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Piers Morgan stormed out of the GMB studio. (ITV)

 

Watch: Piers Morgan walks off Good Morning Britain following heated discussion with Alex Beresford over Harry and Meghan interview 

 
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Piers Morgan stormed out of the Good Morning Britain studio during a row with fellow presenter Alex Beresford over Meghan Markle.

The pair were discussing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired on ITV on Monday night, when former weather presenter Beresford accused Morgan of having a vendetta against Meghan because she had ended their friendship after becoming engaged to Prince Harry.

Beresford said: "I understand that you've got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle, or had one, and she cut you off. She's entitled to cut you off. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don't think she has. But yet you continue to trash her." 

Morgan got up from his seat at the GMB desk and began to walk out saying: "Okay, I'm done with this. Sorry. See you later. Can't do this." He muttered something to Beresford as he passed him.

Read more: Piers Morgan slammed over Royal Family racism claims

Beresford then told Susanna Reid and viewers: "This is absolutely diabolical behaviour. Piers spouts off on a regular basis.

"He has the ability to come here and talk from a position where he doesn't fully understand."

The show then went to a break, with Reid saying: "I think we should just pause there."

Shortly before he stormed out Morgan had interrupted Beresford, asking, "Do you mind waiting?"

Beresford had rolled his eyes as he replied: "Actually no I don't, carry on."

Alex Beresford is single after splitting from his wife. (Getty Images)
Alex Beresford accused Piers Morgan of trashing Meghan Markle. (Getty Images)

Morgan returned to the studio to continue the discussion about racism with Beresford, Reid and Dr Hilary Jones.

At the end of the segment Morgan made a joke about healing family rifts in relation to himself and Beresford.

Morgan has now tweeted in defence of his actions: "I just prefer not to sit there listening to colleagues call me diabolical." 

Morgan has previously spoken about how he was friends with Meghan Markle when she first came to the UK as an actor and star of Suits. But when she began dating Prince Harry she cut the former tabloid editor out of her social contacts.

Beresford grew up in Bristol and began his career on ITV West. He has appeared as a weather presenter on GMB since the show launched and began appearing as a guest presenter in August last year.

Read more: GMB weather presenter Alex Beresford lonely in lockdown after split from wife

Piers Morgan (ITV)
Susanna Reid had to keep the peace after Piers Morgan stormed out. (ITV)

Morgan has been continually outspoken in his condemnation of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's decision to leave the royal family.

He has been dismissive of Meghan's claims she received racist treatment by the British media and also mocked her claims in her interview with Oprah that she had suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Archie.

Mental health charity Mind released a statement on Monday night condemning Morgan's comments. 

Mind said: "We were disappointed and concerned to see Piers Morgan's comments on not believing Meghan's experiences about suicidal thoughts today. It's vital that when people reach out for support or share their experiences of ill mental health that they are treated with dignity, respect and empathy. We are in conversations with ITV about this at the moment."

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch. Yahoo News

Family dynamics changing for Pokot women who earn money by selling decorative beads internationally

Nomadic pastoralist women who used to be dependent on their husbands are creatively changing the lives of their families in Kenya’s West Pokot County.

Women were not allowed to own property according to the traditions of the Pokot people, but that is quickly changing as women now own land, cattle, and farms.

“In our culture, every role from children to young boys and girls to adults…men and women are properly characterized and well defined. All household activities are to be done by women and girls, including farming and fetching water and firewood for cooking,” said Mercy Chelimo, who gave Anadolu Agency a brief history of the Pokot people's traditions.

“Women were not allowed to participate in key decision making at the family or community level, as per our traditions. We belonged to our men. But now we are in 2021. Things have changed. Now women head households and feed their families from their own hard work.”

Chelimo, who is part of a community project that strings beads in patterns of mostly the birds, said such initiatives are changing the narrative where patriarchal norms which do not favor women are becoming a thing of the past.

“We make very beautiful patterns from goat hides and beads. Most of our diets are meat-based because we herd a lot of livestock. We also eat termites, mushrooms, roots, wild fruits, and milk and honey,” she said.

