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WHAT FASHION AND TODAYS ZAMBIAN PLAYERS CAN LEARN FROM UCAR ( THE FASHION DEBACLE)

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WHAT FASHION AND TODAYS ZAMBIAN PLAYERS CAN LEARN FROM UCAR ( THE FASHION DEBACLE)

By Puncherello Chama

In April 1975 the Great Godfrey ” Ucar” Chitalu was unceremoniously dropped from the Zambia National team.

This was after helping Zambia qualify for its first AFCON in 1974 which included a star performance against Nigeria in the qualifiers before the team reached the AFCON where Ucar scored against the Hosts Egypt.

Chitalu was also doing amazing things at Kabwe Warriors were he set a record in 1972 by scoring 107 goals in a season which is a world record that stands to this day.

He also secured a BIG Brand Ambassador deal with Union Carbide Batteries which was albig and became the reason why he was nicknamed UCAR after the batteries.

But fast forward to 1975 and Serbian Coach Ante Buselic unceremoniously dropped him.

There was uproar in the country as Zambian football fans demanded for Buselic to be sacked.

Even the Zambian Government got involved and tried to tell Buselic and FAZ then to change their minds but they didn’t.

White Ucar was a talented player Buselic had enough of his disruptive attitude in the team and refused to play him.

As long as Buselic was in charge Ucar wouldn’t play for Zambiam

Ucar would only return in 1977 when a Romanian Ted Virba would take charge.

We shall continue the Ucar story but now lets focus on Fashion.

  1. LEAKED AUDIO AND THE CONSEQUENCES

I dislike taking about individual players and prefer just sharing their positives but I think in this case its important to say the truth.

The sharing of the leaked audio to the public is wrong and in an organization its a disciplinary case and on some worst cases can lead to a summary dismissal.

Even at Club levelor outside of Zambia that’s a serious offence.

Whether its Fashion that shared the audio or not it will make it difficult for people who have phone conversations to have that trust.

  1. THE FOOTBALL POLITICS ANGLE

Some of the first people who received the audio and shared it are perceived football political opponents of the FAZ administration.

I can only imagine how some of the FAZ leadership felt about the association and its leadership being brought into disrepute.

The story that the FAZ President Andrew Kamanga is aware of Grant and Nir’s alleged Grand Corruption on the Zambia National team probably has not sat well with its leadership especially since no actual proof was forwarded in the audio besides it being the players word.

By Fashion sharing that audio with allegations against the FAZ President he has subtly engaged in football politics though I’m sure the player did so innocently.

This is the trickiest issue for him because the truth is that there maybe trust issues if and when he returns that he can leak National team issues.

Footballers should as much as possible avoid involving the elected football leadership in their disagreements because that can be perceived as politics by those in the positions.

  1. FOOTBALLERS SHOULD BE CAREFULL WHO THEY TRUST

At some point last year a female football player from the Copper Queens did an expose on what was happening in the background of the team.

But where is she now?

The people she trusted when she shared that expose don’t even post about her or share any information about her recovery.

She has been literally used and dumped.

Zambian Football players need to realize that the Zambian Football environment can be toxic at times and should keep away from the drama.

4 FASHION ON TEAM MATES

Fashion mentioned some of his Chipolopolo team mates in terms that may not make some of them happy.

The team mates are not mentioned by name so its open to interpretation which players specifically he is talking about.

He will really have to work to mend some bridges.

  1. FASHION IS A BIG BRAND BUT HIS ATTITUDE

Currently Fashion is one of if not the biggest brand not just in Zambian Football but in Zambian Society generally.

His football talent and his generosity interms of giving back to the community in Eastern Province sets him apart from most footballers.

Dare I say Fashions Brand is even bigger than FAZ because people will believe what he says over even FAZ.

In Local Lingual we can say that ” Ba FAZ bamachepa sometimes” as Fashion can take the limelight.

With that said Great influence comes with Great responsibility.

A few years ago Fashion angered many in the Zambian Football Media Fraternity while in Scotland when he said that Zambian Journalists and Football Bloggers were running a Propaganda Campaign against him and trying to blackmail him because he doesnt pay them to right positive articles about him.

This particularly hurt me because personally Ive passionately writted about Fashion from the days he was at Zanaco Fc and todate and so have many of other Zambian journalists and Bloggers.

But for him to lump everyone together was unfair and a lot of people were hurt especially that he never proved his allegation.

Then again recently he mentions a similar thing about the Zambia National team saying he doesn’t pay to play there which is something that has upset Grant whose integrity is now on the line and he ended up calling Fashion a liar.

Again in Grants case Fashion has forwarded no proof of his allegation other than his words.

Grant mentioned that he has left Fashion out of the team because of his attitude and hope Fashion can learn from that.

  1. NOT LISTENING

When Fashion and Sidney were talking you could see that Sydney just called to offer his young brother advise but Fashio kept on cutting him and was rude.

Fashion I feel should have listened to what Sydney had to say.

7 WE LOVE FASHION/ HOW UCAR CAME BACK

Fashion should know that many of us love him and what he has done to put Zambia on the Map.

that we may criticize his performance means that we would love for him to even get better.

He should also realise that he is not the first Zambian Star to be dropped as UCAR also endured a similar situation.

Now back to UCAR.

He was dropped for two years but learned from it.

If you read many Zambian Football Books youll discover that this was a time of great reflection for him.

The dropping helped him and he came back as a changed person.

He infact scored 36 goals which was an impressive goal tally for a player who had been away from International duty.

So its not over for Fashion and I believe he can learn from this experience.

Let FAZ and Grant reconcile with him and move on

Otherwise God continue blessing the works of our brother.

More Trouble For Diddy As Chaka Khan’s Daughter Accuses Him Of Abuse

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Diddy has been accused of verbally abusing legendary singer Chaka Khan and ordering an assault on her son.

These claims, made by Chaka Khan’s daughter Indira, come in the wake of Diddy’s public apology for assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie in 2016.

Indira shared her accusations in response to Diddy’s apology video condemning his behavior. “I’m glad this is happening to you,” she wrote, referencing his recent troubles.

She described an incident where the rapper allegedly yelled and screamed at her mother, Chaka Khan, while publicly disrespecting her. When Indira’s younger brother tried to intervene, Diddy’s security reportedly assaulted him. Damien Holland, now 45, was 19, placing the incident around 1998.

Indira expressed satisfaction at Diddy’s current predicament, adding: “These may be your dark days, but I’m singing and dancing watching your demise.” She ended her message by tagging her mother, saying, “@chakakhan isn’t it great mom.”

Diddy has yet to respond to these latest allegations.

Diddy’s assault allegations
This incident is the most recent in a series of accusations against the Bad Boy Records founder. Last November, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie accused him of domestic violence, rape, and sex trafficking.

Following her claims, several other women and producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones also alleged they were sexually assaulted by Diddy.

Despite previously denying these allegations and dismissing them as character assassination attempts, he recently acknowledged his assault on Cassie after a video of the incident leaked.

In a solemn video posted online, the 54-year-old admitted his behavior, stating, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions. I’m disgusted.”

Though he didn’t address Cassie directly, he apologised, saying, “I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

In the fallout from the assault footage, Diddy’s music has been removed from Peloton’s playlists, and Netflix has acquired a documentary about the allegations produced by 50 Cent.

Additionally, there have been calls to revoke Diddy’s honorary key to New York City, and Mayor Eric Adams has stated he is considering this option.

Man Utd Coach Ready to Leave and Coach this African Club

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Benni McCarthy Hints at Leaving Man Utd for Coaching Job at Iconic Kaizer Chiefs

In an unexpected development, Machester United’s first team coach is open to joining and coaching a South African club.

In a recent interview, Manchester United’s Benni McCarthy admitted he would be open to Kaizer Chiefs should the club make him an offer.

During a recent interview, McCarthy expressed admiration for Kaizer Chiefs, describing the club as one of the great institutions in world football. He fondly recalled his childhood support for the team, emphasizing his enduring affection for the Black and Gold.

Kaizer Chiefs’ Turbulent Season
Kaizer Chiefs are eager to move past their disappointing Premier Soccer League campaign, where they finished in 10th place after a 2-0 defeat to the already-relegated Cape Town Spurs. Kaizer Chiefs are still searching for a permanent replacement for their former coach, Molefi Ntseki, with interim coach Cavin Johnson, who managed just two wins in 14 games in 2024, set to step down.

Benni McCarthy Open to Coaching Kaizer Chiefs

McCarthy’s name has been linked to Kaizer Chiefs, and in an interview with Robert Marawa on Radio 947, he confirmed his openness to the idea of joining the club. He compared Kaizer Chiefs to global football institutions like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.

“Not many coaches in the world say no to institutions. Man United is an institution. Real Madrid is an institution. Bayern Munich is an institution. Look, Vincent Kompany is gone to Bayern Munich, he is gone to join an institution. And I think Kaizer Chiefs you can safely say that Kaizer Chiefs is also an institution. It’s a great club. It’s a club that I’ll always have a lot of love for. Because it’s my local team, my team in South Africa that I supported as a kid. Loved the Black and Gold, everything Kaizer Chiefs. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the pleasure to play for them, or to coach them,” McCarthy said.

The former striker further stated that if Kaizer Chiefs were to approach him with an offer, he would think long and hard about it as he wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity to coach such a prestigious club.

“I can’t really speak on others but if the opportunity comes, if the opportunity arise or anything, of course you would have to sit down and think about it because like I said, you don’t say no to institutions,” he added.

Future at Manchester United
McCarthy’s current contract with Man Utd is set to expire in June, and the club is yet to make a decision on his future. During his time at Old Trafford, he has already won two trophies, lifting the Carabao Cup in 2022/23 and the FA Cup in the recently concluded 2023/24 season.

Pep has until Christmas to decide on future with Man City

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Manchester City will seek a definitive answer from Pep Guardiola regarding his future by Christmas, according to a source speaking to ESPN.

Guardiola’s current contract with the club runs for another year.

After leading City to an unprecedented era of success with 15 major trophies, including six Premier League titles since his arrival in 2016, the club is keen for the 53-year-old to extend his tenure.

However, due to Guardiola’s close relationship with director of football Txiki Begiristain, he will have the autonomy to determine his departure on his own terms.

Guardiola is reportedly considering leaving City after the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.

The source indicated that the club wants a final decision by Christmas to allow ample time to prepare for his succession and evaluate potential candidates to replace him.

Recognizing the significant challenge of finding a suitable replacement for Guardiola, City aims to have a comprehensive plan in place.

Guardiola has already hinted that his time at City is coming to an end. Following the 3-1 win over West Ham which earned a record fourth successive title, he admitted he is “closer to leaving than staying.”

He also said he is “tired” and suggested he is lacking motivation to prepare for another season in charge.

Manchester City anticipates that Pep Guardiola will fulfill the final year of his contract, but according to a source, they acknowledge the possibility of his departure in 2025.

Guardiola has already exceeded his expected tenure at the Etihad, having spent four years at Barcelona and three years at Bayern Munich before joining City.

A source informed ESPN that while Guardiola is unlikely to pursue another club management role, he harbors ambitions to coach a national team in a major tournament.

With the next World Cup set for 2026 in the United States, this could align with his aspirations.

Previously, Guardiola entered the last year of his City contract in the summer of 2022, only to agree to a new two-year extension during a trip to Abu Dhabi amid the World Cup break in Qatar.

Cassie’s former make-up artist has claimed she witnessed Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs beating the singer

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Cassie’s former make-up artist has claimed she witnessed Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs beating the singer up six years before the filmed assault at a Los Angeles hotel

Mylah Morales told CNN’s Laura Coates that she first witnessed the rapper and producer physically assault his ex-girlfriend Cassie in 2010, leaving her with a black eye.

‘I have kept this secret for, like, 14 years,’ Morales said, recalling an incident where she saw the former couple go into a hotel room and get into a violent argument.

Morales continued: ‘They went into the bedroom and shut the door and all I could hear was screaming and yelling…

‘Whatever was going on in there I don’t know, but all I could think of was to grab Cassie’s things and start packing it up and just getting her out to safety and bringing her to my house.’

The make-up artist said that Cassie was ‘badly beaten’ when she came out of the room, with ‘ a lot of knots all over her head,’ a black eye and a ‘busted lip.’

Morales said they did not go to the police because of fear of Diddy.

‘Puffy is a very powerful person and we were quite terrified,’ she said.

Diddy is currently facing criminal charges, as a grand jury has been selected to hear evidence against him in a federal probe.

The DOJ is gearing up to bring a criminal indictment against him as his accusers have been told they could be brought to testify in New York City, CNN reports.

The rapper and producer has been named in eight lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and human trafficking.

The potential witnesses have not yet been prepped to testify for the prosecution, as Homeland Security investigators are still reportedly gathering evidence in the case.

A source told CNN that detectives want their indictment against Diddy to be ‘bulletproof.’

The indictment would not be related to Diddy’s filmed assault of his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.

Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, sued Combs in November over what she said was years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, including beatings and rape.

The suit said he plied her with drugs, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018. Diddy, through his attorney, ‘vehemently denies’ the accusations.

Diddy, however, apologized after video emerged showing him brutally assaulting Cassie in the hallway of a hotel.

The 54-year-old rapper took to Instagram , saying: ‘I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses.’

Looking into the camera, Diddy said: ‘So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you got to do that. I was f***ed up.

‘I mean I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses, my behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, I’m disgusted.

‘I was disgusted then when I did it, I am disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, I got into going to therapy, going to rehab.

‘Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I am committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness, I’m truly sorry.’

Sources said Diddy went to rehab following the 2016 incident and continues to seek both therapy and spiritual work.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s friends are reportedly divided over whether the couple can salvage their failing marriage amid their relationship woes.

Amid rumors that the actor, 51, believes he was ‘temporarily’ insane when he made the decision to walk down the aisle, friends and family of the Gigli costars, who rekindled in 2021 after nearly two decades, are torn about what the future holds for them.

‘Some believe they can work it out with time and effort, pointing to their deep bond. Others think the relationship has run its course,’ a source told Us Weekly.

Another insider claimed that the two-time Oscar winner has ‘been checked out’ and that they are on ‘two completely different pages most of the time.’

‘The honeymoon phase has worn off,’ they noted.

As pointed out by another source, the stars ‘both have demanding careers that often require them to be in different cities.’

The Let’s Get Loud hitmaker, 54, is currently busy preparing for her 30-date This Is Me…Now Tour, which kicks off next month.

‘Jennifer had started ramping up her work commitments and prepping for her tour,’ the insider said. ‘She’s very focused on work and overextends herself.’

Affleck recently started shooting The Accountant 2 in Los Angeles while the mother-of-two has been in New York City filming the musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman.

As they navigate their work obligations, often from opposite coasts, communication has also become a source of contention between the duo.

‘Over time, Jennifer and Ben found it increasingly difficult to communicate effectively,’ another source told the outlet.

This has made ‘small misunderstandings’ grow ‘into significant arguments.’

The couple also have ‘fundamentally different approaches to conflict’ as Affleck tends to withdraw and Lopez prefers to talk things out.

Us Weekly also claims that arguments over finances and parenting their respective children ‘have exacerbated’ their issues.

Lopez is also reportedly disappointed by the idea of a fourth divorce.

