#Congo Kinshasa National Flag

[brookstonalmanac]

Beer Events 12.30 (after 1930)

1935 – The Italian Air Force bombs a Swedish Red Cross hospital during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. 1936 – The Flint sit-down strike hits General Motors. 1943 – Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair. 1944 – King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant. 1947 – Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania. 1952 – An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber crashes in Luqa, Malta after an engine failure, killing three crew members and a civilian on the ground. 1954 – The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation is established to consolidate criminal investigation and intelligence into a single agency. 1958 – The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension. 1967 – Aeroflot Flight L-51 crashes near Liepāja International Airport in Liepāja, Latvia, killing 43. 1972 – Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker II ends. 1987 – Stella Sigcau, Prime minister of the South African Bantustan of Transkei, is ousted from power in a bloodless military coup led by General Bantu Holomisa. 1993 – Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland. 1996 – Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel. 1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed. 2000 – Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred. 2004 – A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194. 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin. 2006 – Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed. 2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths. 2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed. 2009 – A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 L (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River. 2009 – A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan. 2013 – More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[swldx]

BBC 0437 20 Jul 2023

12095Khz 0358 20 JUL 2023 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55545. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z then ID@0359z pips and newsday preview. @0401z World News anchored by Gareth Barlow. A shooting has left two people dead in the centre of Auckland, New Zealand, hours before the city is due to open the Fifa Women's World Cup. Wheat prices have risen sharply on global markets after Russia said it would treat ships heading for Ukrainian ports as potential military targets. Russia attacked the Odesa region for the second consecutive night after quitting on Monday a year-old deal allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, a decision that prompted the United Nations to warn it risked creating hunger around the world. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said 10 civilians, including a 9-year-old boy, were wounded. Protesters set fire to Sweden's embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad early on Thursday ahead of a planned burning of a Quran in Sweden. Swedish authorities had approved an assembly to be held later on Thursday outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where organisers plan to burn a copy of the Quran as well as an Iraqi flag on grounds of freedom of speech and expression. The government has announced the re-opening of all day primary and secondary schools in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa counties. The schools had been closed on July 19 following what the State said were intelligence reports of planned violence near schools during the planned three-day opposition protests, which began on Wednesday. One of the busiest roads in Johannesburg, South Africa, has been severely damaged after a suspected explosion from an underground gas pipeline. The bodyguard of an opposition politician found dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo is among several people being questioned by investigators, the Kinshasa prosecutor's office said Wednesday. The body of Cherubin Okende, 61, a former transport minister, was found bullet-riddled in his car on July 13 on a road in Kinshasa after disappearing while heading to an appointment at the constitutional court. Netflix subscriber growth surges amid password crackdown but stock falls on outlook. @0406z "Newsday" begins. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2258.

[hj34r35t3535]

Transforming Lives and Building Hope for the People of Congo- The Harish Jagtani Foundation

 New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI/SRV): The Harish Jagtani Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Harish Jagtani, an Indian national, in Kinshasa in 2016. With this initiative, he envisages bringing a positive change in the public healthcare sector of Africa by chalking out a path toward humanity. The Harish Jagtani Foundation’s contributions during the pandemic are incalculable and beyond words of appreciation. In no small measure, Harish Jagtani, the foundation’s chief visionary, has been praised all across the globe for his noble work.

One of the recent highlights of the activities of the Harish Jagtani Foundation was bringing the BMVSS team from Jaipur to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Jaipur Foot Campaign. The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg that is extremely useful for patients who have had limbs amputated. The Jaipur foot campaign kicked off from December 1 till January 30, with over 575 limbs, which were fitted including a couple of upper limbs at the Harish Jagtani Foundation’s camp in Kinshasa City. HJ Foundation has set up a dedicated camp to create and fit 575 prosthetic limbs for persons who have been disabled for various reasons.