“So we have a lot of dried and treated animal hide. It is from the animal hides that we string our beads to create almost any pattern we think of, though of late, we are making birds as patterns -- birds which are found here. We have realized the international market likes such designs,” she added.

Monetizing traditional art

Since time immemorial, body art has been part and parcel of the Pokot people, with beads, colors, patterns, size, and mass being used to symbolize a woman’s beauty and family social rank in the community.

“What we have done is set up a women’s group and we have changed our traditional art into a means of earning an income in a modern society that loves our tradition, finds it beautiful, and shows the real traditional heritage of the Kenyan people,” said Cherotich Letuw, a member of the Chemale Women's group. “We have monetized something so old, so full of culture, so traditional to fit into modern society.”

Letuw said of late, women are making a lot of bird designs from the numerous bird species that can be found in Kenya.

“We are not only raising awareness about our birds but also promoting tourism by selling a taste of Kenya even before they get here. Most of our clients are from international markets. The beads can be sewed on paper for letters and official documents, on clothes, or even on our traditional animal hides,” she said. 

Women's empowerment

From profits that the women have made from business, Mercy Kiyapyap said that “women have become empowered. They have started their own businesses such as beekeeping, small shops that sell household goods, groceries and even clothes.”

With empowered women, cattle rustling, which was common among the nomadic pastoralist community, has been reduced as the pressure on households solely supported by nomadic pastoralism has reduced.

“We wanted to improve the income that women can get from the business. We have had a drought this year and it is because of such businesses that we can eat and drink clean water. I constructed tents at my organization called the Chemale Women’s Group where women come and do the beadwork form,” said Kiyapyap.

At the group’s center, women share designs, styles, and materials. When they go back home, they sell their merchandise at local curio shops owned by women or prepare large orders which are shipped to international markets.

Challenges

The coronavirus is currently the main challenge as it has choked international markets that the women depended on.

With a vaccine rollout, the women have seen business starting to go back to where it was before the pandemic.

“Very many orders are now coming in, as people cannot travel here due to some restriction. They prefer ordering online. Though tourism used to pay really well, orders are better than nothing,” said Kiyapyap.

Kiyapyap, a former winner of the Women’s Creativity in Rural Life Award given by the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF), which aims to draw international attention to laureates' contributions to sustainable development, household food security and peace, said a current drought in the region has killed much of the livestock, showing the need to support such women’s groups which are currently supporting families.

“Things are not like in the old days. Women are stronger. We are a new generation. Despite not going to school, most of us are using the resources that we have created to feed our families. The beads are now expensive. The drought is also limiting how often we meet. People are scattered. There also has been insecurity in our area, but things are getting better,” said Kiyapyap.

“As the world celebrates Women’s Day, my message to all women is, whether you are illiterate or not, your efforts are all which you need to support each other. Women should come out to support other women in business and other affairs, like my mission and my women are to support each other through creativity. I urge them to do the same,” she said.

Kiyapyap also urged the government to support local women's groups’ projects which are sustaining households in the Pokot area, reducing insecurity, and helping to promote the Pokot culture globally.

More than 1,000 women have been registered as members of the Chemale Women's Group. By Andrew Wasike, Anadolu Agency

  • The Kenya-Uganda Border Post. FILE
  
  • Kenya's Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has recommended the immediate ban of maize imported from Tanzania and Uganda. 

    In a letter addressed to KRA's Commissioner of Customs, AFA acting Director-General Kelli Harsama said a study of maize coming in from the two neighboring countries revealed that it was unfit for human consumption.

    "The authority has been conducting surveillance in the safety of food imports into Kenya. The results from maize imported from Uganda and Tanzania have revealed high levels of mycotoxins that are consistently beyond safety limits," he stated in the letter.

    A sample of maize with aflatoxins
    A sample of maize with aflatoxins
    FILE

    Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins are toxic compounds occurring naturally and are produced by moulds when foods are not properly stored.

    They can be found in food including cassava, chilies, corn, cottonseed, millet, peanuts, rice, sorghum, sunflower seeds, tree nuts, wheat, and a variety of spices while stored in humid places. They can cause illnesses or death in severe cases when ingested.