‘She’s upset,’ one source told the outlet. ‘And, really did think she and Ben would be endgame this time around.’

The Atlas star has also allegedly been more ‘committed to working on the marriage’ from the start, whereas Affleck was initially hesitant, but has started to ‘invest more’ into working things out.

Since moving out, Affleck has reportedly ‘struggled with loneliness’ and ‘realized how much he misses Jen.’

While apart, ‘Ben and Jen kept in touch primarily to discuss essential matters and updates.’

Now they are both said to be ‘reassessing their priorities’ and ‘[figuring out] what they truly want from the marriage.’

The couple got engaged for the first time, near the end of 2002, but broke the engagement in late 2003, before ending their relationship entirely in 2004.

Jennifer went on to marry and divorced her third ex-husband Marc Anthony, with whom she welcomed her 16-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Meanwhile, Ben married and divorced Jennifer Garner, with whom he amicably co-parents three children – Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.

Ben Affleck is ‘worn down’ by Jennifer Lopez’s lifestyle and they have clashed over finances

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Nearly two years into their marriage, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have reportedly been ‘taking some space’ to determine whether the relationship ‘is right for both of them.

According to US Weekly, a source close to the Golden Globe-nominated actress, 54, said Lopez has ‘started ramping up her work commitments and prepping for her tour.’

‘She’s very focused on work and overextends herself,’ the insider said.

Lopez has reportedly ‘checked out,’ as the insider noted they are on ‘two completely different pages most of the time,’ adding: ‘The honeymoon phase has worn off.’

Another source close to Lopez said, ‘Both have demanding careers that often require them to be in different cities.’

As the pair had recently been apart to film different projects, the insider said the absence ‘highlighted the emotional and physical distance between them.’

‘Over time, Jennifer and Ben found it increasingly difficult to communicate effectively, and small misunderstandings grew into significant arguments,’ they said.

‘They have fundamentally different approaches to conflict,’ the insider added, explaining that Lopez prefers to confront issues head-on, while Affleck isn’t as quick to open up.

Their differing approaches to parenting and finances have also ‘exacerbated’ their marital issues, the report adds.

Lopez is worth a reported $400million while Affleck is said to be worth $160million but shocked Afflrck by self-financing a three-part project documenting hers and Affleck’s love story for a whopping $20million.

When it comes to parenting, Lopez shares 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, who she divorced in 2014. Meanwhile, Ben is dad to three kids with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

Despite their disagreements, Lopez has remained ‘committed to working on the marriage,’ and while Affleck was hesitant, the insider said he has since begun to ‘invest more.’

Since moving out of their $60 million Bel Air mansion for a $100,000 monthly rental, the source said Affleck has ‘struggled with loneliness’ and has ‘realized how much he misses Jen.’

‘Some believe they can work it out with time and effort, pointing to their deep bond,’ said the source of the couple’s friends. ‘Others think the relationship has run its course.’

The actor was seen without his wedding ring last week, but was wearing the band again as he stepped out on Friday.

Lopez was also wearing her wedding ring as she stepped out on Friday in Los Angeles.

Reports of Affleck and Lopez’s marital woes began circulating last week after the pair hadn’t been seen together since late March. Although the pair were finally spotted reuniting last week at Fin’s school recital, he skipped the premiere of her Netflix movie Atlas on Monday.

‘Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for,’ a source told In Touch.

‘They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her,’ the insider added. ‘There’s no way it could have lasted.’

American Airlines flight attendants have been accused of kicking eight black men off a flight because they were ‘smelly’

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American Airlines flight attendants have been accused of kicking eight black men off a flight because they were ‘smelly’, a lawsuit alleges.

The eight men, who did not know each other, had boarded Flight 832 at Phoenix Airport for the five-hour flight to New York JFK in January.

They were all seated in different parts of the plane but all were picked out and hauled off after a ‘white male flight attendant’ made a complaint about ‘offensive body odor’ inside the aircraft, the suit claims.

Staff spent an hour looking for an alternative flight but, when none could be found, the men were asked to get back on the aircraft and retake their seats.

‘I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of white faces were going to be looking at me and blaming me for their late flight of an hour,’ said Emmanuel Jean Joseph.

Jean Joseph and fellow passengers Alvin Jackson and Xavier Veal had each taken a connecting flight from Los Angeles before boarding the plane at Phoenix.
American Airlines flight attendants accused of kicking eight black men off flight because they�were�

Veal decided to record the incident on his phone after noticing that all the black passengers, and none of the white passengers, were being removed.

‘I started freaking out,’ he said.

A black American Airlines attendant at the desk appeared to agree with the claim that their removal was racially motivated, admitting: ‘I do not disagree with you.’

The eight men began discussing their removal and three lodged the lawsuit on Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

‘They had to re-board the plane and endure the stares of the largely white passengers who viewed them as the cause of the substantial delay,’ the lawsuit claims.

‘They suffered during the entire flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading.’

‘We want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us,’ they added.

‘Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.’

And lawyers for the men are keen to hear the airline’s account of the incident.

‘It’s almost inconceivable to come up with an explanation for that other than the color of their skin,’ said attorney Sue Huhta.

‘Particularly since they didn’t know each other and weren’t sitting near each other.’

The lawsuit cites other recent occasions that passengers have alleged discrimination by the carrier.

It also references a 2017 travel advisory from the NAACP in which the civil rights organization advised against flying on the airline for eight months after ‘multiple instances’ of alleged discrimination.

‘Somebody should have stepped up and said, ‘Wait a minute. We can’t do this. This is wrong’,’ said Michael Kirkpatrick of the Public Citizen law group

‘But instead, nobody stepped up and intervened to stop it from happening.’

The lawsuit alleges that other passengers were informed that the men were removed because of their smell while they were off the aircraft.

‘We’re walking through the aisle of shame, if you will,’ said Veal. ‘It was horrible. It was a really traumatic experience.

‘Unfortunately, I’m a black man and I live in America.’

Jennifer Lopez Thanks Fans For Making ATLAS Movie Most-Watched On Netflix Worldwide

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fans who have watched Jennifer Lopez’s new movie, ATLAS, have many compliments for the actress and singer, whose work has since been rated number one on Netflix.

The production, which premiered, last week has become the most-watched movie worldwide, Jenifer announced early this week, thanking her fans for the support.

“Gracias for making ATLAS number 1 worldwide on Netflix. I love you all so much,” she wrote on her timeline, with many of the followers responding with congratulatory messages and positive reviews about the production.

“Just watched it now. One of your best performances, congrats…” a follower wrote. “We love you too, please keep making more movies. We got you. Well deserved for all your hard work. An amazing inspiration, you are.”

“I’m so happy for you and the cast! Just finished watching just now again and I still cried and laughed with you and Smith. I can’t tell you how it’s amazing to me I finally have my favorite Queen in a Sci-Fi Movie…it’s literally my favorite genre! Love you so much,” another satisfied viewer added.

Jennifer Lopez, in a recent interview, described ATLAS as “not just a film but a story of “love and friendship. The Can’t Get Enough singer “feels proud” about the project and did some introspection about it as well.

“I always feel like the movies I do somehow mirror where I’m at in my life and also help to kind of push me forward into the next chapter…The first time I read the script for ATLAS, I felt passionate about the story, particularly the friendship story at the core of it,” she stated about the film.

It will be recalled that soon after launching her new album This is Me…Now, Jennifer Lopez jumped on to acting.

According to the plot in ATLAS, Jennifer plays the role of “a government analyst who’s hurled to a distant world on a quest to defeat her oldest enemy.”

ATLAS, described as a “galaxy-spanning adventure, tells the story of ATLAS Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez), “a brilliant but misanthropic data analyst with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence, who joins a mission to capture a renegade robot with whom she shares a mysterious past. But when plans go awry, her only hope of saving the future of humanity from AI is to trust it.”

Trump accused of saying N-word on Season 1 of ‘Apprentice’

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An ex-producer on “The Apprentice” has accused former United States of America’s President, Donald Trump of using the N-word on season 1 of the show.

Bill Pruitt, a producer on the first season of the hit NBC show in 2004, who went on to work on it for years, has published an article on Slate, accusing the former President of using the derogatory word while discussing a Black contestant.

He said Trump used the word while mulling over the finalists for season 1, namely, Bill Rancic (who won the show that year in 2004) and Kwame Jackson, the runner-up.

Pruitt described it this way, he said he, Carolyn Kepcher (who ran Trump’s hospitality units at the time), and Jay Bienstock (the ‘Apprentice’ showrunner at the time) were huddled up to discuss the last two guys in a recorded moment.

Trump accused of saying N-word on Season 1 of

He said this was meant to be filmed as a lead-up to Trump’s ultimate decision and as the team briefed the former President on who they thought would be best, he allegedly winced at the suggestion that Kwame should be considered the top dog.

Pruitt says Kepcher told him, “I think Kwame would be a great addition to the organization,” to which Trump allegedly grimaced. Pruitt says Trump asked why Kwame didn’t fire Omarosa after some problems and the former President’s team defended Kwame, saying he didn’t have that power.

Then Trump allegedly said; “Yeah, but, I mean, would America buy a n* winning?” Pruitt said Kepcher went pale after hearing this and claimed Trump continued to wince as he mulled it all over, seeming serious about not wanting Kwame to take first place. Bienstock then allegedly changed the subject and pivoted to George Ross, one of Trump’s attorneys who was also supposedly in the mix for this conversation.

After that, Pruitt says no one acknowledged what Trump said and the alleged recorded moment never saw the light of day neither did other unsavoury things he claims Trump said during filming. Trump has long denied ever saying it and there’s never been proof. However, this is the first time anyone’s described the alleged utterance of it from Trump’s lips.

A rep for the Trump campaign has reacted to the claim, saying;

“This is a completely fabricated and bull*** story that was already peddled in 2016. Nobody took it seriously then, and they won’t now, because it’s fake news. Now that Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats are losing the election, they are bringing up old fake stories from the past because they are desperate.”

Singer Lenny Kravitz reveals he’s celibate and hasn’t dated for nine years

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American singer-songwriter and actor, Lenny Kravitz is opening up about embracing celibacy and maintaining physical fitness at the age of 60.

In a recent interview with The Guardian published on Thursday, May 30th, Lenny Kravitz discussed his decision to embrace celibacy for the past nine years. The 60-year-old musician revealed he’s on a spiritual journey and is waiting to find the right partner before becoming intimate again.

“Yes, it’s a spiritual thing,” Kravitz told the Guardian. This isn’t his first time speaking about celibacy. Back in 2008, he expressed similar views to Maxim magazine, stating, “It’s just a promise I made until I get married.”

Singer Lenny Kravitz , 60, reveals he

Where I’m at in life, the women have got to come with something else, not just the body, but the mind and spirit.”

Despite his commitment to celibacy, Kravitz also spoke about his desire for a future relationship

“I have become very set in my ways, in the way I live,” he admitted in the interview.

He also spoke about his dedication to physical fitness.

“Take last night,” he said. “I worked all day, interviews, rehearsing into the night, get home at 11 p.m. I need to eat something. Now it’s 1 a.m. I didn’t get my workout. So I went to the gym and I did a 90-minute workout at 2 a.m. I don’t want to be in the gym at 2 a.m., but I know that I must.”

Kravitz also emphasized the importance of discipline for overall well-being.

“Because it’s part of my discipline — it’s about body, mind and spirit,” he explained. “I want all of those three elements aligned. If my body’s in shape and my spirit and mind are not, then it’s just something nice to look at or to boast about. Who cares? For me, all of it has to be aligned. And I have to do the work it takes to have all of those in alignment so my being can be at its maximum.”

Kravitz – whose own marriage to actress Lisa Bonet ended in 1993 – admits his father’s claim that he would end up doing the same thing soon became depressingly accurate.

Kravitz and Lisa Bonet who both share daughter Zoë, now 35, got married in 1987 until 1993, when they amicably divorced.

The singer went on to begin dating model and singer Vanessa Paradis, and they remained together until 1996. He was later engaged to both Adriana Lima and Nicole Kidman, but both relationships didn’t progress into a marriage.

Former TikTok star has been convicted for the murders of his estranged wife and her lover in San Diego in 2021

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A former TikTok star has been convicted for the murders of his estranged wife and her lover in San Diego in 2021.

San Diego-based Tik Toker Ali Abulaban, 32, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for his wife Ana, 28, and her male friend Rayburn Barron, 29, on Wednesday, May 29, People reports.

In court, Abulaban, who had nearly a million followers for his skits under the moniker Jinnkid, broke down in tears as he learned the jury’s verdict.

TikTok star, JinnKid found guilty of murdering his wife and

He confessed to the murders during the trial and has been in prison since the October 2021 killings. He will be sentenced on June 28 and could face life in jail.

“Finally, my brother and Ana got a little bit of justice,” Barron’s sister, Jordana Barron, said on Wednesday.

“Obviously nothing is going to bring our brother or Ana back, but at least he is never going to be able to do this to another person again.”

On Friday, closing arguments in the case concluded and the jury began its deliberations, deciding whether the killings were first- or second-degree murder.

Abulaban was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with allegations of using a gun in the killings.

He was also charged with a special circumstance allegation of committing multiple murders.

The defence had hoped the jury would find him guilty of second-degree murder, meaning his sentencing would be far less.

TikTok star, JinnKid found guilty of murdering his wife and

He was instead found guilty of all counts and special circumstances.

It’s a relief. We’ve been waiting almost three years for this,” said Julia Stuntz, Ana’s best friend.

Since there was no dispute he killed the victims, jurors were instead tasked with deciding whether the killings were intentional and premeditated or committed in the heat of passion, as Abulaban had claimed.

“The jury came in and listened to the evidence for weeks, and they came to the right decision,” Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast said.

In her closing arguments, Brast went through a timeline of the day Abulaban killed Ana Abulaban and her friend Barron.

Brast described how Abulaban had spied on Ana to catch her with another man, and that he had malice and intent to shoot them to death on the couch in the apartment where he once lived.

“Heat of passion does not apply when you walk into an apartment that you had bugged, with a key card you were not supposed to have, to a fight that no one else knew was happening but you,” Brast said.

“And you brought a gun.

“That is not heat of passion.”

Brast said Abulaban had plenty of time to rethink his decision to drive to the downtown luxury condo he shared with his wife to shoot and kill her and the man she was seeing.

The prosecutor displayed the graphic photos Abulaban took of the bodies, played the sounds of the gunshot recordings he had on his phone and even mentioned the online searches for how to cut up and trash a body, among other things.

She said Ali Abulaban killed the couple because he felt disrespected, and this was planned and premeditated, not a reaction in the heat of the moment.

Brast also mentioned the history of domestic violence and Ana’s text messages to Abulaban expressing her fear and desire to leave the marriage.

She also outlined the chances Abulaban had to rethink his actions, including during the drive to the apartment to confront Ana and Barron, and even in the ride up in the elevator.

“It was wilful, deliberate, and premeditated,” Brast said.

Jodi Green, Ali Abulaban’s defence attorney, then presented her closing arguments.

Green told the court her client shouldn’t be convicted of murder because he had a bad childhood, mental health issues and was high on cocaine.

