IGIHE

Category: People

  • State support urged for SA shooting survivors

    State support urged for SA shooting survivors

    {{Hundreds of demonstrators have marched on South African government buildings in Pretoria to protest at a lack of state funding for survivors of shootings at the Marikana mine, where 44 people died last year.}}

    The demonstrators, including members of victims’ families and opposition parties, marched on Thursday because they want the government to pay legal fees for about 270 injured or arrested miners appearing at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry.

    The body was appointed by President Jacob Zuma to investigate the police killing of 34 striking miners on August 16, 2012, at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana.

    In the run-up to these deaths, at least 10 other people, including two police officers, were killed.

    The mine workers are facing a “David and Goliath battle” against the state, the police force and Lonmin, according to Trevor Ngwane, a 53-year-old spokesperson for the Marikana Support Campaign.

    “It’s very important to show the general public we are unhappy with the government,” Ngwane said, speaking from Pretoria.

    “It’s a tragedy, a shame, and a disgrace really,” he said.

    “It’s totally demoralising that the government of liberation could do something to the people like this.”

    Last August, Jeff Redabe, the justice minister, said funding the legal team for the mine workers was unnecessary.

    The approximately 270 injured or arrested miners and their lawyer, Dali Mpofu, withdrew from the commission in protest, and submitted an application to postpone the proceedings.

    Last Monday, the commission’s chairman, retired Judge Ian Farlam, ruled the hearings will continue, arguing that the absence of the miners will not prejudice the proceedings.

    Erik de Ridder, a 24-year-old spokesman for Citizens for Marikana, said inequality in the commission continues to hurt the cash-strapped workers, who also must pay for the two-hour journey from Rustenburg, where they live, to the commission in Pretoria.

    “The way it’s been operated has been detrimental to the community,” he said.

    “Because of this issue’s massive importance – socially, economically, politically – it definitely needs to come to a conclusion, so that the country can move on,” Ridder said.

    Source: agencies

  • Angelina Jolie to Receive Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

    Angelina Jolie to Receive Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

    {{Angelina Jolie is to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

    The honorary Oscar is one of several statuettes handed out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Governors Awards in November.}}

    Veteran actress Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and costume designer Piero Tosi will also be honoured.

    The awards “pay tribute to individuals who’ve made indelible contributions in their respective fields,” said Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

    The honorary awards are given out every year in recognition of “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy”.

    Boone, who phoned all four recipients individually to inform them of the forthcoming honour, called Martin, 68, “a real Renaissance Man” and deemed 87-year-old Lansbury “one of the finest actresses in our industry”.

    Lansbury received three Oscar nominations over the course of her career, for her work in Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray and 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate, but never won the award.

    A gifted stage actress, she also has five Tonys to her name and became a household name in the long-running TV series Murder, She Wrote?.

    Writer, actor and comedian Martin remains best known for his early hits such as 1979’s The Jerk and Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

    He has never been nominated for an Oscar, though he has hosted the award ceremony on three occasions.

    Tosi becomes the first costume designer to receive an honorary Oscar.

    The 86-year-old Italian has been Oscar-nominated five times, and remains best known in his field for his work on Luchino Visconti’s films The Leopard, Death in Venice and Ludwig.

    Jolie, the youngest of the four recipients, won an Oscar in 2000 for her career-defining turn in Girl, Interrupted, and was subsequently nominated in 2009, for The Changeling.

    BBC

  • One Indian woman killed every hour over dowry

    One Indian woman killed every hour over dowry

    {{One woman dies every hour in India because of dowry-related crimes, women’s rights activists have said.}}

    The National Crime Records Bureau said that 8,233 women were killed across India last year because of disputes over dowry payments given by the bride’s family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.

    The conviction rate in dowry-related crimes remained a low 32 percent, according to statistics the bureau published last week.

    Women’s rights activists and police said that loopholes in dowry prevention laws, delays in prosecution and low conviction rates have led to a steady rise in dowry-related crimes.

    Dowry demands have become even more insistent and expensive following India’s economic boom, said Ranjana Kumari, a women’s rights activist.

    Suman Nalwa, a senior New Delhi police officer dealing with crimes against women, said dowry practices extended to all classes in society.

    “Even highly educated people don’t say no to dowry,” she said.

    Giving or receiving of a dowry is illegal under Indian law.

    Source: AP

  • Tunisian Rapper Sentenced Again

    Tunisian Rapper Sentenced Again

    {{A Tunisian rapper has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for insulting the police, just two months after he was freed following public protests.}}

    Ala Yaacoubi, known as Weld El 15, was given a two-year sentence in June for his song The Police Are Dogs.

