HE the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf. Photo Gulf Times
HE the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf has praised Qatar's efforts and mediation between Somalia and Kenya by bridging views and enhancing relations between the two countries, thus strengthening international security, stability and peace. In a statement , the GCC Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of Somalia and Kenya on the resumption of full diplomatic relations between them, highlighting the importance of this step that will bring prosperity to the peoples of the two countries and achieve security and stability in these countries. - Gulf Times
A student at the University of California, Berkeley, who is getting her masters in computer science decided to take on a side project during the pandemic lockdown. A full scholarship launched Gloria Tumushabe's engineering and computer science studies at a top U.S. school, but she says too many others in her native Uganda, 14,000 miles away, are left behind.
"I felt like I won the lottery when I got the letter that said I got into Berkeley and that I got a scholarship," Tumushabe said. "I don't think I slept."
In Uganda, 77% of the population is under 25. Opportunities are limited, she said, especially for women.
"In a lot of homes, it's still very traditional. The woman does more of the housework and the cleaning and all that" she said.
Many of those who do attend school were set back by the pandemic. Martha Atwine is one of them.
"As a girl, I basically had to stay at home and do housework," Atwine said. "That's all I could do in a pandemic."
But a world away, Tumushabe decided to help.
"I thought maybe this is my moment to actually start teaching and really empower these people to learn computer science," she said.
Tumushabe spread the word back home that she'd teach girls how to write computer code.
"Gloria told me to reach out to other girls that were interested. Very many of my friends were interested, but they didn't have laptops," Atwine said. So, they had to figure out how to get computers. Atwine was able to get a hand-me-down, but spotty Wi-Fi kept some girls away. Tumushabe pitched in there, too.
"I'm so lucky. I have a scholarship that gives me a stipend. So part of my stipend goes towards the girls' internet," Tumushabe said.
A GoFundMe followed.
"Now, instead of teaching one class, we're actually teaching two classes," Tumushabe said.
Her program, called Afro Fem Coders, now includes mentors from Silicon Valley.
"I've been able to create some games and then I've also been able to learn how to make websites," Atwine said.
Those Tumushabe helped in this pandemic year will be applying to U.S. colleges. But her work is not finished — she still has her own studying to do.
"Sometimes it feels like a lot, but I get the satisfaction from watching how much my students have grown... And then I get these phone calls like 'Hey, Gloria, I'm calling you to say thank you.'"
She'll head home to Africa — bringing with her, she hopes, lessons for an entire continent. - ANNA WERNER, CBS News
Police have increased their patrols around Bromley, southeast London, after receiving four separate reports of "perceived" attempted abductions of children.
On 30 April, an 11-year-old boy was approached by a man in a black van on Whitmore Road in Beckenham who asked him if he wanted a lift.
On the same day, an eight-year-old boy was reportedly approached by a man in the wooded area of Kelsey Park.
A third boy said he was followed in the street by a man on Wednesday and reported the incident to staff at his school the following day.
A "lack of similarities" with the incident indicated it was not linked with the first two reports, the Metropolitan Police said.
On Friday, police were alerted to an incident in The Glades shopping centre where two males were reported to have been walking behind a girl, and tried to grab her hand before walking off.
The Met said the incident is not believed to be linked to any of the others.
Superintendent Andy Brittain said: "I am aware of varying reports online both in the news and on social media and I fully understand the concerns of parents in light of these reports.
"I would encourage the public to remain vigilant, but not to be unduly alarmed.
"Child kidnappings or abductions are, thankfully, incredibly rare, but we are not complacent.
"In order to provide reassurance to the community we have heightened our visible presence in areas where youngsters may gather and I urge anyone who feels worried or concerned to approach my officers.
"I would strongly encourage members of the public to approach our officers if they have any concerns or have any information that could prove to be beneficial to our investigations."
None of the children were abducted or harmed in any of the four reported incidents, the Met said.
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC. In an emergency always dial 999. Yahoo News
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