The defence attorney also pointed out the fact that Ali Abulaban was re-racking his gun in between shots, which is unnecessary, and that it proves he was out of his mind, as well that he had cocaine in his system eight hours later, proving he was not of sound mind.

“Ali Abulaban is not a murderer,” Green said.

“Yes, he killed Ana, the woman he loved, the mother of his beautiful daughter, Amira, and he killed Ray, a man with whom Ana was having an affair.

“And he cannot undo what he has done.

“But he did not murder them. He is not a murderer.”

Feds obtain video of Sean “Diddy” Combs “victimizing” a male sex worker inside his home

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Federal investigators are preparing to have witnesses and victims of Sean “Diddy” Combs appear in front of a Grand Jury, which will be convened in New York City.

Among the victims will be the seven women who are suing Diddy for sexual assault.

The Feds have already interviewed each of these women at least once, and CNN reports they have obtained helpful information from them.

The Feds are also talking to a male sex worker they saw being victimized on a video they obtained when they raided one of Diddy’s homes in March.

Federal investigators are now “digging deeper,” and some of the accusers have been questioned numerous times, a source said.

Federal agents are in possession of video taken inside of Combs’ recently searched residences, a source said. It’s unclear whether the video was seized during the raids, or whether investigators obtained video from individuals they have been questioning.

“They are contacting people that they’ve found on the tapes,” a source told CNN.

At least one male sex worker, who claims he has been victimized by Combs, has been questioned during the investigation, one source said, adding that this individual was seen in footage that is in possession of the federal investigators.

In some of the lawsuits against Combs, accusers have alleged that they were informed, after the fact, that they were recorded having sex without giving their consent to be filmed.

Combs has not responded to this specific accusation, but he dismissed all alleged wrongdoing in a blanket denial he posted in December 2023.

In addition to sex trafficking, the Feds are now looking at Diddy for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Combs has been named in eight civil lawsuits since November – seven directly accusing him of sexual assault.

One of the eight lawsuits, filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, has been settled.

Another lawsuit accused his son Christian Combs of sexual assault, and Sean Combs is accused of aiding and abetting.

Watch video below.

“I can’t wait to be in my new club” – Kylian Mbappé eager to leave PSG already

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Kylian Mbappé has expressed his eagerness to move on to his next club after spending seven years with Paris Saint-Germain.

The French forward has not disclosed his future destination, but it is widely anticipated that he will join Real Madrid on a free transfer once his PSG contract concludes this summer.

“It’s going to be an amazing experience and I can’t wait to be in my new club,” Mbappé told CNN Sport. “I will leave my country [for another league] for the first time.

“I want to win trophies… When you speak about football, [it’s about] winning trophies, being with new teammates. Now, I have my contract with PSG … Everybody knows that it’s soon finishing and we’re going to see what happens.”

Mbappé, recently honored as European Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards, nearly signed with Real Madrid two years ago.

Instead, he chose to extend his contract with PSG until June 2024, a decision he stands by and does not regret.

“It was more than just staying at PSG,” he said. “It was the World Cup in Qatar. It was many things around these things. It was a big decision, difficult decision … but I don’t regret anything.

“Of course, in a career, you have to take difficult decisions and it’s what I did, but I became the all-time top scorer with PSG. I just want to remember the best things … It was not an easy situation and I wish nobody to live that.”

Asked if he will be cheering on Madrid when the Spanish champions take on Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Champions League final at Wembley Stadium, Mbappé smiled and said: “No. I’ll just watch the final like you. When you love football, you watch every game.

I watch every game when I can … in France, England, Spain, Germany, Italy, every league. So, of course, I’m going to watch the Champions League.”

Mbappé will soon link up with the France squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.

He is eager to add a European Championship title to his already sparkling international career.

“I have a lot of things to give to football,” Mbappé said. “I’ve done many things, but I’m still young and I want to do more … I want to put my name in the history of football.

“I just watch what I have in the future, and I want to really improve my game, to be a better player every year and to be the player who I want to be.”

My wife and I have just safely arrived home after a long day at DEC HQ – Edgar Lungu

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Good evening, fellow citizens.

My wife, Mrs. Esther Lungu, and I, together with our daughter Chiyesu and a close relative, Mr. Charles Phiri, have just safely arrived home after a long day at the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) HQ in Lusaka following official summons to appear before them today.

Following the whole day of interviews, my wife, Chiyeso, and Mr. Phiri have been charged with possession of property allegedly obtained through proceeds of crime, a charge we will challenge in the courts of law. They were all arrested and subsequently released on bond.

My wife and all members of my family are eternally grateful to all of you that supported us today. I am fully aware that all our supporters and sympathizers were physically chased by UPND thugs, who were ferried in buses to camp at DEC the whole day.

We remain focused and see political light at the end of the tunnel.

God bless you all.

H.E Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu
Sixth President of Zambia
Patriotic Front Party President

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), has jointly and severally charged and formerly arrested Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu, female aged 66 of Lusaka’s Lilayi area, the wife to former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Chiyeso Lungu Katete, female aged 33 of Lusaka’s Kawama area, and Charles Phiri, male aged 67 of Kafue’s Liyayi area.

DEC Public Relations Officer Allan Tamba says
Esther Lungu has been arrested for Possession of Property Reasonably suspected to be Proceeds of Crime, Contrary to Section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010 of the laws of Zambia.

Tamba said particulars of the case are that Esther Lungu, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2023, at Lusaka, in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia, did possess real estate properties namely; 15 white double storey Flats situated at Property No. CHONG_ 9334/1 to 4 in State Lodge area of Chongwe District, the same, reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime whose calculated estimated cost of construction was ZMW41, 586,110.66.

He said the subject property was interpolated to ZMW24, 256,434.55 and the suspect has failed to give a reasonable explanation of how she acquired the same.

Tamba said Chiyeso and Phiri have been arrested for Possession of properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime Contrary to Section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.

He said particulars of the matter are that Charles Phiri, jointly and whilst acting together with Chiyeso Lungu Katete and other persons unknown, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2023 at Lusaka, in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia, did possess real estate properties namely; a three (03) Storey Lodge Called “The Crest Lodge” on property No. LUS/38478 off Twin Palm Road in Ibex Hill, Lusaka, whose estimated cost of construction as of November 2022 was ZMW15, 549,422.22 and was interpolated to ZMW 9, 069,699.87.

Tamba said Chiyeso has been charged with Possession of properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime, Contrary to Section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act of the Laws of Zambia.

He said particulars of the offence are that Chiyeso, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2023, at Lusaka, in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia, did possess real estate properties namely; Three (3) Flats on Property No. L/9390/M and/or LUSAK/LN_79093/1 in State Lodge, Lusaka District, whose estimated cost of construction as of November 2022 was ZMW2, 426,007.53 and was interpolated to ZMW2, 695,895.28.

Tamba said she was arrested for possession of 1 High-Cost house, 4 Chicken Runs, and associated external works on Property No. L/9390/M in State Lodge, Lusaka whose estimated cost of construction as of November 2022 was ZMW7, 863,688.14 and was interpolated to ZMW6, 679,543.34.

He said Tasila Lungu, also facing separate but related charges, is allegedly on Maternity leave, and her Lawyers have been advised to inform their client to report at the DEC on Monday, 3rd June, 2024 to answer to the charges.

DEC  has released on bond Esther Lungu, Chiyeso and Charles Phiri after arresting them this afternoon

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The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), has jointly and severally charged and formerly arrested Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu, female aged 66 of Lusaka’s Lilayi area, the wife to former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Chiyeso Lungu Katete, female aged 33 of Lusaka’s Kawama area, and Charles Phiri, male aged 67 of Kafue’s Liyayi area.

DEC Public Relations Officer Allan Tamba says
Esther Lungu has been arrested for Possession of Property Reasonably suspected to be Proceeds of Crime, Contrary to Section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010 of the laws of Zambia.

Tamba said particulars of the case are that Esther Lungu, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2023, at Lusaka, in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia, did possess real estate properties namely; 15 white double storey Flats situated at Property No. CHONG_ 9334/1 to 4 in State Lodge area of Chongwe District, the same, reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime whose calculated estimated cost of construction was ZMW41, 586,110.66.

He said the subject property was interpolated to ZMW24, 256,434.55 and the suspect has failed to give a reasonable explanation of how she acquired the same.

Tamba said Chiyeso and Phiri have been arrested for Possession of properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime Contrary to Section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.

He said particulars of the matter are that Charles Phiri, jointly and whilst acting together with Chiyeso Lungu Katete and other persons unknown, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2023 at Lusaka, in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia, did possess real estate properties namely; a three (03) Storey Lodge Called “The Crest Lodge” on property No. LUS/38478 off Twin Palm Road in Ibex Hill, Lusaka, whose estimated cost of construction as of November 2022 was ZMW15, 549,422.22 and was interpolated to ZMW 9, 069,699.87.

Tamba said Chiyeso has been charged with Possession of properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime, Contrary to Section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act of the Laws of Zambia.

He said particulars of the offence are that Chiyeso, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2023, at Lusaka, in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia, did possess real estate properties namely; Three (3) Flats on Property No. L/9390/M and/or LUSAK/LN_79093/1 in State Lodge, Lusaka District, whose estimated cost of construction as of November 2022 was ZMW2, 426,007.53 and was interpolated to ZMW2, 695,895.28.

Tamba said she was arrested for possession of 1 High-Cost house, 4 Chicken Runs, and associated external works on Property No. L/9390/M in State Lodge, Lusaka whose estimated cost of construction as of November 2022 was ZMW7, 863,688.14 and was interpolated to ZMW6, 679,543.34.

He said Tasila Lungu, also facing separate but related charges, is allegedly on Maternity leave, and her Lawyers have been advised to inform their client to report at the DEC on Monday, 3rd June, 2024 to answer to the charges.

LAURA MITI GIVEN 5 DAYS TO RETRACT AND APOLOGIZE FOR HER DEFAMATORY AND MALICIOUS ATTACKS AGAINST THE PATRIOTIC FRONT

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LAURA MITI FACES LEGAL ACTION FOR HER DEFAMATORY REMARKS AGAINST PF OFFICIALS

LAURA MITI GIVEN 5 DAYS TO RETRACT AND APOLOGIZE FOR HER DEFAMATORY AND MALICIOUS ATTACKS AGAINST THE PATRIOTIC FRONT

LUSAKA-Thursday, 30th May 2024

The Patriotic Front party has given Civil Society activist and Human Rights Commissioner, Laura Miti, five days to retract her malicious utterances and false allegations that the party was behind the abduction of Petauke Central Member of Parliament, Hon. Emmanuel JayJay Banda and was behind the gassing incidents in 2019.

In a strong worded letter written to Laura Miti by Deputy Secretary General, Hon. Nixon Chilangwa MP, the party has demanded for an apology for Laura’s false allegations and malicious remarks against the Party and it’s officials.

Laura wrote a piece titled “I’M INCREASINGLY OF THE VIEW THAT JAY JAY’S DISAPPEARANCE IS A PF SCHEME, LIKE THE GASSING” and circulated it widely on her social-media pages.

Chilangwa has recognized that Laura has an obsession and perchant to make dangerous and unfounded remarks against members of the Patriotic Front Party.

Chilangwa said this was driven by her clear bitter hatred against the Party as demonstrated by her dedicated writings against the Party.

Chilangwa has also stated that Laura was no longer qualified to hold the lofty and respected position of Human Rights Commissioner because of her habit to repeatedly ridicule and mock victims of human rights abuses in Zambia.

Chilangwa stated that Laura’s remarks was causing a lot pain especially to the family of Hon. Banda.

Laura has been given five days to retract and apologize for her careless, defamatory and malicious remarks or face legal action.

Below is the full details of the letter by the Deputy Secretary General, Hon. Nixon Chilangwa MP written to Ms. Laura Miti.

Madam,

RE: “I’M INCREASINGLY OF THE VIEW THAT JAY JAY’S DISAPPEARANCE IS A PF SCHEME, LIKE THE GASSING” – LAURA MITI.

The attention of the leadership of the Patriotic Front has been drawn to an article which has lately been making rounds on the Social Media Platforms and attributed to you as the author. The article is titled: “I am increasingly of the view Jay Jay’s disappearance is a PF scheme, just like the gassing.”

We are of the view that your article does not show any empathy to the victim of the alleged abduction or to his family, an act we find inhuman and against the known cultural norms of us as a people in Zambia.

We note that in making this highly provocative and libelous statement, which is in fact a series of various similar statements you have made against the PF in the last five years or more, you had not bothered to make any reasonable enquiries or even elaborate investigation to establish the real circumstances that led to both the unfortunate gassing of innocent citizens and the abduction of Honourable Emmanuel Jay Banda.

Your quest to place blame on these misfortunes on PF and its leadership was motivated in our view by your unbridled hatred spite and lack of due consideration of the PF and its leadership, who have been victims of your repeated slurs and inconsiderate utterances as you pursue your desired victimization and vilification without any justifiable cause.

The leadership of the PF is particularly concerned that in your furtherance of the hate agenda you have against the Party, you remain heedless to the respectable role placed under your care as Human Rights Commissioner, in which you were appointed by the Republican President, and which appointment was made effective by the Parliamentary ratification process which benefited from the participation of the Members of Parliament sponsored to Parliament by PF

You may wish to note that as a member of the Human Rights Commission, a duty is placed on you to allow due process, respect the rights of citizens, refrain from the attacks you make on the PF and a higher duty to ensure that the Republican Constitution is respected and upheld in your dealings with fellow citizens.

While being minded to consider that you lack objectivity and capacity to appreciate the role being played by PF in the governance of the Country, We find your continued provocation and attacks on the PF as a Party and on its elected Members as its leaders

to be highly libelous and scandalous, defamatory and to be without any justifiable

cause.

In the premises, I write to demand for the immediate retraction of the above statement which retraction must be accompanied by an unconditional apology within five (5) days, failure to which we will be left with no other option but to take this matter to our Lawyers for purposes of seeking reliefs from the Courts of Law without further recourse to yourself.

As a party we stand for peace and respect for human rights. The Patriotic Front will not sit idle and let the name of the Party and all its gallant members of honor continue to be dragged in the mud in this fashion.

You should further note that we respect the work of the Human Rights Commission and what you have embarked on does not constitute any part of the Commission but a personal agenda inspired by hatred and a dislike of a particular person or a group. Please desist from such conduct.

By copy of this missive you are accordingly put to notice.

Catholic Church Bishop Condemns Tribalists, Hate Speech Purveyors, Calls On Govt To Punish Them Severely

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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BISHOP SPEAKS AGAIN OVER THE GROWING POLITICAL INTOLERANCE IN THE COUNTRY

A PASTORAL STATEMENT OF THE BISHOP OF CHIPATA ON RECENT HAPPENINGS IN ZAMBIA

To the Clergy,
The Religious Men and Women,
The Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Chipata And all people of goodwill.
I greet you all in the Name of Jesus Christ, the King of Peace!