This camp was free of charge, and persons who have lost limbs were given new limbs and trained on using their new limbs so that they can resume their normal lives, with their faces eloquent with happiness. For the 575 persons who benefited from the campaign, this camp proved to be a life-changing experience. Keeping in mind the dire state of the underprivileged population, all the people who visited their camp were also provided with meals and money for their commutation by the Harish Jagtani foundation. Hard work and consistency pay off and this foundation is the flag bearer of the same. It is the grit and determination of the people of the foundation, which has helped them transform lives and build hope for the people of Congo.

Last year, the Harish Jagtani Foundation, performed more than 100 free surgeries on cataract and glaucoma patients. For accomplishing this great task of delivering light to 100 families, the foundation established the DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign. Furthermore, HJ Foundation is collaborating with HJ Hospital and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that renal dialysis is free and accessible to all individuals, including the poor. In no small measure, scores of people die every year due to the lack of resources when it comes to renal dialysis. Thus, this step undertaken by the HJ foundation is definitely inching towards humanity.

Going back in time, his steering wheel of motivation prompted him to commence his journey towards doing something for needy people. Harish Jagtani said, “Through the foundation’s successful stories, I want to spotlight grievances, triumphs and experiences of the underrepresented, needy and diminished voices in Congo”. With the same vision, he unraveled HJ Foundation to the world.

Opening up doors of hope for the Congolese natives, the Harish Jagtani Foundation has decided to set up a permanent camp in the heart of Congo, which will be functional from June 30, 2022. The camp will revolve around the Jaipur Foot, anti-malaria initiative, kidney dialysis and DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign.

Furthermore, Harish Jagtani believes that the reason behind his immense success is his strongsupporting pillars- his mother, Neeta Jagtani and his wife, Sunita Jagtani. They have played a significant role in supporting the fountainhead of illuminating ideas- Harish Jagtani. Furthermore, their contribution to society has reached its zenith. Neeta Jagtani and Sunita ‘Neha’ Jagtani, have helped scores of people in the pandemic, from distributing 10,000 PPE kits to delivering 100s of food packets for the needy, they have marked the flags of growth on the map of humanity.

Dreams do come true if you work hard towards it and let your passion drive your force. Harish Jagtani has proven himself to be a standing example of the same. With the perfect blend of humanity and smooth execution, he has won scores of hearts in Congo. On his way to becoming the reigning leader in the world of humanity, Harish Jagtani is a name to remember.

[mapsofworld-blog1]

The flag of Congo Kinshasa has been changing quite often. The exact shade of blue in the first independent flag was never specified and so many variations in color have existed.

[therealafrikantruth]

In Summary * Ironically, his voice did not go unrecognised as he was also commended by the Mobuto government for his role in the state-sponsored authenticité movement. *I n 1953 Franco released his solo debut, entitled “Bolingo na ngai na Beatrice” (My love for Beatrice). Franco’s popularity cut across nationalities, class and tribes, remaining as popular in English speaking countries as it was in Francophone Africa. *r Fanco’s body was flown back to Zaire with the government declaring four days of national mourning. Crowds lined the streets of Kinshasa’s streets were full with crowds paying their last respects as the music legend’s hearse passed by; with the covered with the national flag draped over. * Zaire fell into economic decline in the 1980s, accelerated mostly by government corruption and spending. This affected the once thriving music scene of Zaire with cream of the crop artists relocating to Europe. Despite Franco following suit and moving his recording base from Kinshasa to Brussels, Belgium, he did forget his roots. He wrote longer songs, including elaborate narratives, one of which resulted in “Mario”. Released in in 1985, the song is about a young man who, despite his education, prefers to live off the earnings of his wealthy lover, a woman twice his age. The song became Franco’s biggest hit. * Franco was one of the first African musicians to highlight the AIDS epidemic when it stormed the continent. His song “Attention na SIDA” was a 15-minute call for caution in sexual relationships and a plea for government intervention. Franco fell ill shortly after. Many speculated that the great musician was claimed by the same disease he had sung so passionately about. * Throughout his nearly four decade career, Franco released more than 150 albums, composing close to 1,000 songs. His vast collection wasn’t only great to listen to, but also acted as a social commentary on Congo’s liberation, touching on the long Mobutu dictatorship. Franco also always made sure to revel in and celebrate the treasures of ordinary life. Ironically, his voice did not go unrecognised as he was also commended by the Mobutu government for his role https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Q9vWXnCj6/?igshid=126goyjcp9kic

