostility, including in 2010 when it successfully petitioned a Ugandan judge to order a newspaper to stop publishing the names and photographs of gay Ugandan men under the headline “hang them”.

The group said several of its members had been attacked or harassed as a result of the article – including one woman who was almost killed when her neighbours began throwing stones at her house.

At the time, Ugandan politicians were preparing to debate whether or not to introduce the death penalty for same-sex relationships – a legislative amendment that attracted widespread international condemnation before eventually being dropped.

More recently, Smug has vocally criticised anti-gay speeches delivered by Ugandan politicians – including in the run-up to national elections in 2021.

“The politicians are using the LGBT community as a scapegoat to gain support and win votes and it is fuelling homophobia,” Smug’s director Frank Mugisha told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Sunday, 7 August 2022

Commonwealth Games: Abraham Mensah Secures Medal, Targets Gold

Ghanaian boxer Abraham Mensah secured for himself a place in the medal zone of the Commonwealth Games after recording a 3-1 split decision victory over Rukmal Prassana of Sri Lanka in their quarter-final clash in the bantamweight division at the NEC Hall on Thursday.

Mensah won the first two rounds but lost the third round to earn a deserved victory which earned him a place in the semi-final and an automatic medal.

He joins Black Bombers teammates Joseph Commey and Abdul Wahib Omar who have also qualified for the semi-finals in their divisions and are also guaranteed a medal each.

After the win, Mensah paid tribute to his trainer for guiding him to win the fight. He said the strategy to win the first two rounds and move around in the final round worked perfectly.

Now, his focus is to reach the final and win a gold medal.

“Everyone has to thank my coach for this win because he was instrumental in this victory for Ghana and I really appreciate him.

“The plan was to attack from the first round so you can kill the game before it ends and that was why I started attacking from the opening round”.

Excited at guiding three of his boxers to the medal zone, Black Bombers head trainer, Kwasi Ofori Asare, said his young boxers had made a strong case again for the government to pay more attention to amateur boxing and put in more investment to develop the talents that abound in the sport to win laurels at such international competitions.

He told Graphic Online that the fisticuff sport had continuously made a statement at international competitions and deserved better treatment.

“We targeted at least three medals and we have been able to achieve that and I can only be proud of my fighters and technical team,” said Coach Asare.

“Boxing continues to prove to the nation that with a lot of investment, we can win more medals for the state at international competitions.

“I want to take this opportunity to appeal to the state to take a position in helping the sport with infrastructure to help us in our preparations for tournaments.”

Source: Graphiconline.com

Monkeypox: US Declares Outbreak A Public Health Emergency

The US government has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency following a spike in cases.

The decision will speed up the distribution of vaccines, treatments and federal resources to curb the spread of the virus.

It comes less than a fortnight after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its highest emergency alert following a worldwide surge in cases.

Cases have topped 6,600 in the US, according to health officials.

A quarter of these cases have appeared in the state of New York, which declared its own state of emergency over the disease last week.

The two states with the next highest caseloads – California and Illinois – declared states of emergency earlier this week.

More than 26,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide this year, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows.

Some public health experts have expressed concern the emergency declaration could further stigmatise the disease.
Although anyone can catch monkeypox, the outbreak has been largely concentrated among men who have sex with men.

But it is not purely a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and can also be passed on by close contact with an infected person.

The virus typically causes pimple-like rashes, which can be extremely itchy and painful, to develop and spread across the body, as well as other complications.

Infections are usually mild and clear up on their own in adult patients without treatment or hospitalisation – but the WHO has warned that young children have died at higher rates from the disease.

Officials in the US and elsewhere have recommended that people at the highest risk of exposure – including some gay and bisexual men, as well as some healthcare workers – should get the jab on a priority basis.

Pressure had been building on President Joe Biden to do more to stop the spread of monkeypox.

Public health officials say the disease is particularly prevalent amongst men who have sex with men.

In cities like here in San Francisco, with a large LGBT presence, politicians have claimed not enough is being done to protect the community.

Unlike when Covid-19 surfaced, there are pre-existing vaccines for monkeypox. But many who have tried to get the jab have reported waiting in long lines, only to be told there aren’t enough to go round.

Some have questioned whether Mr Biden should have called this nationwide state of emergency earlier – and whether this will be enough to prevent further spread.

San Francisco introduced a public health state of emergency on Monday. In doing so, the mayor invoked memories of the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s – when she says the city was ignored.

“We are in a very scary place”, she said.