As it has been repeatedly said, the Church has a God-given mandate to be the voice of conscience to the nation and speak on behalf of the poor and less privileged in society. Not only that, the Church is also morally obliged to exercise its prophetic role by calling for a spirit of love, unity, justice, peace and reconciliation in our beloved country. Indeed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering ofsight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

Therefore, as your Pastor and conscious of this prophetic ministry that I have, I write in a spirit of reading and interpreting the signs of our time. I also wish to share with you my concerns on the situation in the nation, especially what has been happening in the recent days. Among many things, I have noticed the growing trend of political intolerance as evidenced by political threats issued by leaders on both sides of the political divide in Zambia, the ruling party (UPND) and the Opposition.

The nation has also witnessed several unacceptable utterances of hate speech and tribal remarks. As if that was not enough, there was a “disappearance” and a “reappearance” of the Independent Member of Parliament for PetaukeCentral, Hon. Emmanuel Jay Banda and subsequent arrests of Independent Member ofParliament for Lumezi, Hon. Munir Zulu MP , PF Member of Parliament for Mfuwe Constituency, Honorable Maureen Mabonga, Ms. Edith Nawakwi, and Mr. Brebner Changala. Such acts and incidences, if left unchecked, have a potential to heighten the levels of tension and division in the country.

Certainly, this is not what the people of Zambia expect in the run-up to the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of our Country’s Independence later in the year. It is in view of the above that I wish to register my utter displeasure of and strongly condemn these trends. In addition, I call upon the Government to provide the needed leadership, and not only to verbally condemn but bring to book all those who are found of engaging in divisive and retrogressive type of politics.

I also urge the Zambia Police Service to be objective, fair, balanced and professional in the application of the law, especially in view of public order. The incident in the Office of our Brother Bishop, Rt. Rev. Clement Mulenga, Bishop of Kabwe had none of the above traits. Police officers are supposed to and must be exemplary in following the Rule of Law since they are in-charge of keeping law and order. I further strongly appeal to the Police Service Personnel to always endeavour to act in a manner that ensures and is seen to guarantee that citizens’ rights are respected, protected and not violated. Above all, I appeal to our political leaders both in Government and in the Opposition to be open to constructive and fair criticism and focus their energy in addressing the critical concerns raised by citizens especially that of the rising cost of living as well as the food and energy crisis arising from the impact of climate change. I am also deeply concerned about Chipata-Chama, KateteChanida Border and Chipata-Chadiza roads that have repeatedly been mentioned in speeches at public gatherings. To date, no sign of any machinery on site to begin works on these roads.

To the Clergy, Religious Men and Women and all the Catholic Faithful in the diocese, I urge you to embrace a calm spirit and be active promoters of National Unity. Having just celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost, I pray that the spirit of truth, justice, love, unity, forgiveness and gentleness will continue to guide our work and interactions with others, regardless of one’s Tribe, Language, Gender, Creed or Political Affiliation. Do not be tempted to resort to the language of anger, a spirit of vengeance, tribalism and division as sometimes employed by those who are motivated by a political agenda. Our motivation is anchored on Gospel Values and not political agendas. Let us religiously protect our dignity as Catholics and the nobility of our Religious and Priestly Vocation. Our dignity in Christ is not best demonstrated in hitting back, but in love, forgiveness and reconciliation. However, this does not mean that the Church will abandon its prophetic call. Rather, the Church will always remain committed to courageously speak the truth and advocate for social justice, but always in a non-partisan, truthful and fair manner.

I call upon you all to recite and live out the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument ofyour peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love.

Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bringfaith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. Where there is sadness, let me bringjoy.

O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds, it is in pardoning that one is pardoned, it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Indeed, let us remain united in prayer for the unity of our beloved country, Zambia.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and Peace (Galatians 1 :3)

Signed and released at. St. Anne’s Cathedral, on 29th May, 2024, by:
Right Reverend George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu, Bishop of Chipata.

12 Reasons why HH must do a “hate speech swap” between Hon Charles Milupi’s UPND Team versus Hon Munir Zulu’s PF-UKA team for national healing and political reconciliation- hris Zumani

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12 Reasons why HH must do a “hate speech swap” between Hon Charles Milupi’s UPND Team versus Hon Munir Zulu’s PF-UKA team for national healing and political reconciliation

By Dr. Chris Zumani Zimba

….Factual evidence show that both UPND and PF-UKA camps have made public statements bordering on “hate speech”, tribalism, and regionalism either as a careless political tactics to intimidate rival camp or a retaliatory position out of anger and emotional outbursts. So only president HH can calm the national divisive storm in the sky instead of blessing Zambia police to swim into a one sided and brutal arrests and detentions of one camp because doing so fuels more ethnic and regional tensions….

1. My proposal of “hate speech swap” is primarily based on the practice of “prisoner exchange” or “prisoner swap” that emerged predominantly during WW1. This is a deal between opposing sides especially states in a conflict to release prisoners captured in war such as fighters, hostages or spies belonging to both sides in order to secure relief and “peace” from both ends.

2. One of the most complex and visible prisoner swaps was negotiated in 2023 involving freeing 10 American spy prisoners in Tehran in exchange with the release of U$6 billion of oil money for Iran withheld for years due to sanctions. This is exactly what President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) need to push for now in order to restore ethnic harmony, regional unity and stakeholders reconciliation. �
3. Following the abduction and disappearance of Hon. Jay Jay Emmanuel Banda last weekend, different stakeholders reacted in different utterances of anger and emotions as Zambia Police “failed” to competently and speedily investigate as well as assure the nation. In response, we witnessed aggressive state arrests and detentions of human rights activist, Mr. Brebner Changala, FDD President Hon. Edith Nawakwi (in a sick condition), Lumezi MP Hon. Munir Zulu, and Mfuwe MP Hon. Maureen Mabonga, charging them with politically of “hate speech” or “seditious practices against the State”.

4. In like manner, CDP President, Apostle Dan Pule was arrested and is equally detained for the same charges. Jackson Chama, “WHY ME” and Dr Chishimba Kambwili are all in legal trouble and in custody due to the crime of “hate speech” against the Tonga people. In his official Facebook post on 25th May, 2024, former President, Dr. Edgar Lungu concluded that “the UPND government seem to be creating a pattern that “hate speech” is only committed against the Tonga speaking people while other tribes have never suffered similar injuries”.

5. However, what is evident is that UPND top leaders including its Secretary General, MCCs and cabinet ministers have also made many “hate speeches” in the recent past. There is “hate speech” and “seditious practices” in the utterances of Trevor Mwiindea, a Livingstone based UPND member who recently declared that Southern Province is “a no-go-area for the people of Eastern and Northern regions”. It is this statement Hon. Munir Zulu was responding to in defence of his region.

6. There is “hate speech”, threat of violence and inciting violence and seditious practices in Solwezi based UPND leader, Bruce Kanema who has repeatedly insulted and threatened former President Edgar Lungu, his mother and his close PF or UKA associates and promised to physically kill ECL if he continues politics. There is “hate speech” in Hon Cornelius Mwetwa, chief Government spokesman when he officially and openly confirmed that UPND sponsored Chishimba Kambwili to champion political tribalism in 2021.

7. As we speak, New Heritage Party led by President Chishala Kateka successfully reported to Zambia Police the conduct of key UPND members-Moses Mokela, Bruce Kanema, Trevor Mwiinde, Phillip Musepa and Honorable Charles Milupi for inciting violence, threatening violence and for hate speech. “Umodzi Kumawa” pressure group equally reported moving from Chelston, Kabwata to Lusaka central police stations in order to report the same UPND members plus other leaders like Gilbert Liswaniso, Hon. D Siakalima, Obvious Mwaliteta, Frank Zimba, etc for the same offenses.

8. This is why it was brutally shocking to see Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) making a biased and controversial statement implying that they have not heard any “hate speech”, threats of violence, regional insults and seditious comments against President Lungu, Jay Jay Banda, PF-UKA camp, government critics, Easterners and Northerners from UPND camp few days or weeks before the abduction of JJ Banda himself. Instead of being professionally neutral to condemn both camps, LAZ failed to catch the big elephant in the room.

9. In a multiparty democracy like ours, it is important to know that many people become politically divided either by race, religion, ethnicity or regions. It’s a known political issue globally that is even worse in presidential governments as well as unitary state systems like in our country. Our government system makes it easier for many citizens to be trapped into political tribalism, regionalism, nepotism or racism as we are witnessing today.

10. “One Zambia, One Nation”, is mere political slogan and cannot be actualized without a president who is neutral, balanced, sober and magnanimous to unite everyone. With the list of political leaders and activists being arrested and detained for “hate speech” and “seditious practices” increasing, HH has a chance to negotiate peace and freedom for everyone involved in both camps by using the “hate speech swap” deal. He will be more respected and adored everywhere!

11. HH can bring both UPND and PF-UKA camps with similar offenses to public apology and foster political reconciliation and unity among them as one people, one Zambia. As long as HH pushes for one sided criminal punishment of one camp, the PF-UKA camp as a show of political vengeance and state power when his own UPND members have committed similar or worse crimes and remain untouchable and free, HH will be directly fueling political regionalism and “state sponsored tribalism” in Zambia.

12. Let HH know that Zambia today needs the wisdom of God by politically applying Isaiah 1:18 which reads as follows: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. In this war against “hate speech” and “seditious practices”, we need a leader in HH, the SDA church elder to bring this nation to this divine understanding and position.

Therefore, HH must know is that multiethnic Zambia is a not a country that has been at peace for 60 years by chance or magic, it has taken deliberate policy efforts and magnanimous Leadership steps by his six predecessors and past governments to unite these diverse cultural groups and steer the ship harmoniously this far.

Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba is a Political Scientist, Researcher, Author & Consultant specialized in Comparative Global Governance and Democratic Theories. He holds a PhD, MA, BA and Cert in Political Science. Zimba was President Lungu’s Political Advisor from December 2019 to August 2021. By philosophical approach, Dr. Zimba is a Pan Africanist as well as Afro-Christian by religion.
Email:chriszumaniZimba.cz@gmail.com

PF SG ,HON. NAKACINDA, A BEACON OF HOPE AMIDST PERSECUTION- Nachilima Cleo Chisala

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PF SG ,HON. NAKACINDA, A BEACON OF HOPE AMIDST PERSECUTION

Lusaka, Zambia – Thursday, 30th May 2024..

By Nachilima Cleo Chisala

Responding with a soft laugh to his party officials who had gone to visit him and were sad that he is in prison, among them MCC Nakiwe, Copperbelt Chairlady Rose Mukupo, Women’s Vice Secretary Maggie Muwaya, Youth Secretary Moses Musonda, Kitwe District IPS Gibby Mukosa, and Copperbelt Mobilisation Officer Kris Hambani Nyirenda, PF Secretary General Raphael Nakachinda made a hopeful statement to them. “It’s not politics of hotels,” he said.

Mr. Raphael Nakachinda, a prominent political figure, recently spoke out about his current situation. “It’s not about politics for hotels; this can happen to anyone at any time,” he remarked, reflecting on the events that have led to his arrest.

His words resonate deeply with many who understand the often capricious nature of fate. Nakachinda’s statement highlights that the challenges one faces are not always a result of political machinations or personal failures but can be an unexpected twist of circumstances. This universal truth reminds us that adversity is an intrinsic part of life, capable of affecting anyone regardless of their status or profession.

Currently detained, Nakachinda remains undeterred by his situation. “I am here in this cell to become stronger and better. For this purpose, I was born,” he declared with conviction. His perspective offers profound insight into the power of fighting back and personal growth.

Nakachinda’s outlook suggests that adversity is not merely a test but an opportunity for transformation and self-improvement.

In a society often driven by immediate gratification and success, Nakachinda’s words serve as a reminder of the importance of inner strength and the potential for growth in the face of hardship. His belief that his current struggles are part of a larger purpose underscores a philosophy that challenges and setbacks are integral to personal development.

Nakachinda’s situation has sparked a dialogue about the nature of resilience and the human capacity for overcoming adversity. His experience is an example of the enduring spirit that can be found within us all, regardless of the circumstances we face.

Mr. Nakachinda’s journey offers a beacon of hope and a powerful example of finding purpose in the midst of trials.

Raphael Nakachinda’s story is a reminder that while we cannot always control the events that befall us, we can choose how we respond to them. His determination to emerge stronger and better from his current predicament serves as an inspiration to many, encouraging a mindset of growth and perseverance.

As Nakachinda continues to confront his challenges with fortitude, his journey will undoubtedly inspire others to find strength in their own struggles. His belief in the transformative power of adversity is a powerful testament to the enduring human spirit and the relentless pursuit of personal betterment.

He appeared in court yesterday the 29th of May 2024 after applying for bail and it was granted.

ZAMBIA ARISE

I’LL BE TOUGHER NOW, ANYONE WHO DIVIDES OUR PEOPLE SHOULD BE ARRESTED

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*IMPLEMENTORS TEAM ‘S* *OPINION!!!*

_Luanshya_ – 29th May, 2024.
Contact Head IPS – 0967328704.

*I’LL BE _TOUGHER_ NOW – HH.*

… *_Anyone who divides_ _our_* *_people should be arrested_* .

_President_ *HAKAINDE* *HICHILEMA* came ascended to the Republican Presidency with the approach of being a _good Elder of the Church_ . However, this soft approach doesn’t work in politics as crooks like the Green Mambas can easily regroup and fight the system. We wrote many publications warning against this soft approach, but to no avail.

Yesterday while in the sweet town of Luanshya, President HH said very important words that should be taken seriously by all arms of the Government especially the *JUDICIARY and* *THE* *MINISTRY OF HOME* *AFFAIRS.*

*HIS WORDS:*

” *I’LL BE TOUGHER NOW,* *ANYONE WHO DIVIDES OUR* *PEOPLE SHOULD BE* *ARRESTED.”*

The intentions of his message are very clear hence we do not wish to dilute his message, but will simply add the aspect of ” *CONVICTION OF CRIMINALS* ” in our View and Way forward.

*OUR VIEW:*

*1* .President HH understands that he has been soft on the Serpent and its fellow thieves.

*2.* As a Commander in Chief, President HH was giving a directive to his forces that it’s now time to ACT and deal with the Criminals.

*3.Green* Mambas can never appreciate the kindness of President HH and his Administration.

*WAY FORWARD:*

*1* .The Judiciary should attach some seriousness in the way it handles the cases of PF Criminals. There are so many Pending cases involving the PF. We don’t see the need to delay these judgments, let them be convicted and go to jail.

*2* .The Ministers of Home Affairs and Justice should play politics and ensure that the President ‘s Words are implemented.
We have witnessed the efforts of the police to arrest the PF, but the Judiciary has been dragging these cases thus we don’t see major convictions. The few who are convicted, later appeal and walk freely again.

*3* .We look forward to firm judgements against the Criminals such that they will have no guarantee to appeal .

*4* .UPND is very fortunate to have Honorables Mwiimbu and Haimbe in the Party ‘s Legal Team as top Leaders. In our view, these two should be very strategic even through the Legal team they lead. In simpler terms, they should collaborate with the rest of the UPND Aligned Lawyers on how they would prepare to deal with the PF criminals.

*5* .Parliament should come with a Law to punish people who issue tribal remarks. This should be a non partisan- bailable offence so as to punish all offenders.

