NAIROBI, Kenya — Three months after her son, Kiragu Kamau, was born in 2008, Anne Wangari Kamau, 44, realized that he did not have a comfort toy and gifted him one of her elder daughter’s teddy bears called “Teddy”, which she knitted. Over time, the bond between her son and Teddy grew, and the two became inseparable. “Thirteen years later, Teddy is still a huge part of our family, and with my crochet skills, I knew what I wanted to do — knit other Teddies for children across the world,” Wangari told Zenger News. That Eureka moment was the inspiration behind…
Author: zenger.news
GENEVA — The crash in international tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic can cause a loss of more than $4 trillion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2020 and 2021, as per a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report published on June 30. The estimated loss has been caused by the pandemic’s direct impact on tourism and its ripple effect on other sectors closely linked to it. The report, jointly presented with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), says international tourism and its linked sectors suffered an estimated loss of 2.4 trillion dollars in 2020 due to direct and…
NEW DELHI — India’s Parliamentary Committee has sought a response from Twitter for a reason behind locking the accounts of Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament from the opposition party, the Indian National Congress. The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information and Technology (IT), headed by Tharoor, has given the microblogging platform two days to formulate a response. The panel directed the secretariat to seek a response in writing for the reason behind locking two prominent Twitter accounts. “Twitter will have to give a written answer to the committee within 48 hours, why and under what rule…
WASHINGTON — The United States has welcomed Ethiopia’s unconditional ceasefire in the conflict-torn Tigray province on June 28, following the recapture of the regional capital, Mekelle, by rebel fighters, which forced the government troops to retreat. “The Government of Ethiopia’s announcement yesterday of a unilateral ceasefire in the Tigray region could be a positive step if it results in changes on the ground to end the conflict, stop the atrocities, and allow unhindered humanitarian assistance,” Ned Price, the spokesman for the United States Department, said in a statement on June 29. “We are closely monitoring developments. We call on all parties to…
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Former South African President Jacob Zuma, 79, was sentenced to 15 months in prison on June 29 by the Constitutional Court for defying court orders to appear before a corruption investigation spanning nine years of his term from 2009-2018. “Zuma was served with the order, and it is impossible to conclude anything other than that he was unequivocally aware of what is required of him,” said acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe while delivering the ruling in the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. “I would rather ensure that this society is one in which deference is shown…
L Brands, la empresa Matriz de Victoria’s Secret, obtuvo el mediocre puntaje de 17 sobre 100 en el nuevo índice de Marcador de Género 2020, publicado el martes pasado, a pesar de que la empresa ha dejado de lado sus desfiles de ‘ángeles’ y ha presentado un nuevo grupo de modelos diversos. La investigación realizada por World Benchmarking Alliance evaluó las acciones de 35 de las empresas de moda más grandes del mundo, para cumplir con el quinto Objetivo de Desarrollo Sustentable de las Naciones Unidas: incrementar la equidad de género y empoderar a las mujeres. L Brands se encuentra en el…
Saif Malook left Pakistan’s Lahore High Court with his head held high on June 3. He had secured freedom for his clients, Shagufta Kausar and her husband Shafqat Emmanuel, impoverished Pakistani Christians sentenced to death for blasphemy. Their convictions had just been overturned on appeal. But almost immediately, Malook’s smile faded as extremists took to social media with threats to end his life. “They called me an agent of the Jews, and many of the threats the Pakistani government determined to be credible,” he said from his home in Lahore. “They even post pictures of the two judges who heard…
“You’re only as good as the company you keep” is an old Southern saying that has many meanings. Big Court is living proof of that: He has surrounded himself with like-minded individuals and reaped the benefits from those relationships. It’s nearly impossible to go wrong with music mogul Master P as a mentor. Known as Master P’s right-hand man, Big Court is finding his lane in the podcast world. His “Holdin’ Court” podcast is one of the hottest new offerings on YouTube. He has secured some of the biggest names in the street, entertainment, and music worlds to come hold…
A young student who had a promising career in music ahead of her has died after reportedly drinking bootleg liquor in Turkey. Berna Ozcan, 25, died in a hospital in the western Turkish city of Izmir after she woke up feeling ill on June 27. The young woman, who studied at the renowned Ege University State Conservatory of Turkish Music, had been drinking with friends at her home on Saturday night. She fell asleep and woke up the next morning feeling unwell, prompting her friends to call the emergency services. Paramedics arrived at the residence in the neighborhood of Erzene…
Attacks on human rights activists in Guatemala are at a 20-year high, with a bloody tide of 15 murders and over 1,000 assaults in 2020 alone, according to watchdog group Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala (Udefegua). The group also reported over 300 cases of “criminalization” — spurious legal charges brought against activists by government authorities. Various Guatemalan human rights groups consider this repression a key driver of migration that the U.S. has yet to denounce firmly enough. Most of the migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border are from Central America’s northern triangle countries of…