    His sentence was suspended in July and he was released from prison. He and fellow rapper Klay BBJ were convicted of insulting the police at a concert.

    They were not in court and now have to hand themselves in to the authorities.

    His lawyer said the case was an attack on freedom of expression.

    “I will speak to my clients to challenge this ruling, but jail sentences demonstrate that the relentless campaign against artistic freedom, freedom of expression, continues,” said Ghazi Mrabet.

    He said neither he nor his client had been informed about the latest trial.

    The lawyer denied that Weld El 15 had sung The Police Are Dogs at the concert in the resort of Hammamet.

    Prime Minister Ali Larayedh denied that freedom of expression was being threatened in Tunisia, noting that the rapper’s original prosecution was “for inciting hatred and calling for the death of police and magistrates”.

    Although the 25-year-old was not a particularly well-known performer, his case was taken up by human rights activists, bloggers and journalists, who campaigned for him to be released.

    Tunisia elected a moderate Islamist-led government after the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

    There has since been an increase in the prominence of ultra-conservative Islamists known as Salafists, who campaign for greater public piety in Tunisia.

    This is being resisted by more secular and liberal Tunisians.

    {wirestory}

  • Mandela Returns Home

    Mandela Returns Home

    Former South African president Nelson Mandela has left hospital and has gone to his Johannesburg home, where he is continuing to receive intensive care, the South African presidency said Sunday.

    The announcement came a day after officials denied reports that the 95-year-old had already been discharged. The statement says Mr Mandela condition remains critical and at time.

    South Africa’s first democratically elected president has been in hospital since June with a lung infection.

    “His team of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria [hospital],” the presidency statement says.

    It says his home has been “reconfigured to allow him to receive intensive care there” and he will be treated by the same health care personnel as in hospital.

    If necessary, he will be readmitted to hospital, the statement says.

    {wirestory}

  • Obama Address to Mark 50 years Since King’s ‘Dream’ Speech

    Obama Address to Mark 50 years Since King’s ‘Dream’ Speech

    {{Words from the first black U.S. president and bell ringing around the world on Wednesday will mark 50 years to the minute that civil rights leader Martin Luther King ended his landmark “I have a dream” speech.}}

    Capping a week long celebration of King’s historic call for racial and economic justice, President Barack Obama will speak at the Lincoln Memorial, site of King’s address on August 28, 1963.

    The “Let Freedom Ring and Call to Action” ceremony comes as almost half of Americans say much more needs to be done before the color-blind society King envisioned is realized.

    Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton also will address the crowd at the ceremony, which includes bell-ringing at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), 50 years to the minute after King ended his clarion call of the civil rights movement with the words “let freedom ring.”

    About 50 U.S. communities or organizations have said they will ring bells. The Swiss city of Lutry and Tokyo are also taking part, said Atlanta’s King Center, one of the event’s organizers.

    Other organizers include the National Action Network of civil rights leader Al Sharpton, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the National Council of Churches.

    The ceremony follows an interfaith service at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, organizers said.

    Obama’s address will wrap up more than a week of Washington events around the anniversary. They included a march on Saturday that drew thousands of people urging action on jobs, voting rights and gun violence.

    King, a black clergyman and advocate of non-violence, was among six organizers of the 1963 “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” where he made his address.

    King’s speech is credited with helping spur passage of sweeping civil rights laws. A white prison escapee assassinated the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1968.

    {reuters}

  • Kenya: Man in wife-sharing saga sacked

    Kenya: Man in wife-sharing saga sacked

    {{A Kenyan man who agreed to sign a contract with another to share a woman has been fired from his job.}}

    The butcher, Mr Sylvester Mwendwa, 26, who over the weekend openly declared his love for the widow said that his boss fired him after he heard the story.

    Mr Mwendwa was not shy to reiterate his love for the woman saying: “I love her for real and I was ready to do anything for her even if it meant sharing her with another man,” even as he claimed that his life was in danger after receiving threatening messages.

    After their relationship with Joyce Wambui and another man went public, Mr Mwendwa has now gone into hiding, fearing for his life.

    “I cannot go back home because I do not feel safe, I know Wambui is hurt, but you can never joke with a woman; she is capable of doing anything” he said on Monday in an interview with the Nation.

    He said his love for Wambui was so deep that he could go to the extent of sharing the love with another man by signing an agreement.

    “I have been living with this woman for more than four years as man and wife according to African traditions. The only thing that I had not done is pay bride price, but I have fulfilled all her needs,” he said.

    Mr Mwendwa further revealed that he had been taking care of Wambui’s twins for years in addition to renting a one-room house for her. The children, he said, call him father.