*President HH ‘s Words should* *be taken seriously by all* *the Law Enforcement* *Agencies, the Judiciary and the* *rest of us. He means well* *and we must support his* *vision.*

*The UPND New Dawn* *Administration should take* *advantage of the People ‘s Will* *at the moment. They are* *happy that Criminals and those* *who divide us are being* *arrested. However,* *tables can turn upside down in* *an event the Government* *fails to convict a good number* *of the _Green_ _Mambas_ .*

Ours is to analyse, advise and recommend for implementation without fear or favour.

*Implementors Analysis Crew.*

THE ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA’S RESPONSE ON THE CURRENTEUROBOND RESTRUCTURING DEAL

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THE ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA’S RESPONSE ON THE CURRENT
EUROBOND RESTRUCTURING DEAL
Lusaka, Zambia – 29th May 2024

The recent developments regarding the Eurobond restructuring deal between the Government of the Republic of Zambia and the bondholders has generated both economic and business interest in the country requiring the Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) to issue a statement and provide some light on the matter.

The current situation is that the bondholders have positively responded to the call for consent to the restructured terms of the initial $3 billion Eurobond whose claim had grown to about $3.98 billion by 2024 owing to accumulated interest and penalties. This has meant that the country’s credit rating has remained low indicating that the country still remains highly credit risk. However, the development gives confidence that the bondholders considered the new terms as favourable for both Zambia and themselves under the prevailing credit state. Further, the development is also a positive score towards the achievement of the objectives of the G20 countries’ Common Framework for the same treatment of Zambia’s debt restructuring process by all creditors.

Fellow countrymen, women and youths, the consent solicitation issued to Eurobond holders on the 13th May 2024 was a critical step in arriving at the current Eurobond restructuring deal. The EAZ therefore commends the Government’s unwavering efforts in navigating this debt sustainability and macroeconomic stability path. However, this is just the beginning to improving the sovereign risk which is still high. The sovereign risk in an impediment to rapid economic growth and development, since risk averse investors have been reluctant to invest large amounts capital in the Zambian economy. As a result, Zambia’s balance sheet still remains very small. Implicitly, the country’s net worth remains small and this drives out good investors from the economy.

However, the full restructuring of the Eurobond under the restructured deal will see
Zambia receive a cashflow relief of about $2.5 billion until 2025 when the International Monetary Fund Extended Credit Facility comes to an end. Achieving the minimum subscription threshold after tweaking the structure of the coupons for the two new bonds A ($1.7billion) and B ($1.35billion) in the face of the current climate change induced drought is therefore a big milestone.

Going forward, in the spirit of transparency and accountability, it is the position of EAZ that Government should clearly spell out the timelines for signing of the final actual agreements with both bilateral and Eurobond creditors to effect the new terms, since prolonging the process may further give uncertainty in the economy and erode the credit status gains.

Further, the EAZ implores Government to formulate a clear road map for resource mobilization specifically for all the debts that were under debt service suspension as the current development on the Eurobond will imply transitioning towards resumption of debt servicing. The Government must consider prevailing economic conditions and ensure that debt obligations are manageable within the broader fiscal framework.

Looking ahead, the EAZ notes that while progress has been made in restructuring a significant portion of Zambia’s private credit, there is a pressing need, in the midst of a national drought disaster, to expedite the restructuring and refinancing of the remaining 25% private external public credit using low-cost green and sustainability finance instruments available on the international market. Delaying this process could prolong uncertainty and hinder Zambia’s efforts to restore fiscal stability.

The EAZ remains committed to providing economic information to the general public especially on emerging issues related to Zambia’s debt management strategies. We emphasize the importance of implementing effective fiscal policies to enhance public finance effectiveness and promoting transparency in debt restructuring conversations as guided in the Public Debt Management Act No. 15 of 2022 to ensure long-term debt sustainability.

For further inquiries, please contact: Secretariat on +260979697853, or email:
secretariat@eaz.org.zm


Dr. Oswald Mungule
President – Economics Association of Zambia

Sean Kingston has waived his right to fight extradition in a California court and agreed to be turned over to authorities in Florida

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American rapper and singer, Sean Kingston has waived his right to fight extradition in a California court and agreed to be turned over to authorities in Florida, where he and his mother are charged with more than a million dollars worth of fraud.

Kingston, 34, did not make a public court appearance but signed papers agreeing to skip extradition hearings, representatives from San Bernardino courts and the sheriff told The Associated Press.

He remained in a Southern California jail Tuesday afternoon, but sheriff’s officials will coordinate with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to return him to Florida, sheriff’s spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez said in an email.

Kingston was arrested on Thursday at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert where he was performing.

His mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was arrested the same day, when a SWAT team raided Kingston’s rented mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Kingston and Turner have been charged with conducting an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft, and related crimes, according to arrest warrants released by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

The warrants allege they stole money, jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade, and furniture.

The Jamaican-American performer had a No. 1 hit with “Beautiful Girls” in 2007 and collaborated with Justin Bieber on the song “Eenie Meenie.”

Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney for Kingston and his mother, had said Friday that they planned to waive extradition, saying they looked forward to addressing the charges in a Florida court and “are confident of a successful resolution.”

Emails sent to Rosenblatt for further comment Tuesday were not immediately answered.

The warrants in the case say that from October to March they stole almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from the Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank, $86,000 from the maker of customized beds. Specifics were not given.

Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was already on two years’ probation for trafficking stolen property.

His mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison, according to federal court records.

Diddy’s accusers are reportedly set to appear in front of a federal grand jury

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Diddy’s accusers are reportedly set to appear in front of a federal grand jury over possible criminal charges against the music mogul.

Witnesses are said to have been notified by investigators that they could be brought in to testify in front of a federal grand jury in New York City, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the probe.

A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Investigations agency (HSI) declined to comment on the existence of a grand jury, but said the investigation remains ongoing, according to CNN.

Combs has been named in multiple civil lawsuits since November accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and rape. He has dismissed all alleged wrongdoing, with his attorneys branding the lawsuits and their accusations as money grabs, “baseless” or “sickening.”

CNN reported that the potential witnesses have not yet been prepped for testimony. HSI investigators are believed to still be in the process of gathering evidence and questioning potential sources to ensure that an indictment, should there be one, is “bulletproof.”

Grand juries are comprised of ordinary citizens and are used by prosecutors for the subpoenaing of documents and witnesses. Grand juries also vote on whether to criminally charge suspects.

The convening of a grand jury would mark a significant escalation in the government’s ongoing investigation into Combs.

A federal investigation was launched into Combs after he was named in eight civil lawsuits since November – seven of which directly accuse him of sexual assault.

The first lawsuit was filed against him by his former partner, singer and dancer Cassie, who alleged years of abuse.

It was filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, just before it expired. This act offered a one-year window for adult victims of sexual assault to come forward with civil claims regardless of the statute of limitations.

In the lawsuit, Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, alleged that she was trafficked, raped and beaten by Combs on many occasions over 10 years.

On May 17, surveillance footage obtained by CNN showed an incident that appeared to corroborate parts of Ms Ventura’s original complaint. The video from March 2016 showed Combs chasing her down the corridor of a Los Angeles hotel and proceeding to punch and kick her outside a set of elevators.

According to the complaint, which cited the altercation as occurring “around March 2016,” Combs became “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye.”

The surveillance footage showed Combs leaving Ms Ventura and then returning and shoving her into a corner. He is then seen hurling an object at her, which was also cited in her complaint.

Two days after the footage was published, Combs released a video apologising for his actions in the video, calling his behaviour “inexcusable” and saying he “takes full responsibility for his actions in the video”.

The lawsuit against Combs was settled for an undisclosed amount of money a day after Ms Ventura filed it.

King Felipe of Spain was “crushed and destroyed” over his wife Queen Letizia’s alleged infidelity

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King Felipe of Spain was “crushed and destroyed” over his wife Queen Letizia’s alleged infidelity, according to a bombshell new book.

The Spanish royal family has been rocked by new claims made by journalist Jaime Peñafiel, who has covered the royals for decades.

In his latest work, titled “Letizia’s Silences,” released in Spain Wednesday, May 29, Peñafiel, 91, claimed the king of Spain was “aware that Letizia was cheating on him in real time” as her bodyguards have an obligation to report on her whereabouts.

The royal author alleges that bodyguards joined the queen on a trip to New York back in 2011, during which she was accompanied by her rumored “lover” Jaime del Burgo.

Letizia, 51, reportedly dated del Burgo before meeting King Felipe in 2002.

“That day [in New York], she was accompanied by her faithful escorts, who, without a doubt, any, they would pass a report to the Ministry of the Interior or [the Palace of] Zarzuela,” Peñafiel wrote in his book, according to Daily Mail.

He added that Felipe, 56, was left “crushed and destroyed” by Letizia’s alleged “betrayal,” and was “plunged into hell” and “wants to get out.”

The Queen’s alleged lover Del Burgo, 54, who is currently based in the UK, contributed in January to Peñafiel’s tell-all book about Letizia.

The entrepreneur, who is the son of former politician Jaime Ignacio del Burgo, was married to Letizia’s sister Telma from 2012 to 2014.

Based on the allegations, this means that Del Burgo slept with two sisters – Queen Letizia and her sister Telma whom he eventually married.

In Peñafiel’s first book, del Burgo claimed that he and Queen Letizia were still romantically involved after Letizia tied the knot with Felipe in 2004.

Prior to her wedding to Felipe, Letizia was previously married to literature teacher Alonso Guerrero Perez from 1998 to 1999.

Del Burgo claimed that he was dating Letizia when she met King Felipe, and that he was planning to propose to Letizia when she announced that she was dating a mysterious “diplomat” over dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz hotel in Madrid in 2002.

In his new book, Peñafiel also claimed that “everything in Letizia’s world has been broken” as a result of her alleged “deceit, adultery and betrayals.”

The veteran reporter took further aim at the queen’s character, claiming she is “cold, indestructible and determined” and often “resorts to silence as a way of controlling and punishing other people.”

In January, Peñafiel was let go from the Spanish newspaper El Mundo after a 20-year tenure.

His sudden departure from the publication took place shortly after he made a series of damaging allegations about the royal family in his first book, titled “Letizia & I.”

In the book, released Jan. 30, Peñafiel alleged that Letizia was embroiled in an affair with del Burgo — a claim he doubled down on in his latest book.

Elsewhere, the veteran royal reporter labeled Letizia “emotionally immature.”

He also claimed that she is “hated” by Felipe’s family.

Peñafiel claims that Letizia’s “passive aggressive” nature is the reason Felipe’s mother, Queen Sofia, and his sisters Infanta Cristina and the Duchess of Lugo, “hate her so much.”

Felipe and Letizia tied the knot in a lavish ceremony on May 22, 2004.

They celebrated their 20th anniversary last week. To mark the special occasion, the couple released official family portraits last week.

In the photos, the pair posed alongside their two daughters, Princesses Leonor and Sofia.

Macron seeks approval for Ukraine to use Western weapons to attack Russia

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Western countries should allow Ukraine to use the advanced weapons they are giving them to attack military bases in Russia, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. This puts pressure on his allies and shows a possible change in policy that could impact the war.

The issue of whether Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to attack Russia has been a tricky issue since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Many Western leaders are hesitant to take this action because they are afraid it might make Russian President Vladimir Putin angry. He has told them that getting involved could lead to a nuclear war.

However, Russia has been winning the war lately because their forces took advantage of Ukraine’s lack of soldiers and weapons due to a delay in US military aid and Western Europe’s slow delivery of military supplies.

Russian weapons, like missiles and bombs, have hit Ukrainian military bases and areas where people live, like towns and villages. They’ve even damaged the power grid. Kyiv is being put to the test in the war, and using long-range weapons could help them fight back and make the Kremlin upset.

Macron said that France believes Ukraine should be allowed to stop the Russian military from firing missiles.

“We can’t tell Ukraine that they can’t use the missiles we give them to defend themselves,” Macron said during his visit to Germany on Tuesday.

His comments came a day after the head of NATO asked members to let Ukraine use more Western weapons.

“At a NATO meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria on Monday, Stoltenberg said that the right to defend oneself includes attacking legitimate targets outside Ukraine. ”

In early May, Moscow saw UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s comment as a threat. He said that Ukraine could use British long-range weapons to defend against Russia.

This caused Russia to announce that it will do military exercises with nuclear weapons because of Macron’s comments about possibly sending troops to Ukraine. Russia told London that if they make this decision, Russia might attack British military bases and equipment in Ukraine or in other places.

The leaders are being careful with the words they use. Macron said that only the Russian bases that are used to launch missiles against Ukraine should be considered as acceptable targets, not any other Russian bases or civilian buildings.

The German leader, Olaf Scholz, talked with Macron but didn’t say much. He mentioned that Ukraine has the right to protect itself according to international law.

Scholz wants to make sure that NATO doesn’t end up fighting against Russia. Other leaders in the West are also worried about the situation getting worse little by little. They are concerned about the risks getting higher.

He is worried and many people in Washington feel the same way. Over the last two years, the US has slowly started giving Ukraine the support it asked for. This includes sending tanks and long-range missile systems, but only if they are not aimed at Russia.

“We are not changing our policy right now,” said John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, on Tuesday. “We do not support or allow the use of weapons from the US to attack Russia. ”

Leaders from the Western countries want to make Putin feel pressured because his soldiers have been attacking Ukraine’s defenses in the east and northeast.

This week, Belgium and Spain promised to give Ukraine about one billion euros (US$1. 1 billion) each in new military help. Sweden said on Wednesday that they will give 13 billion kronor (US$1. 23 billion) in aid. This is the biggest donation Sweden has given so far. It will have weapons to defend against air attacks, ammunition for big guns, and vehicles that are heavily protected.

Jury deliberations in criminal case involving Trump’s hush money has begun

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The jury has started thinking about their decision on Wednesday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. The outcome of the trial is now in the hands of twelve New Yorkers who promised to be fair and unbiased.

A group of seven men and five women on the jury went to a private room before 11:30 am to start thinking about their decision in the first trial of a former U. SLeader of a country. The jurors’ talks will be private, but they can send notes to the judge to ask for a repeat of what was said or to see the evidence again. That’s also how they will tell the court about their decision, or if they can’t decide.

“I don’t have to decide if the evidence is true or not. ” “It belongs to you,” said Judge Juan M. Merchan spoke to the jury.

Trump is accused of lying about his business records to cover up bad stories about him during the 2016 election. He is facing 34 charges for this.

The crime is a serious one and it’s about paying back money to Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen. He paid him back after he gave $130,000 to porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about her saying she had sex with Trump in 2006. Trump is being accused of lying about paying Cohen for something secretly, by saying the money was for legal fees.

Trump said he didn’t do anything wrong and he believes the money he paid Cohen was for real legal work.

To prove Trump guilty, the jury must be really sure that he made or had someone make false records for his business on purpose, to trick others, and to hide or do another illegal thing.

According to the law, if the prosecutors do not prove some parts, then they have to say Trump is not guilty. Prosecutors say Trump lied about his business records to hide breaking campaign finance and state election laws. They accuse him of trying to manipulate the election.

Just before the jury started talking, Trump wrote all in capital letters about the trial, the judge, and Cohen on his social media. Then he went from Trump Tower to the courthouse on Wednesday morning.

He said it was a unfair trial and falsely said the judge wouldn’t let him defend himself by saying he did what his lawyer, Cohen, told him to do. In March, Trump’s lawyers told the court that they would not use that defense.