    The letter also cited that Kenyans have contracted acute and chronic aflatoxin-related diseases and some have died over the years. 

    “The Republic of Kenya is committed to facilitating safe trade with her trading partners and looks forward to working closely with all stakeholders to address the concern," said the AFA director.

    On February 23, the Kenya National Bureau of Standards warned Kenyans of sub-standard maize flour brands. It banned some brands which were being manufactured without certification.

    The Ugandan farmers who rely on the Kenyan market for maize sale will now have to seek alternative markets and suffer losses if a ban is executed. Kenyans who also rely on the two countries for maize will also have to find new suppliers.

    a
    Bags of maize at a warehouse: FILE    Tuko News
 

The explosion at 4 pm local time was due to the “negligent handling of dynamite” in the military barracks located in the neighbourhood of Mondong Nkuantoma in Bata. AP Photo

A series of explosions at a military barracks in Equatorial Guinea killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 600 others on Sunday, authorities said.President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said the explosion at 4 pm local time was due to the “negligent handling of dynamite” in the military barracks located in the neighbourhood of Mondong Nkuantoma in Bata.

“The impact of the explosion caused damage in almost all the houses and buildings in Bata," the president said in a statement, which was in Spanish.

The defence ministry released a statement late Sunday saying that a fire at a weapons depot in the barracks caused the explosion of high-calibre ammunition. It said the provisional toll was 20 dead and 600 injured, adding that the cause of the explosions will be fully investigated.

 

The country's president said the fire may have been due residents burning the fields surrounding the barracks.

State television showed a huge plume of smoke rising above the explosion site as crowds fled, with many people crying out “we don't know what happened, but it is all destroyed.”

Images on local media seen by The Associated Press show people screaming and crying running through the streets amid debris and smoke. Roofs of houses were ripped off and wounded people were being carried into a hospital.

Equatorial Guinea, an African country of 1.3 million people located south of Cameroon, was a colony of Spain until it gained its independence in 1968. Bata has roughly 175,000 inhabitants.

Earlier, the Health Ministry had tweeted that 17 were killed and the president's statement mentioned 15 dead.

The Health Ministry made a call for blood donors and volunteer health workers to go to the Regional Hospital de Bata, one of three hospitals treating the wounded.

The ministry said its health workers were treating the injured at the site of the tragedy and in medical facilities, but feared people were still missing under the rubble.

The blasts were a shock for the oil rich Central African nation. Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue met with foreign ambassadors and asked for aid.

“It is important for us to ask our brother countries for their assistance in this lamentable situation since we have a health emergency (due to COVID-19) and the tragedy in Bata,” he said. Outlook

 

A doctor calling into TVGE, who went by his first name, Florentino, said the situation was a “moment of crisis” and that the hospitals were overcrowded. He said a sports center set up for COVID-19 patients would be used to receive minor cases.

Radio station, Radio Macuto, said on Twitter that people were being evacuated within four kilometers of the city because the fumes might be harmful.

 

Following the blast, the Spanish Embassy in Equatorial Guinea recommended on Twitter that “Spanish nationals stay in their homes."

France is looking to reform its policy on aid to Africa – making it both more generous and more efficiently targeted – as part of a strategy to counter China’s rising geopolitical influence.
 

Africa’s booming economies and population have created lucrative opportunities for international players, making the continent a hotbed of geopolitical competition over the past decade. The International Monetary Fund found in 2019 that Africa had become the world’s fastest-growing region, with the World Economic Forum predicting its population would double to around 2.2 billion by 2050.

China is Africa’s biggest bilateral trading partner, having surpassed the US in 2009. Before the coronavirus crisis hit the world economy, the value of Sino-African trade reached €161 billion ($192 bn) in 2019.

“Right now you could say that any big project in African cities that is higher than three floors or roads that are longer than three kilometres are most likely being built and engineered by the Chinese,” Dave Roggeveen, the founder of specialist publication MORE Architecture, told Forbes in 2018.