  • Turkey’s ‘standing man’ wins German award

    A Turkish choreographer who gained international fame by standing motionless for hours during protests that swept the country a few months ago, is to be honoured with an award in Germany.

    Erdem Gunduz, 34, who earned the epithet of “standing man” for his passive protest against the redevelopment of Istanbul’s Gezi Park, will be honoured for his “courageous commitment to freedom of expression and human rights” with the M100 Media Award.

    On the night of June 17th, Gunduz put his hands in his pockets, and stood still and silent for eight hours.

    Within hours his passive resistence had gained attention on the internet, prompting hundreds to join him in his silent vigil.

    “With his silent protest, he became the icon of peaceful resistance and has been emulated around the world,” said the jury of journalists, which will present the award on September 5 at Potsdam, just outside Berlin.

    “His weapon is creativity, his trademarks are courage and perseverance. That is what you need to promote free speech and human rights,” said Potsdam mayor and M100 chairman Jann Jakobs.

    The M100 award is presented annually to someone who panellists believe has helped safeguard freedom of expression and promoted democracy.

    Last year it was awarded to European Central Bank chief, Mario Draghi. Previous recipients were Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who drew controversial pictures of the Prophet Mohammed, and the former French foreign minister and founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres, Bernard Kouchner.

    aljazeera

  • Mau Mau Fighters claim Were Denied Compensation

    {{When the British Government decided to compensate Mau Mau-era detainees in an out-of-court settlement, Ms Esther Njeri was ready for her share of the Sh2.6 billion payout.}}

    The 74-year-old from Thuita village in Githunguri, Kiambu, says she was among the 5,228 beneficiaries shortlisted as a genuine Mau Mau detainee.

    She is now protesting that she did get the Sh340,000 each person was entitled to.

    Njeri is blaming Mau Mau War Veterans Association officials in her village for her woes, alleging they hid a notification letter given to her by British representatives who jetted into the country to verify fighters who deserved compensation.

    The document was her only confirmation that she was entitled to the share of the money released in June this year and announced by British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

    {{Bank account}}

    Members were to attach their bank account numbers and present it to local officials for signing to okay the deposit of the cash in their accounts.

    The woman who said her role was to cook and serve freedom fighters, was tortured and detained for months during the struggle for independence.

    “I was the first person to be interviewed by the British officials who were here to verify who are genuine and who are not,” she said.

    “I was given a notification and I was told I would use it while claiming my share once the money was out,” she added.

    Njeri said on the day she was to go for the signing, she sent her husband Njihia Ngaruiya, 86, also a beneficiary, to take the notification document with him for signing.

    This was the last time she was to see a document she had treasured and knew it was her way to receive the money.

    But she is not alone; according to area acting Chief Samuel Njoroge, he has heard of several other similar cases although they have not been officially reported to his office.

    “Word has been going around that a number genuine fighters who were entitled to compensation did not get their money when others did,” he said.

    {Standardmedia}

  • Pistorius ‘Seeks Deal’ With Dead Lover’s Family

    {{South Africa’s Paralympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius is trying to negotiate an out-of-court compensation deal with the parents of his slain lover Reeva Steenkamp, a local newspaper said.}}

    Lawyers for Pistorius, who goes on trial in March on murder charges for shooting dead Steenkamp, are mulling a settlement for emotional stress and loss of income, The Times reported.

    They reportedly want the matter settled before trial opens on March 3 next year.
    The Steenkamp family lawyer Petrus de Bruyn confirmed discussions were under way, but refused to give details.

    “We have both said that we are in talks with each other and that’s all we are prepared to say,” he told media.

    The paper said Pistorius’s lawyer Kenny Oldwage had also spoken of talks with the Steenkamp family.

    Oldwage said: “I am not aware of these discussions and I can’t comment.”

    Steenkamp and her half-brother had financially supported their parents, who are pensioners.

    The support had included paying rent for their house in the southern coastal city of Port Elizabeth.

    The parents are reportedly planning to lodge a civil suit claiming three million rand ($300,000) in damages.

    The 26-year-old Pistorius wept and prayed in court on Monday before being served with his indictment for murder and given his trial date.

    Steenkamp, a blonde cover girl and law graduate who would have turned 30 on Monday, died in the bathroom of Pistorius’s upmarket Pretoria home in the early hours of February 14.

    The double amputee athlete known as “Blade Runner”, who is currently out on bail, has admitted to killing Steenkamp but denied murder, saying he shot her through a locked bathroom door because he believed she was an intruder.
    Prosecutors will argue he is guilty of premeditated murder.