Trump said there was no crime, except for the person who got caught stealing from me. He was talking about Cohen. He wrote, “In God We Trust. ” in big letters again.

The people on the jury in the trial were from different places and had different jobs. They seemed very interested in what Cohen and Daniels were saying. Lots of people wrote down information and paid close attention as people who saw what happened answered questions from Manhattan prosecutors and lawyers representing Trump.

The jurors began discussing the case after hearing the final arguments from both sides and receiving instructions on the law from the judge. The judge also gave them some advice on how to decide if a witness is telling the truth, like considering if their story makes sense, if it matches with other witness accounts, how they acted when testifying, and if they might have a reason to lie.

However, the judge stated that there is no set way to determine if someone is telling the truth or not.

The rules he explained are normal but maybe even more important now that Trump’s defense focused a lot on doubting the truthfulness of important prosecution witnesses, like Cohen.

Every person must agree on the decision. During the discussion, six extra jurors who watched the whole trial will wait at the courthouse in case they need to take the place of a juror who gets sick or can’t come. If that happens, discussions will begin again when the new juror is ready.

New Haitian Prime Minister, Garry Conille promises unity to his people

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Garry Conille, Haiti’s new prime minister, said on Wednesday that he felt very proud to be chosen for the job. This was his first statement since a transitional council picked him to lead the troubled Caribbean country, which is facing problems with gangs.

Conille said thanks to the community groups, political parties, and Haitian people living in other countries who chose him to be a candidate.

“We will work together to make a better future for all the children in our country,” he wrote on X, a social media site, in Haitian Creole.

Conille quit his job at UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean on Tuesday. He has been in that position since January 2023. He was the leader of Haiti from October 2011 to May 2012 when Michel Martelly was president.

Conille learned about medicine and public health, then he worked to improve healthcare in poor communities in Haiti. He also helped to organize rebuilding after the big earthquake in 2010. Before being a regional director with UNICEF, he worked as a specialist for the United Nations in development.

Now, he has a very big job ahead of him. Gangs control most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti. The country is waiting for a police force from Kenya and other countries to help.

The transitional council did not officially announce their decision about Conille, but six out of seven members with the power to vote chose him. Laurent St Cyr, the seventh person, is not in Haiti right now and couldn’t vote.

Conille will take over as the new Prime Minister from Michel Patrick Boisvert, who has been helping run the country since former Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down in April due to increased gang violence.

It wasn’t clear right away if there would be a formal ceremony for Conille to officially take on his new role.

UNICEF leader Catherine Russell hopes that Conille is successful in bringing peace, stability, and hope to the children of Haiti.

Some council members did not want Conille as their first choice.

In the end of April, a small group in the council said they picked Fritz Bélizaire, a former sports minister, to be the new prime minister. The decision upset the council members, and some of them wanted the correct rules to be followed.

So, the council said it would take suggestions for prime minister, and many people were suggested. None of the decisions were shared with the public, and people are upset because the council didn’t explain how they chose a leader.

The council has to pick a new group of leaders and set up a temporary group to organize elections before they can happen. The council’s term will end on February 7, 2026, when a new president will take over.

Putin warns Europe for providing Ukraine with greater military aid

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy got promised $1 billion in military help from the United States on Tuesday. This happened during his quick visit to three European Union countries. At the same time, President Vladimir Putin said that using weapons from the West on Russian land could make the war even more dangerous.

Belgium promised to give money to Ukraine and also said they will provide 30 fighter jets in the next four years.

“We need to use the first F-16 on the battlefield this year to strengthen our positions,” Zelenskyy said.

After that, he went to Portugal and said it was important for Ukraine’s supporters not to be tricked by Russia and to keep fighting the war.

The Russian army is attacking Ukraine in the east and northeast. This is the biggest test for Ukraine’s military since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Ukraine’s Western friends are taking a long time to help them. The US military aid is also delayed. This has made Ukraine vulnerable to Russia’s larger army and air force.

European countries have been talking about sending soldiers to help Ukraine. They have also been discussing giving Ukrainian money that Russia has taken, which has made Russia very angry.

Putin has said many times that the West should not join the fight more, and he has talked about the possibility of a nuclear war.

Putin said that if Ukraine uses powerful weapons from the West to attack Russia, it could make the situation more dangerous. He said this while talking to reporters in Uzbekistan.

Putin said that using these weapons would depend on information from Western intelligence and involve NATO military personnel. He also warned NATO about the potential consequences.

He said that leaders of countries in NATO, especially those in Europe, should be careful about their actions. He also mentioned that smaller countries with crowded populations should be extra cautious.

The Netherlands said they will work fast with important EU countries to put together a Patriot air defense system. Zelenskyy thinks this is very important to stop Russia from attacking Ukraine’s power grid, cities, and also military targets with powerful glide bombs.

NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said he was glad about the decision, but he also said that there was still a lot of work to do.

“We have seen some improvements, but Ukraine urgently needs more progress and more air defense systems,” said Stoltenberg as he went into a meeting with EU defense ministers.

Before going back to Ukraine, Zelenskyy went to Portugal and signed a new agreement between the two countries. Portugal is not very rich and has a smaller military than other countries in the European Union. The leader of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, said that they are giving more money and military help to Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine. This is part of a big plan to work together.

On Monday, Zelenskyy made a deal with Spain to give Ukraine 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for weapons and soldiers in 2024, and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027.

Providing aid to both sides is important because the 27 countries in the group are having trouble getting Hungary to agree to the EU giving a lot of money in military aid to Kyiv.

The Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stopped about 6. 5 billion euros ($7 billion) from being used. Orban is known for being a strong supporter of Russia in the European Union. Each individual country has the power to stop decisions, and Hungary has been blocking money meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses for a long time.

“We have the money and the ability, but we still need to make decisions about giving aid to Ukraine,” explained Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy leader.

Zelenskyy talked with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, and got money and a security agreement. The agreement means Ukraine will get military help until it joins NATO.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs seven more US air defence systems because Russia attacked in Kharkiv.

Putin says that the Russian government’s soldiers are trying to create a “buffer zone” in Kharkiv to stop Ukraine from attacking across the border there.

The Defense Minister of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, met with other EU leaders and said that a Patriot system will be built quickly. The Netherlands has some important parts for the system, and other EU countries will add more parts and weapons.

“Ukraine is also joining Europe in the fight,” she said.

Zelenskyy was going to travel to Belgium and Spain but he had to cancel his trips because Russia attacked Ukraine and the Ukrainian military is facing a difficult situation.

In other news, the head of the UN’s atomic agency was in Kaliningrad, Russia to discuss safety concerns related to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

The Russian army took control of the plant at the beginning of the war. None of the reactors have been running since then. Regular bombing near Europe’s biggest nuclear plant has made people around the world worried about keeping the plant safe from danger.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with Alexei Likhachyov, who leads Russia’s nuclear energy company, Rosatom. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Grossi said they agree on what needs to be done to make the nuclear plant safer, but right now it doesn’t seem possible to start it again.

Likhachyov repeated that he wants to reopen the plant, and also promised that it is ” completely safe” as it is now.

Taiwan parliament adopts measures deemed to favour China

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Taiwan’s government changed some rules to give more power to China and make the president less powerful. This made a lot of people unhappy, and they protested.

The opposition Nationalist Party and its friends want to make changes that would give the government more control over how money is spent, including defense spending. This is seen as a way to please China.

It’s not certain if the group of bills will become a law. The Executive Yuan is the part of the government that carries out laws. The leader of this part is the premier. They can decide to reject a law or give it to the president to make it an official law. The president has to do this within 10 days. If the government or president don’t follow the rules, the bills won’t become laws.

Many people came together outside the government building to show they are against the changes. The room where lawmakers meet was decorated with signs supporting the two different sides of the argument. People on the floor started yelling and pushing each other during their arguments.

The Nationalists, also called the KMT, support rejoining with China, which Taiwan separated from in 1949 during a civil war. They won the most seats in the legislature in January, and their candidate Lai Ching-te became president. The party wants Taiwan to be independent from China, and China does not like them.

Huang Hong-wei, a protester, said that we need to tell the lawmakers that we don’t like the laws they are making. We need to speak up now. Many people are protesting on the streets because they are upset that the legislators they trusted didn’t keep their promises.

DPP lawmakers said that KMT and Taiwan People’s Party members are hurting Taiwan’s democracy by giving the legislature more power over the government. They criticized the law for creating a secret system that the KMT has presented as changes.

“Ray Wan, a protester from Kaohsiung, said that there was no talk about the laws this time and the bills are not well-written. ” “Not talking about these unfinished laws will really hurt Taiwan. ”

The KMT is in charge of the legislature and its speaker and allies in the TPP were elected from party lists, so they don’t have to listen to any specific group of people.

For 40 years, Taiwan was ruled by strict military law under the Nationalists, who have lost three presidential elections in a row but still have control over local areas through strong connections with business and social groups. Pro-China business groups have gained a large part of Taiwan’s media market, while younger people use social media for news.

Every day, China sends planes and ships close to Taiwan in an effort to make them more likely to accept being united with China. They also want to make Taiwan’s defenses weaker, even though the US supports Taiwan’s defenses a lot, even though they don’t have official diplomatic relations.

God will fight and defeat the UPND script to break and silence all divergent voices- Edgar Lungu

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Good Afternoon Fellow Citizens, Men, Women, and the Youth,

The current political happenings in Zambia are confirming that we are completely abandoning the rule of law, respect for human rights, and constitutional democracy. On 25th May, 2024, we all woke up to a sad development—the abduction and disappearance of Hon. JJ Banda, Petauke Central MP. When we tried to seek answers and solace from Zambia Police, the state decided to discharge riot police to throw tear-gas canisters on all of us at Ibex Hill station. This was a mark of state brutality on peaceful citizens!

As different stakeholders responded in anger and anguish to the abduction and disappearance of Hon. Jay Jay Emmanuel Banda, Zambia Police speedily arrested and detained human rights activist Mr. Brebner Changala, FDD President Hon. Edith Nawakwi (in a sick condition), Lumezi MP Hon. Munir Zulu, and Mfuwe MP Hon. Maureen Mabonga, charging them with politically motivated cases of “hate speech” or “seditious practices against the State.” These arrests were orchestrated within two days.

This morning, Chief Inspector Chembe summoned CDP President Apostle Dan Pule, who hosted the UKA Prayers Service two weeks ago, to report at Police Headquarters at 11:00 hrs to respond to investigation questions and had consequently been arrested at Woodland Police Station. Our former PF SG, Hon. Davies Mwila, is currently appearing before Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers for unknown investigations and may or may not be detained.

Tomorrow, on 30th May, 2024, my entire family has been given scheduled appointments to appear before DEC for investigations and interviews in a manner that looks politically designed as follows:

– By 09:30 to 10:30 – Charles Phiri
– By 10:30 to 11:30 – Chiyeso Lungu
– By 11:30 to 12:30 – Tasila Lungu
– By 12:30 to 14:00 – Esther Lungu, former First Lady

In other words, their plan is to keep me and my entire family the whole day at DEC with the same scheme of breaking and silencing me.

From plunging us into a hungry nation after selling our hard-earned food reserves and failing to “fix the economy” as passionately promised in 2021, this UPND failed regime is now after me, my family, and every citizen who is providing democratic checks and balances by throwing law enforcement agencies (LEAs) on us. Besides targeting to break and silence me, our opposition leaders, civil society advocates, church leaders, and scholars who are speaking for the people, this oppressive government of HH is not humanly shy to raise the flag of political persecution and police brutality.

As former President, I want to reaffirm and emphasize that there is no dead or living Zambian who will change the plan of God for this country. President Hakainde Hichilema must know that “Zambia is holy land for Jesus Christ, a Christian nation, our multicultural state and a constitutional democracy for equal citizens.” This I know and remain fully persuaded that “God will fight and defeat the UPND script to break and silence all divergent voices.”

I am a believer in true democracy and a defender of “One Zambia, One Nation.” As PF party leader and former President, I will continue preaching peace, love, unity, and freedom amidst this oppressive political environment. In a constitutional and democratic fashion, I know that freedom is coming for everyone once again. And an inclusive Zambia for all shall emerge again sooner or later!

May God bless Zambia.
Stay peaceful and safe!

H.E Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu
Sixth President of Zambia
Patriotic Front Party President

My Phones have been seized since Monday. Efforts to get them back has not been successful -Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

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By  Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

My Phones have been seized since Monday. Efforts to get them back has not been successful! 😔

Good day. I’m trying to reclaim my Facebook Page.

This is what led to the seizure of my phones by officers from the State.

I received a distress call after midnight.

The call was both distressing, concerning but also elating.

Abducted Petauke Central Member of Parliament, Hon. Emmanuel JayJay Banda was discovered at some house on the road to Kafue Boys Secondary School.

Circumstances of his abduction and discovery remained murky.

I was informed that Hon. Banda was being rushed to Kafue General Hospital.

As I was preparing to rush to Kafue, I was informed that he may be evacuated to Maina Soko or University Teaching Hospital and it was best to wait in Lusaka.

In the dead of the night, people switch off phones or remain unavailable.

I guess because it’s time to sleep and rest.

Only Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Brian Mundubile was awake and now coordinating the efforts for us to see JayJay.

We soon met at the University Teaching Hospital.

A high-level security team led by Lusaka Police Commissioner, Creto Kaanza, had already mobilised to probably secure the most prized state asset that night.

Fear, political tensions and deep worry for the life and safety of JayJay Banda had engulfed the country.

Therefore, this came as good news that could bring partial relief to the country.

We began to learn of differences. The family members that had joined JayJay in Kafue were unwilling to get him to a government hospital.

We learnt that an altercation had ensued at Kafue General Hospital after medical staff conducted initial test and treatment.

While the Police wanted to put JayJay in an ambulance and drive him to Lusaka, the family refused and put him in their vehicle where they improvised a medical ved with mattresses and began to drive him to Lusaka in hot pursuit by the Police.

This chase was so intense that one vehicle of the family members was bumped off the road and overturned.

A new crisis ensued to ensure that those involved in this accident were safe and uninjured.

While we waited around 03;00hrs at the University Teaching Hospital, we just saw the Police Commissioner and his team jump in their Toyota Landcruisers and sped off.

While we were wondering what it was, a family members called us that they had arrived at Medlands Hospital and JayJay was being examined in the Emergency Bay treatment room.

When we arrived at the Hospital,there was commotion with a larger contingent of Police officers cordoning off the entire Hospital, restricting entry and securing the area.

With the family, we found Nkana Indendepent MP, Hon. Binwell Mpundu and Lumezi Independent MP, Hon. Munir Zulu were at the hospital.

The fight from Kafue General Hospital continued with the Police Commissioner and his team insisting that the patient must be evacuated to a government facility despite the strong protestation from the family members.

Medlands medical staff refused this Order insisting that they had a primary duty to treat the patient and establish his medical status and could only release him after this.

You must have seen these videos of the altercation and chaos.

I tried to use my diplomatic skills to calm the situation and attempted to negotiate a win-win outcome for the patient,the family, Medlands Hospital and the Police led by Commissioners.

Hon. Mundubile, Hon. Binwell Mpundu and myself wee shuttling among the parties and we tried had to calm a volatile and highly charged atmosphere.