As well as infrastructure, China has invested massively in media in Africa – with state-run Xinhua News Agency developing the continent’s biggest network of correspondents. Nairobi is at the centre of China’s African media presence, with Xinhua moving one of its headquarters from Paris to the Kenyan capital in 2006.  

France is now also seeking to make new inroads on the African continent by tweaking its strategy towards developing nations. Paris has managed to increase its global aid budget even amid the coronavirus crisis, with development spending rising from €10.9 billion in 2019 to €12.8 billion in 2020. 

On March 2, French MPs approved a bill increasing France’s aid budget to 0.55 percent of GDP by 2022. President Macron's government is also stepping up efforts to ensure the aid money is effective. The draft law enshrines five key objectives – “to fight against poverty, to counter climate change, to bolster public health, to expand education services and to achieve gender equality” – focused on Sub-Saharan Africa and also Haiti.

“International solidarity has never been more necessary than it is now,” said Louis-Nicolas Jandeaux, a spokesman for Oxfam France. “The Covid-19 pandemic shows us how so many major challenges – like fighting poverty and protecting public health – are connected. Given that France is a leader on these multilateral issues, and given that French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken so much about boosting international co-operation, France really has to set a good example on issues like aid spending.”

The bill also seeks to give France more bang for its aid buck by merging its two development agencies. The French Development Agency – which bestows loans and grants – will be merged with France Expertise – which focuses on the nitty-gritty of development project logistics. This merger will allow French aid workers to “respond better and more directly to the needs of the countries we’re working in”, said Jérémie Pellet, director of France Expertise.

The law includes a plan to repatriate “ill-gotten” assets the French justice system has confiscated from foreign leaders. France has made efforts to go after corrupt politicians who have stashed millions on French soil. In 2020 a Paris court sentenced Teodorin Obiang, vice president of Equatorial Guinea, to three years in prison and a €30 million fine for laundering money through French properties.

Redirecting illicit money back to the people is also part of a diplomatic strategy to boost France’s image in Africa.

“This aspect seems so morally sound that it’s almost impossible to be against it,” said Magali Chelpi-den Hamer, the head of the humanitarian and development programme at Paris-based think-tank IRIS (the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs). “However, the volume of money concerned will be relatively low.”  

Avoiding the debt trap

France has had a long and complicated relationship with Africa. It gained control of vast swaths of the continent – mainly by seizing most of western Africa – in the competitive conquest of the continent launched by European powers from the 17th century.

After a wave of successful independence movements in the 1950s and 1960s, France maintained close relations with many Francophone ex-colonies in a policy that came to be known as Françafrique. Advocates of this approach saw France as a guarantor of stability on the continent, but critics saw France as loath to give up its colonial-era influence and continuing to play a clientelist role.    

The French state’s focus on Africa waned in the 1990s as it turned its attention toward European integration. But France has once again set its sights on the continent to counter China’s rising influence.

And this time France seeks to ensure that its activities on the continent do not carry any reminiscence of neo-colonialism, with a new aid policy favouring grants over loans.

Analysts have become increasingly concerned about China creating debt traps with its hefty loans to African countries, for which it is the biggest bilateral lender. Chinese loans to underdeveloped countries are even bigger than indicated by the official figures: around half of them are not reported to the International Monetary Fund or World Bank, a report for German think-tank the Kiel Institute for the World Economy found in 2019.

Until now, France has not had a stellar record on loans either: in 2018, half of its development aid was in loans instead of grants, according to Oxfam. Nevertheless, while “Western countries also use debt to gain influence in African countries, unlike China they’re very keen to avoid setting debt traps,” said IRIS’s Chelpi-den Hamer.

 

“We’re fighting China in a battle for influence – and a battle over what system of government countries should see as their model,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Inter radio last month.

China’s increasing involvement in Africa threatens to “end up being negative over the medium to long term”, Macron warned at a press conference in Djibouti on his 2019 African tour.

“I wouldn’t want a new generation of international investments to encroach on our historical partners’ sovereignty or weaken their economies,” he added.

France’s aid reform bill now goes to the Senate and is expected to become law this summer.

This article was translated from the original in French.  By:Grégoire SAUVAGE, France24

 

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