[hospitalvision]

Transforming Lives and Building Hope for the People of Congo- The Harish Jagtani Foundation

New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI/SRV): The Harish Jagtani Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Harish Jagtani, an Indian national, in Kinshasa in 2016. With this initiative, he envisages bringing a positive change in the public healthcare sector of Africa by chalking out a path toward humanity. The Harish Jagtani Foundation’s contributions during the pandemic are incalculable and beyond words of appreciation. In no small measure, Harish Jagtani, the foundation’s chief visionary, has been praised all across the globe for his noble work.

One of the recent highlights of the activities of the Harish Jagtani Foundation was bringing the BMVSS team from Jaipur to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Jaipur Foot Campaign. The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg that is extremely useful for patients who have had limbs amputated. The Jaipur foot campaign kicked off from December 1 till January 30, with over 575 limbs, which were fitted including a couple of upper limbs at the Harish Jagtani Foundation’s camp in Kinshasa City. HJ Foundation has set up a dedicated camp to create and fit 575 prosthetic limbs for persons who have been disabled for various reasons.

This camp was free of charge, and persons who have lost limbs were given new limbs and trained on using their new limbs so that they can resume their normal lives, with their faces eloquent with happiness. For the 575 persons who benefited from the campaign, this camp proved to be a life-changing experience. Keeping in mind the dire state of the underprivileged population, all the people who visited their camp were also provided with meals and money for their commutation by the Harish Jagtani foundation. Hard work and consistency pay off and this foundation is the flag bearer of the same. It is the grit and determination of the people of the foundation, which has helped them transform lives and build hope for the people of Congo.

Last year, the Harish Jagtani Foundation, performed more than 100 free surgeries on cataract and glaucoma patients. For accomplishing this great task of delivering light to 100 families, the foundation established the DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign. Furthermore, HJ Foundation is collaborating with HJ Hospital and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that renal dialysis is free and accessible to all individuals, including the poor. In no small measure, scores of people die every year due to the lack of resources when it comes to renal dialysis. Thus, this step undertaken by the HJ foundation is definitely inching towards humanity.

Going back in time, his steering wheel of motivation prompted him to commence his journey towards doing something for needy people. Jagtani said, “Through the foundation’s successful stories, I want to spotlight grievances, triumphs and experiences of the underrepresented, needy and diminished voices in Congo”. With the same vision, he unraveled HJ Foundation to the world.

Opening up doors of hope for the Congolese natives, the Harish Jagtani Foundation has decided to set up a permanent camp in the heart of Congo, which will be functional from June 30, 2022. The camp will revolve around the Jaipur Foot, anti-malaria initiative, kidney dialysis and DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign.

Furthermore, Harish Jagtani believes that the reason behind his immense success is his strongsupporting pillars- his mother, Neeta Jagtani and his wife, Sunita Jagtani. They have played a significant role in supporting the fountainhead of illuminating ideas- Harish Jagtani. Furthermore, their contribution to society has reached its zenith. Neeta Jagtani and Sunita ‘Neha’ Jagtani, have helped scores of people in the pandemic, from distributing 10,000 PPE kits to delivering 100s of food packets for the needy, they have marked the flags of growth on the map of humanity.