After initial observation, the doctor ordered that CT Scan be done and JayJay be moved to the diagnosis labs on the other side of the hospital.

This immediately became a flash point with the Police Commissioner ordering his team to seize the patient as he left the emergency treatment room on his way to the diagnosis centre.

His orders were clear, seize and and evacuate.

A Maina Soko Medical Centre ambulance had arrived by this time accompanied by their medical team.

After intense negotiations and shouting matches from all parties, it was agreed that the patient be moved from the Emergency Treatment Room to the Scan room.

At this stage, the patient was complaining of a lot of pain underneath his feet, under his armpits, around both sections of the ribs and his tongue had a cut and was swollen.

When he was taken to the Scan Room, the Police Commissioner informed us that his instructions were now very clear and this was now a matter for no further negotiations.

He ordered the removal of JayJay Banda from the CT scan room to the waiting ambulances outside.

Mundubile and I moved over to try to negotiate this seemingly impossible development.

Police Commissioner said he had his orders and he was no longer in the mood to discuss this matter any further.

“No medical tests will be done here” he flatly informed us.

Another heightened altercation emerged with JayJay’s sisters guarding the door and refusing to budge.

Police Commissioner advised that at this stage, authorities needed their medical personnel from Maina Soko Medical Centre to be involved and be present with the patient.

This was easy to negotiate and the paramedic from Maina Soko Medical Centre was allowed to be in the Scan room.

Shortly after, things got extremely volatile when a team from the C5 ( Anti robbery Unit) and State House security detail arrived.

The squad leader just ordered that the “asset” be removed from the premises without fail.

It became riotous and brutal as the officers lifted the girls manning the door, pushed them out of the way and threatened the Hospital Nursing Director with immediate arrest and her please that “this is my patient being treated under my hospital” were totally ignored.
I saw the white lady’s face go red and with resignation called out; “Open the door”.

The door swung open and the Police officers rushed in and surrounded the bed.

They began to push it outside despite the pleas from the patient and all of us.

The scene was extremely violent and ugly to witness and the authorities.
A stand-off at the ambulance ensued and protesting family members were beaten, removed and Hon. Munir Zulu lifted out to a waiting car.
I saw phones being grabbed from whoever was capturing the ugly scene.
I just saw 3 officers surround me and forcibly begin to get my phones.
I didn’t resist. I gave them.
I didn’t even know the names of the officers who had taken my phones.
It was now

05:30hrs,JayJay was taken to Maina Soko Medical Centre.

This the second time that the Police had taken my phones. They still haven’t returned my phones they took in June 2023!

Is it a crime to film a crime?

M’MEMBE IS A FATHER OF TRIBALISM AND HAS DIVIDED THE COUNTRY USING THE POST NEWSPAPER – Mark Simuuwe

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M’MEMBE IS A FATHER OF TRIBALISM AND HAS DIVIDED THE COUNTRY USING THE POST NEWSPAPER , LET POLICE INVESTIGATE; WE CHALLENGE HIM TO GIVE US AN INSTANCE IN WHICH ANYONE IN UPND GOVERNMENT EVER USED HATE SPEECH.

By Mark Simuuwe

It is shocking to read Fred M’membe’s post on tribalism.So Fred does not know that hate speech on account of tribe , race or region is criminalized under section 70 of the Penal Code Cap. 87 of the laws of Zambia ? Check the section attached herein .

Shamelessly, we are in this mess because of Fred M’membe’s reckless use of the PostNewspaper and coined a term ,’Bantustan’.

Fred pushed this tribal agenda against the people of Southern Province , Western , North – Western and Later on those in Lusaka rural , Central , and Copperbelt rural almost every week .

He attacked Anderson Kambela Mazoka day and night and also coined the discussion of Zambezi people .

To hear him talk of those arrested for tribalism today is a mockery . He is the father of it and he needs to answer for his hate speech in the Postnewspaper . Umulandu taubola .

We have Post Newspapers about his writings in our archives and we shall soon do a documentary for people to know how divisive Fred has been and why we call him the father of tribalism .

Just to campaign for PF , Fred called UPND regional and a group of people that practice extreme tribalism.

He went to attack Anderson until the last nail was put on his Coffin . Even after Mazoka’s death , Fred went for the dead and criticized him even more, later married his child .

When HH was elected UPND leader , Fred shifted the fight to HH. He then realized UPND had grown and spread its tentacles to Western , North Western , Copperbelt Rural , Central , and Lusaka rural – at this point , Fred went for UPND and called a Zambezi Party .

When Fred joined politics, part of his message was tribalism . Am sure many of you may have read some of our responses to him when he started the tribal attacks recently – we challenge Fred to point at an individual from government using hate speech against other tribes . Let Fred tell the Nation which person has ever pushed or expressed hate speech against any ethnic group in government and when.

We challenge him to use the actual words used by such a person .

Instead of making a wild claim , it is better that Fred owns up and acted as a responsible citizen if at all he has some iota of shame . It is time for us as a country to put an end to ethnic hatred for good .

We have seen what ethnic hegemony has done to Rwanda , Sudan , and other countries. Tribal wars are difficult to end once they start and the scar is for life . In Rwanda , those of you who may want to know can browse online to check how the church was also involved in causing ethnic war to the extent that thousands of people died .

Am sure many of you may wonder why we have so many Rwandese in Zambia ; it is because they ran away from the tribal conflict in Rwanda and for fear of dying , they abandoned their country for good . Is this what we want to see in Zambia ?

Today , it is shameful and hypocritical to also see some outspoken clergy failing to condemn ethnic hegemony being created in the country, just like some of them by denomination participated in the Rwanda genocide .

It is for this reason that we have always asked the clergy to stick to their calling than fueling ethnic hegemony.

Lastly , we are advantaged as a country because we have enough laws to deal with people causing ethnic hegemony. Such persons are better in jail that putting the whole country into chaos .

Already what he is skillfully advancing in his post is ethnic hegemony.

Ends //

NEVERS MUMBA’S HATRED FOR ECL IS SHOCKING- Hon. Brian Mundubile

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NEVERS MUMBA’S HATRED FOR ECL IS SHOCKIN

Smart Eagles-29.05.24

“Edgar Lungu is reaping what he sowed…he must repent,”—Nevers Mumba.

Hon. Brian Mundubile, the leader of the opposition in the Zambian parliament is shocked at the level of contempt pastor Nevers Mumba harbours towards sixth President Edgar Lungu.

The lawmaker said the disdain has blinded pastor Mumba to an extent where he refuses to use his position as a clergy and special envoy to unite the country but divide it further.


Hon. Mundubile says if pastor Mumba was true to himself and to God given the following, he would have used his power to unite Zambians than unite them further as political tensions rise in the southern African country.


“The video clip pastor Mumba has circulated on tik tok saying President Edgar Lungu committed atrocities onto Zambians,” said hon. Mundubile, “and also says President Lungu is responsible for the current economic shambles is not just deeply divisive, its untrue.”


Hon. Mundubile said what is worse is the fact that Dr Mumba is among few Zambians that benefited directly from the sixth President´s benevolence and generosity over a long period of time in his personal capacity and yet fails to appreciate this publicly.


In a tik tok video gone viral, pastor Mumba, currently on the pay roll of President Hakainde Hichilema´s government along with other former vice President´s, Mr. Mumba also squarely blames, the economic breakdown Zambia faces on President Lungu.


In a strong nonconciliatory tone, pastor Mumba said whatever trials and tribulations President Lungu is facing is justified because, “He (Edgar Lungu) is reaping what he sowed. The best he (Lungu) can do is apologise to Zambians for what he did to us.”


Hon. Mundubile said at a time of high political tensions in Zambia, “We are gravely concerned and disappointed that pastor Mumba can be so harsh and pass judgement on his brother instead of calling for reconciliation he is stoking the fire of hate.”


Zambians from various circles have said they are concerned that the 80-pc monthly salary President Hichilema has gifted pastor Mumba and others may cloud their judgement.


In recent months, President Hichilema has turned the heat up onto his predecessor Lungu, arresting several of his close aides and prosecuting others including limiting this sixth President´s movements and public association.


Tomorrow, the wife of the former President Esther and daughter Tasila are expected to be paraded before the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) for possible arraignment on undisclosed charges.


A high-spirited Dr Lungu said he is watching the situation closely and remains resolved to endure whatever blow Mr Hichilema throws at him until justice prevails.


Mr. Mundubile implored the church in Zambia to take a more reconciliatory tone on the political divisions in Zambia compared to the path taken by pastor Mumba.


“Zambia needs to heal and pastor Mumba is not helping in the healing process,” hon. Mundubile said, “he is fanning the divisions.”


In less than one week, five opposition leaders close to President Lungu have been arrested and detained in Zambia, as police prove one kidnapping of a law maker named Jay Emmanuel Banda.


Pastor Mumba who served Zambia as vice President for only six months before being sacked by President Levy Mwanawasa mocked President Lungu saying, “God gets ruthless to those that do not repent.”

I DEFLOWERED AND IMPREGNATED HER, BUT I AM MARRIED, LUSAKA MAN TELLS COURT

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I DEFLOWERED AND IMPREGNATED HER, BUT I AM MARRIED, LUSAKA MAN TELLS COURT

A 43-YEAR-OLD man in Zambia’s capital city has sworn to uphold the infamous reputation of Lusaka men after he impregnated a 20-year-old young lady and decided to keep the fruit of their once upon sweet but sinful act a secret because he was married.

John Singwindi was dragged to the Matero court for damage compensation by Hachindu, 33 of Chipata Compund, the uncle to Enna Ngoma, the young lady he impregnated.

Ngoma told the court, Singwindi, proposed love to her when she was only 19 years old, and milked her innocence using his senior manhood.

It took less than a Mbala to Lusaka trip of being in a relationship for Singwindi to fire live bullets in her and Ngoma conceived.

Unfortunately for Ngoma, she learned the hard way that ‘Analume oluma’ as calamity struck before she could listen to Neo’s song release ‘after God fear men’ for some advice.

“When he first slept with me, I saw blood coming out from my private because I was a virgin. And after I told him I was pregnant, he accepted to have impregnated me but told me that he would not marry me because he was already a married man, and I didn’t know before,” said Ngoma.

Ngoma’s uncle told the court that they had called Singwindi when the pregnancy was three months, sat him down and even charged him K20,000 for his inability to close his zippers. However, he did pay anything.

“Each time we call him to pay, he says tie my hands but leave my legs so I can walk, but up to now, he has done nothing. Not even the child’s clothes have been bought and my niece is now eight months pregnant,” Hachindu complained.

However, in his defence, Singwindi told the court that he would pay anything that the court orders him to do, except marrying her as his wife at home is unaware of his mistake.

“I am married with four children at home, so am kindly asking if I can first finish with the pregnancy maintenance before I start paying for her damage. My wife doesn’t know that she is pregnant and eight months pregnant. So I also need to buy the babies clothes and her maternity requirements,” pleaded the defendant.

Magistrate Harriet Mulenga responded: “So you as an elder, is it right for you to look at someone old enough to be your child sexually? Did they tell you to start sleeping with Children? You leave your women at home and start sleeping with children.”

“So now instead of you to be maintaining your four children you now want to start spending money elsewhere. Whenever you are sexually pressed, please go and sleep with your wife, that’s why she is there.”

“Even you, (Ngoma) you should learn to say no, this man is like your father.”

Magistrate Mulenga later adjourned judgement to a later date until the defendant finishes buying all the baby’s and maternity requirements.

“You are giving pressure on others this uncle to the girl is also young. Don’t take advantage of young girls, lying to them with sweets and leaving them with pain. She is too young and didn’t know anything.”

‘So the court will adjourn this matter and by 31st may, all the requirements must be brought because she will deliver in June,” said Magistrate Mulenga.

Note: Picture for illustration purposes

By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba

MY DEEP THOUGHTS ON THE JJ BANDA ABDUCTION CASE: Was The Former President An Actor In A Failed Political Script?

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MY DEEP THOUGHTS ON THE JJ BANDA ABDUCTION CASE: WAS THE FORMER PRESIDENT AN ACTOR IN A FAILED POLITICAL SCRIPT?

In a country devoid of primitive politics, the JJ Banda case would have taught us significant lessons on how to handle missing persons or abduction reports. More so because the mission was led by a man who once held instruments of power, Mr. Edgar Lungu. My past six years experience in the private security industry and I have witnessed how various law enforcement departments of very sophisticated countries approach serious crimes like abduction.

First and foremost, any rational individual finding a note in an abandoned motor vehicle, apologizing to the Zambian people or the family, would instinctively think of suicide. The horde of cadres Mr. Lungu was with should have been used as a search party while demanding that the forensic department examine the handwriting to confirm if it was really JJ Banda’s. But Mr. Lungu, ignoring all logical dimensions, just came up with an abduction theory. Where did he get it? Journalists, these are questions you should ask on our behalf citizens.

This is why the police always have an upper hand over criminals: no one can plan and execute a perfect crime. For example, Mr. Edgar Lungu hears Mr. JJ Banda is missing and left a note in an abandoned vehicle he was driving. Mr. Lungu storms Twinpalm Police Station and tells the officers that JJ Banda is abducted. Before we knew it, he had promised family members that he, Mr. Edgar Lungu, would find JJ Banda on Tuesday and bring him back to the family.

If Mr. Edgar Lungu was not part of the fake disappearance, how did he set up a time frame? In a crime of abduction, there are two parties: a captor (abductor) and a captive (victim). People abduct for various motives. These crimes are called organized crimes. There are people who abduct for ransom and others for reasons such as sexual exploitation or other demands, especially if a female captive is involved.

If a person is abducted for ransom, the captor normally initiates contact and demands a ransom payment. But without ever being contacted by the captors or a group claiming to have custody of JJ Banda, Mr. Edgar Lungu was able to set a timeline and assure relatives. It is up to you citizens to analyze.

In criminal psychology, they say a criminal will always leave clues and traces. It reminds me of a thief who drinks at a bar and leaves with a bottle intending to steal. Such a person will always get a TV and leave a bottle full of fingerprints.

How I wish Zumani Zimba, his political handler, had advised the boss on how to handle the situation unfortunately it is too late. His approach as a former president has left many unanswered questions that only sharp journalists will ask. In political science, this is why, before a president addresses the public, political advisors should know what he or she is about to say and provide appropriate advice.

Now, PF MPs are still talking, forgetting that JJ Banda has already talked. Mr. Lungu must state how he came up with a timeline. Anyway, these are the same people who once saw treason. Crime is a puzzle. But Binwel is still talking, forgetting that JJ Banda has talked. The fact that JJ Banda has talked makes it easier for the law enforcement to find the truth. Whosoever allowed my brother JJ Banda to talk has messed up the script.

SIKAILE C SIKAILE

GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST/ ANALYST

Jay Jay Banda is a very interesting person of interest (or a suspect, if you like) in his own abduction

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The so-called “abduction” of Petauke Central independent member of parliament Emmanuel ‘Jay Jay’ Banda and his subsequent discovery has a strong stench of suspicion around it.

There are so many questions that, for as long as we are not told convincing answers, will continue lingering in our minds.

Indeed, Banda himself is a very interesting person of interest (or a suspect, if you like) in his own abduction.

