AfDB vice-president, Blanke, resigns

The Vice President for Agriculture, the Human and Social Development at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Jennifer Blanke, has resigned her position.

The bank’s Communications and External Relations Department made this known in a statement yesterday, saying Blanke’s resignation would take effect July 4, 2020.

She was quoted as saying: “I am leaving purely for family reasons to rejoin my family in Switzerland, after a very fulfilling time at the bank. I will miss the bank and the excellent team we have built. I will continue to strongly support the bank from wherever I am.“I thank President Akinwumi Adesina for his strong leadership, guidance, and support which have undoubtedly motivated and helped my team and me to play a key role in the transformation of the bank. I feel privileged to have been given an opportunity to contribute to the bank’s agenda for accelerating Africa’s social and economic transformation.”

AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, expressed delight to have worked with Blanke over the past three years.

“She has demonstrated genuine leadership skills and moved the needles on so many fronts, especially in the areas of food security, women’s financial empowerment, and job creations. I wish her all the best and look forward to continued partnerships and engagement with Jennifer,” Adesina said.

The AfDB boss wished her all the best and looked forward to continued partnership and engagement with her.

Blanke joined the bank in early 2017 and has overseen a number of its programmes, according to the statement.

Source: The Guardian

Lt. General Diya loses wife to COVID-19

Former Chief of General Staff and de-factor Military Vice President, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya, has lost his beloved junior wife, Chief (Mrs) Rebecca Folashade Diya, to Coronavirus.

A press statement released by Olawale Adekoya, Special Adviser (Media & Strategy) to Gen Diya, said the late Mrs Diya died late Monday night at 66.

“With grief in our hearts but gratitude to Almighty God, we announce the transition onto eternal glory of Chief Mrs Deborah Folashade Diya (JP), wife of His Excellency, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya (Rtd); whose death occurred on Monday, May 18, 2020. She was aged 66.

source: The Guardian

Senate steps down N10.509tr revised 2020 budget

The Senate in Nigeria said, yesterday, that inefficiency on the part of the executive arm of government threatened the quick passage of the N10.509 trillion revised budget draft sent to the National Assembly two weeks ago.

It expressed disappointment on the failure of the Presidency to include a N186 billion health allocation in the entire budget. It therefore stepped down further consideration of the budget bill, insisting that the right thing must be done.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan was furious that the executive arm of government ignored part of the budget meant to take care of health emergencies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trouble for the revised budget began when Lawan called on the chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North), to lay the report for the consideration and possible passage of the revised budget bill.

'I'm tired of pain': George Floyd's brother implores Congress for police reforms

George Floyd’s brother Philonise pleaded in an emotional and powerful statement to members of Congress on Wednesday that they pass police reforms and listen to the calls around the world to "stop the pain."

"I can't tell you the kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that — when you watch your big brother, who you looked up to your whole entire life, die, die begging for his mom," he told members of the House Judiciary Committee, describing the video footage that showed his brother's death in police custody last month.

"I'm here to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain, stop us from being tired," he said. "George called for help, and he was ignored. Please listen to the call I'm making to you now, to the calls of our family, and the calls ringing out in the streets across the world."

NBC

Los Angeles police officer accused of repeatedly punching man is charged

A Los Angeles police officer who was seen on video repeatedly punching a man in an encounter in April has been charged with felony assault, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Officer Frank Hernandez, 49, is set to be arraigned Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.

"This is a disturbing case of the illegal use of force at the hands of a police officer," District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement "We believe the force was neither legally necessary nor reasonable."

Prosecutors say that Hernandez and his partner responded to a call of a trespasser at a vacant lot in Boyle Heights on April 27 and that "during a confrontation between police and the victim, Hernandez is accused of illegally punching the unarmed man more than a dozen times in the head, neck and body."

NBC news

India and China: How Nepal's new map is stirring old rivalries

Nepal's parliament is expected this week to formally approve a revised map of the country, including three areas it disputes with its giant neighbour India.

The redrawing of the map covers a relatively small region high in the Himalayas but it has stirred simmering tensions between two of the world's biggest powers, India and China.

In Nepal, which is sandwiched between the two, people have reacted angrily, protesting and accusing India of disregarding the country's sovereignty.

In recent months a new Indian road on a strategic mountain pass fanned tensions, as did a revised map put out by Delhi showing disputed areas as belonging to India.

source; BBCnews

George Floyd protests: Lawyer arrested twice after spitting on black teenager and slapping another the next day

A lawyer who spat on a teenage protester during a demonstration over George Floyd’s death has been arrested twice in two days.

According to eye witness reports from the scene on Saturday, Stephanie Rapkin, a white 64-year-old resident of the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood, parked her car in the middle of an intersection to block an anti-racism protest, angrily ignoring demands that she get back into the car and move it.

As seen on video shot by bystander which has since been widely shared online, Ms Rapkin angrily refused, then spat in the face of a young black protester who approached her, angering the crowd. She was arrested at her home later that night, but not transported to the Milwaukee County jail because of restrictions in place to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The next day, Ms Rapkin was arrested again after an altercation with protesters outside her home who were chalking the sidewalk with messages including “racist” and “I spat on a child”.

Outcry in South Africa after woman found stabbed and hanging from tree

The hashtag #JusticeForTshego has been trending on Twitter in South Africa after the horrific killing of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule.

Her stabbed body was found hanging from a tree near Johannesburg.

She was eight months pregnant, local media are quoting police as saying.

There are high levels of violence against women in South Africa and last year President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country was one of "the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman".

Crime statistics released last year showed that 2,930 adult women were murdered in a 12-month period from 2017 to 2018, which amounts to one murder every three hours.

Why Donald Trump's Poll Numbers Are Seriously Slipping

President Donald Trump's poll numbers are slipping less than six months outside of the election while former Vice President Joe Biden is seeing his support rise amid a stubborn pandemic and growing protests over the death of George Floyd.

Fifty-five percent of people in a CNN poll published on Monday said they would vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee, while 41% said the same for Trump, who shocked pollsters after he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a close presidential election in 2016. The CNN poll is not an outlier.

The National Interest

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury agree terms of two-fight deal

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have agreed in principle to meet in two blockbuster fights, according to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn.

Hearn has been negotiating with Fury’s camp for several weeks and he said the terms were in place for the British world heavyweight champions to go head to head.

No contracts have been signed yet, but Hearn expects WBA, IBF and WBO belt holder Joshua to face WBC champion Fury to determine the undisputed king of the heavyweight scene in 2021.

The Nation