Dreams do come true if you work hard towards it and let your passion drive your force. Harish Jagtani has proven himself to be a standing example of the same. With the perfect blend of humanity and smooth execution, he has won scores of hearts in Congo. On his way to becoming the reigning leader in the world of humanity, Harish Jagtani is a name to remember.https://theprint.in/ani-press-releases/transforming-lives-and-building-hope-for-the-people-of-congo-the-harish-jagtani-foundation/939862/

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Six Dead as Seaplane Crashes Into Sydney River (Reuters) A seaplane crashed into a Sydney river on Sunday, killing six people on a “wine and dine” sightseeing flight ahead of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations at the harbor.

Iran Said Protesters Should Pay a High Price if They Break the Law (Reuters) Protesters in Iran who have staged three days of demonstrations over economic hardship and alleged corruption should pay a high price if they break the law, the government said on Sunday.

Teargas and Checkpoints as Congo Tries to Stop Anti-Government Demos (Reuters) Congolese police and soldiers on Sunday set up checkpoints across the capital Kinshasa and fired teargas at opposition supporters who had gathered outside churches to protest against President Joseph Kabila.

South Korea Seizes Second Ship Suspected of Providing Oil to North Korea (Reuters) South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.

Merkel Eyes Social Cohesion as She Presses for New Government (Reuters) Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure after three months of failing to form a new ruling coalition, on Sunday vowed to address growing social divisions as she worked to build a stable German government.

Ten People Die After Car Crash in Southwest Mexico (Reuters) Ten people died and two were injured in a car crash and fire on the southwestern Mexican coast near the tourist hot spot of Acapulco, the nation’s civil protection agency said on Saturday.

Former Catalan Leader Urges Spain to Accept Secessionist Election Win (Reuters) Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont on Saturday urged Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to accept the results of a Dec. 21 local election which gave a slim majority to parties favoring a split of the northeastern region from Spain.

President-Elect Weah Says Liberia ‘Open for Business’, Vows to Fight Corruption (Reuters) Liberian President-elect George Weah on Saturday declared the country open to investment and pledged to tackle entrenched corruption, in his first speech to the nation since decisively winning an election this week.

Egypt Security Forces Kill Three Suspected Militants, Arrest 10 Others (Reuters) Egyptian security forces killed three suspected militants in an exchange of gunfire at a farm they believed to be a militant hideout on the outskirts of Giza, the interior ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Egypt Court Sentences Activist to Two Years Over Red Sea Islands Protest (Reuters) A court in Alexandria has sentenced leading rights activist Mahienour el-Massry to two years in prison on charges of illegally protesting against the Egyptian government’s decision to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources said Saturday.

Crash Between Truck and Bus in Kenya Kills at Least 36 (AP) A police official says a collision between a truck and a bus in western Kenya has killed at least 36 people.

4.6 Magnitude Quake Strikes Central Greece; No Damage (AP) A strong earthquake has struck central Greece and was felt in the capital Athens, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the southeast.

Standoff at Ukraine Post Office Ends With No One Hurt (AP) All nine people taken hostage at a post office in Ukraine’s second-biggest city have been released and the man who held them has been arrested, police said Saturday.

[bigyack-com]