So, too, are the likes of civil rights activist Brebner Changala and politician Edith Nawakwi who have rightly been summoned because of their statements in the aftermath of Banda’s disappearance.

How did we get here?

According to the official police statement, on Saturday, May 25, 2024, a concerned member of the public of Meanwood Ibex reported an abandoned motor vehicle via a phone call — a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number BAX 3974ZM without the front number plate.

The vehicle was discovered parked by the roadside 2.6 kilometers west of Twin Palm Police Station. Its engine was running, the doors were not locked, the lights were on, and the right side of the windscreen was shattered.
Inside the vehicle, officers only found two phones and a written note stating, “Dear Zambians am very sorry please forgive me and stay blessed. Hon Jay Banda, MP.”

As expected, in droves, PF and their sympathizers pretty much made this ordeal about themselves.

Curiously, Changala made some perturbing revelations ranging from “how he [Banda] knew he was being followed”, “the last call he made”, how from 1a.m., “he made a stop until 4a.m.”. Though Changala attributed his source of information to a tracking system, he went on to say that “it’s very clear that this kind of behavior can only be done by state-sponsored criminals.”

Clearly, Changala spoke with so much authority as if he was actually in Banda’s car. For instance, how did he know the u-turns Banda made before his so-called abduction and the phone call he made — was all that information relayed by the tracker? Let me ask this question differently: how did Changala have access to the tracker for a vehicle that was parked at the police station as an exhibit or is it that he was inside that very vehicle when Jay Jay was being abducted?

Then comes Nawakwi, who alleged that the state had “abducted Banda” and his abduction was “authorized by the state.”

When all this was happening, former president Edgar Lungu stormed Twin Palm Police Station demanding answers, before telling Banda’s family members that he would use whatever means to find him.

Interesting!

According to police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, on Sunday, May 26, 2024, at approximately 23:10, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer on call at Kafue Police Station received a report from a member of the public about someone claiming to be Honourable Jay Banda at Kasanga Family Farm, located off the gravel road leading to Kafue Boys Secondary School.

Police officers quickly responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, the officers were joined by family members who arrived in three different vehicles, guided by a resident of the farm.

The family members identified the individual as the missing Honourable Jay Banda. He was found lying on the kitchen doorstep of the farmhouse, claiming to have been dumped by unknown persons a few meters from the farm. Honourable Banda complained of general body pains, and bruises were observed on his back.

The police, along with family members, promptly transported Jay Jay to Kafue General Hospital for initial medical care.

At the hospital, a disagreement arose between Honourable Banda’s relatives and the police. He was then transported to Medland Hospital in Lusaka and later transferred to Maina Soko Military Hospital, where he is admitted.

More questions:

So, if the state is the one that abducted Banda and really wanted to kill him, why did it let him go alive and live to tell his tale? For the businessman that Jay Jay is, have we asked ourselves if his disappearance could have something to do with a business deal gone wrong? For the polygamous man that he is, where are his wives in all this? If indeed he was abducted, why did this conveniently happen a stone’s throw away from a police station? Isn’t that really too obvious?

Some of us have followed Zambian politics long enough to remember the Zero Option experience. More recently, the gassing episodes, which, if critically analyzed, show that the so-called victims were most likely the orchestrators.

As social commentator Laura Miti observed via her Facebook page:

“Look PF, the fact that you are the ones who first knew about Jay Jay’s abduction and then also announced his discovery raises too many questions🤔!

“Most notably for me is how so many of you were able to get to Kafue in the small hours of the morning, doing so before Kafue residents or the police…?”

We wish and pray for Jay Jay’s quick recovery. He has a lot to tell us.

– Zambian Digest

Hichilema is not a leader. He is a liar, a hypocrite, and an egocentric and highly intolerant individual- Fred M’membe

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TRIBAL HATE SPEECH: HICHILEMA AND HIS LOPSIDED JUSTICE

Today, we shared the thoughts below:

It seems that practising tribalism is not wrong, but pointing it out is a crime of hate speech.

And so far, it seems only people from one side of the country are being arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for tribal hate speech. Why?

Interestingly, we have been vindicated even before the sun goes down.

Speaking in Luanshya today, Mr Hakainde Hichilema vowed to deal with anyone trying to divide the nation by engaging in tribal talk.

“I have been very patient, from today onwards, anyone who divides Zambians, I will [be] tougher, the law will visit them,” he said.

“In two years, eight months, I was saying let me see how these people behave. They don’t stop behaving badly. From today, you start fighting Zambians, you want the country to be destroyed, you are gone”.

Ideally, this statement deserves acknowledgement and acclamation but not when it comes from a two-faced and deceitful individual like Mr Hichilema. In fact, when it comes to discussing tribalism and national unity, Mr Hichilema is not the right lecturer to lecture us. And certainly, his lying lips are not the finest to make such declarations about tribalism and national unity.

Judging by his record, Mr Hichilema should be the last person to insinuate that he cares for this country and its tribes, and therefore, would want to maintain the peace and unity we have enjoyed for almost 60 years now, because his deeds, which seem deliberate by the way, point in the opposite direction. We want to place it on record that there is nothing peaceful and unifying about the way Mr Hichilema is governing this country today.

And to prove this, one doesn’t even need to go far. They should simply take a closer look at his appointees. They should look at the current composition of his government, advisors and aides, civil service, defence and security high command, judiciary, national assembly, parastatal organisations, commissions, various boards, and so on and so forth.

A light and not thorough assessment of these specific establishments and government bodies and agencies will no doubt expose Mr Hichilema and his double speak on this subject. What unity and tribal harmony can Mr Hichilema preach when he is practising naked divisiveness and disunity? What unity can Mr Hichilema talk about when his government is using the police to enforce the law on tribal hate speech in a highly dangerous and lopsided manner? Who will even listen to him? How can it be that only people from one side of the country are being arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for tribal hate speech and not others? Why should tribal hate speech only be against one tribe and not others? What type of justice is this?

Mr Bruce Kanema, Mr Trevor Mwiinde and many other UPND party officials have publicly issued seditious tribal hate speeches, and threatened to violently attack and murder others in clear terms, and nothing has been done by the police to date. They have done this and continue to do so with impunity. Even Cabinet ministers have made violent and inciting declarations against the opposition in the presence of Mr Hichilema with impunity. So, what country can Mr Hichilema lie about that he wants to unite? Certainly, not Zambia because as things stand today, he is a hinderance to our national unity and peace.

In his heart of hearts, Mr Hichilema knows his major weakness and discomforts and what he needs to do to end this tribal talk, divisions, and tension, except he is in denial. He thinks these difficulties will disappear so long as he keeps lying, pretending and issuing desperate threats of arrests and detentions. Whoever misled him that police cells or prison makes people cowards lie to him. Threats or no threats, prison or no prison, the truth must be faced, and difficulty conversations must be held over tribalism and national unity today because everyone is seeing, feeling and perfectly deciphering the mismatch in Mr Hichilema’s actions and talk. The man can’t walk the talk!

Indeed, tribalism and national unity must be addressed, but not in a one-sided manner. It must be addressed both in speech and deeds or else, let Mr Hichilema prepare more prison space for those of us who are willing and able to tell him the truth he hates to hear. Pantu teti tulebepwa nokututinya ngo twaice. Enough is enough!

Truth be told, Mr Hichilema is not a leader. He is a liar, a hypocrite, and an egocentric and highly intolerant individual. And it’s a pity that this country ended up with such an element as Head of State. We urge our people to prepare for the worst both in terms of the quality of leadership and the social, political, and economic situation.

There is absolutely no ounce of leadership in Mr Hichilema, and anyone seeing otherwise is fooling themselves.

Uwafitala akaimwena!

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party

I’m declaring myself a TRADITIONAL COUSIN OF THE TONGAS OF MAGOYE- Binwell Mpundu

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Nkana MP Hon Binwell Mpundu writes:

LET LOVE LEAD

05:23HRS i was awakened by a call from a gentleman who introduced himself as Barry from Magoye. He told me he was a youth and a Tonga from Magoye and he spoke so many things and apologised for inconveniencing my sleep .

Barry’s call has indeed disturbed my sleep but was an interesting call. He spoke to me in english and at some point he used Tonga and mixed that with a few Bemba words and the key message in his conversation he kept on telling me “MY BROTHER LET LOVE LEAD” Waumfwa mudala “wamva mudala ” he said in Bemba and Tonga.

Barry simply called me to tell me that we need to let love lead because Barry has observed that there is too much hatred right now especially among us politicians and i want to agree with Barry that the country is not ok ..THERE IS TOO MUCH HATRED AND TENSION..we need to slow down and do the right thing.

I personally want to pledge to help change the narrative ..From this morning i want to try as much as possible to help change the hatred going on especially on social media ..Barry has challenged me that i need to learn Tonga so that the next time he calls me we will only use Tonga and Bemba throughout the conversation.

So officially I’m declaring myself a TRADITIONAL COUSIN OF THE TONGAS OF MAGOYE..i will spend one weekend in Magoye to be hosted by Barry so that i can learn the way of life of the people of Magoye and another day i will take Barry to my province Luapula so the he too can go and learn our ways of life..IF THERE IS ANYONE FROM MAGOYE PLEASE REACH OUT AND TELL ME IF THIS PROPOSAL SOUNDS OK…

FELLOW CITIZENS ,FELLOW POLITICIANS LET BY GONES BE BY GONES ..ASK YOURSELF EVERYTIME YOU SAY OR POST SOMETHING ESPECIALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, are you helping reduce the hate or adding fuel to what is going on at the moment???…LET US LET LOVE LEAD….GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

BINWELL MPUNDU
NKANA MP
UMWINA NKANA

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA

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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA

REF: HATE SPEECH IN ZAMBIA

Greetings to you and your family.

Your Excellency Hakainde Hichilema,

I’m writing to you specifically on this topic because it is painful and I trust you are the only one and the president who can stop this issue of tribal hate speech. Your predecessor, Mr. Edgar Lungu, is the reason why this has escalated to this level. He allowed his ministers, cadres, and government officials to insult other tribes without reprimanding them. This is why some people still feel comfortable waking up and insulting particular groups with impunity especially after coming back to active politics.

I believe our current law on hate speech needs to be revised. The minimum sentence should be increased and made non-bailable. Your Excellency, a few weeks ago, you were preaching unity and the value of being one Zambia, one nation, when you were asked about the Barotseland issue, which is very important. But today, we have some misguided lawmakers, former government leaders, some church leaders, and even individuals we thought were senior citizens championing this harmful route.

Please, Mr. President, don’t handle criminals with kid gloves; they will not only harm you but the entire country. When criminals sense danger for their activities, they can do anything to protect their interests. Politicians are a small fraction of our national population, and those who have committed crimes should answer as individuals, not as representatives of their tribe, as it is being misconstrued.

Pay attention to your predecessor’s statements; we read and watch his sentiments daily, and they do not promote unity or statesmanship. He lied in his BBC interviews, and unfortunately, the journalists failed to ask him what the laws of Zambia say about a former president who decides to join active politics. Remind him that being a former president does not grant him the right to incite revolt against those he dislikes like you. He should behave like someone who held a senior position in our country.

Every day, we see other sections of society being insulted, and some of us are earmarked for severe punishment if you lose or when you leave the office, why should it be like this? These are the same narratives we endured under the past administration. We were brutalized and subjected to unfair treatment, not because we committed any crime, but because we were viewed as coming from a particular region and expressed our divergent views on national matters. You know very well all these struggles your excellency.

This fire that selfish individuals masquerading as opposition politicians are igniting each day will one day cost the entire nation dearly. As things stand, we recently saw WhatsApp groups being formed in certain sections of society, suggesting that some Tongas should leave certain provinces before they are harmed, I have attached screen shot. Surely, why should we sink so low as a nation to start killing each other when many of us are connected through intermarriage? Such narratives of hate speech have been coined and propagated by hopeless politicians who thrive on divide-and-rule tactics.

You need to come out strongly, Your Excellency, on this issue, because if you leave it unaddressed, when you leave the office, Zambia will be in trouble.You saved us from thugs who could do anything, I believe you can save us from this hate speech as well. I don’t see anyone reasonable enough among our opposition politicians with a sober mind who can ascend to the presidency and honestly protect the 20 million Zambians. Let all tribes be protected and feel free to stay in any province of their choice without feeling unsafe.

Please, sir, I plead with you, save lives by not tolerating anyone who uses hate speech. Some of us have been insulted and made to feel un-Zambian for a long period of time, yet we have committed no crime and when we don’t even thrive on political handouts. The freedom you have given the nation is being used to propagate hate speech by those on the left wing. Let us argue and disagree on ideas, not tribal politics. It is too much, and we need to ensure that offenders are given punishments that will teach them a lesson, and fast-track court proceedings.

Yours faithfully,

SIKAILE C. SIKAILE
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

28/05/2024

The Police And The Courts Must Help To Stop These Tribal Language Once And For All

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THE POLICE AND THE COURTS MUST HELP TO STOP THESE TRIBAL LANGUAGE ONCE AND FOR ALL

Authored By Mupishi Jones

This trend of masking our own personal transgressions under the guise of tribal and political persecution must be addressed forthwith!
Some people must not hide behind their tribes from facing justice because everyone in this country has a tribe where he can hide behind once the law visits him.

Therefore, treating people like Munir with kid gloves and worse still letting them go scot free because of his tribe, is itself tribal and has unintended consequences on the rule of law.

There has been a growing tendency, of late, from some sections of the opposition political party members when called in their individual capacity to explain on some criminal activities against their past conduct to cry tribal persecution.

It was evident that corruption during the past regime was endemically widespread.PF officials were looting at a scale never seen before in this country.They were looting to their hearts content.Top and low ranked government officials were competing for the top slot on the ‘most corrupt person’.It was “ubomba mwibala alya mwibala “.
That was one of the major reasons why the PF of Edgar Chagwa Lungu lost power.

Everyone knew including themselves, that a day will come when all those who were participating in corruption to face the law.As a matter of fact,that was the wish and dream of many Zambians.

Yes, it might appear like only one or two tribes are being targeted by the investigative agencies, but the truth of the matter is that these same two tribes were the ones who dominated almost all senior government positions during the past regime! Therefore, the probability of picking a suspect who served in the previous regime from these two tribes is much higher than from the rest of the tribes.

Therefore, this should not be masked under tribal or political persecution.It is individuals and not political groupings that are being summoned to answer to the charges being levelled against them.Innocent ones are being cleared and guilty ones are going in.

However using tribe as a shield against facing the law is in itself lawlessness which must not be entertained.

Like it has been said before, societies have been destroyed not by careless individuals like Munir Zulu but by those entrusted with the authority to curb such behaviour, and yet they are watching without taking decisive and deterrent action!

Munir thinks and believes he’s saying and doing the right thing within his constitutional rights until the law in an equal tone visits and reminds him otherwise.
Tribal divisions in societies are started through the same careless language like that of Munir Zulu and other like minded.
This kind of einflammatory language from Munir must be stopped once and for all.The only way it can be stopped from spreading to other regions is by meting out strong deterrent sentence once proven guilty in the competent courts of law

Anyone who would support Munir Zulu on that kind of divisive tribal language he was using is himself or herself an enemy of national unity.

I submit

Mupishi Jones
0977480386

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