Warning Of Long Battle As Africa's Virus Numbers Rise

The case tally on Friday had more than tripled in the space of a week.Johannesburg: Sub-Saharan Africa recorded its second coronavirus death on Friday as infections rose in South Africa, where the government warned bluntly of a long haul in the fight against the disease.Despite stringent restrictions ranging from flight bans to school closures, countries south of the Sahara have recorded two deaths in three days, and the case tally on Friday had more than tripled in the space of a week.The central African state of Gabon announced its first fatality from coronavirus -- a 50-year-old man, whose death followed that of a 62-year-old woman in Burkina Faso on Wednesday. Both had diabetes.The total of known cases across all of Africa, compiled by AFP, stands at more than 900 and is rising fast after lagging other continents. Madagascar, with three, and Zimbabwe, with one, recorded their first cases on Friday.Health experts have issued loud warnings, for most African countries are desperately short of intensive-care units, equipment and trained staff. The Sahel state of Mali has just a single respirator.South African warningBallooning from one case two weeks ago to 202 on Friday, South Africa has the highest numbers in the subcontinent.Health Minister Zweli Mkhize pointed to established scientific projections showing that infections "ultimately can affect up to 60 percent of the population."But it "doesn't mean they will all be affected at the same time, doesn't mean that they will all have serious illness. It just means that the way the viral infection spreads, that will likely happen," Mkhize said.The virus is "going to be with us for quite a while," he warned."It's a reality we must face, but it's not a reality that says we now face an apocalypse."Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said South Africa had prevented foreign nationals who arrived Friday in 20 international flights from high-risk countries from disembarking.One of the flights was an Air China plane that landed at Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport from Shenzhen.Only South Africans were allowed to disembark while 68 Chinese nationals were refused permission to leave the aircraft.The country's flag carrier, South African Airways, suspended all regional and international flights until the end of May in line with government-imposed travel bans aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.South Africa has adopted slew of other measures, including banning gatherings of more than 100 people, shutting schools, and suspending major cultural and sporting events.Restaurants are limited to less than 50 people at time, no alcohol can be served after 6 pm, while peddling of fake news will attract a six-month jail term.Lagos challengeIn Lagos, Africa's biggest city, authorities faced an immediate challenge in implementing limits on religious gatherings decreed just a day earlier.At the Zawiyat Sofwat El-Islam mosque, in a rundown part of the city, religious leaders struggled to restrict numbers gathered outside -- eventually the gates were flung open and around a thousand worshippers entered.The service proceeded swiftly, lasting less than 30 minutes. The chief imam announced the cancellation of a special Sunday service and directed the faithful to observe it in their homes."I am here despite coronavirus to offer prayers to God. The Almighty Allah is the giver and taker of life. We should all pray and ask Him to take this strange disease from the world," said Alhaja Basirat Okeowo.Health officials in Lagos meanwhile reported cases of poisoning by chloroquine caused by self-medication, after US President Donald Trump touted the anti-malarial drug as a potential treatment for the virus.East Africa tightens measuresIn East Africa, Ethiopia, which announced three new cases Friday, taking its total to nine, said its state-carrier, the continent's biggest airline, would suspend flights to 30 countries.Ethiopian Airlines had been under pressure to follow other regional airlines, such as Kenya Airways, in suspending flights to China. Bars and night clubs will be shut to contain the spread.Kenya, which has reported no new cases in two days, also scaled up measures, ordering bars to shut by 7:30 pm from Monday.Supermarkets are being urged to limit numbers of shoppers, implement queue management, open for 24 hours and offer delivery services."Our actions... will determine whether we shall go into a full blown crisis with grave human and economic consequences, or whether we shall limit the adverse impacts of this disease," said Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe.Uganda, host to some 1.4 million asylum seekers, has blocked entry to further arrivals over the next 30 days.In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a sprawling country the size of continental western Europe, 18 cases were reported as of Friday, all of them in the capital Kinshasa, a rise of four over Thursday.DRC music stars Fally Ipupa and Koffi Olomide on Friday posted videos on Twitter urging the public not to exchange kisses and handshakes and to wash their hands.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Read the full article

[mellowfestbanana]

AFRICA: CONGO’s latest power-sharing deal shakey – just like previous ones; Dr Julie Norman and Dr Drew Mikhael

AFRICA: CONGO’s latest power-sharing deal shakey – just like previous ones; Dr Julie Norman and Dr Drew Mikhael

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila sits in a garden at his personal ranch on December 10, 2018 in Kinshasa. (Photo by John WESSELS / AFP) A power-sharing agreement might be Felix Tshisekedi’s only option as he tries to form a government following the recent disputed presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says Dr Julie Norman and Dr Drew Mikhael;

[2whatcom-blog]

How you can be a Higher Net Searcher Secrets and techniques from Google Scientists

In a cheery, sunshine-filled fourth-grade classroom in California, the instructor defined the task: write a brief report in regards to the historical past of the Belgian Congo on the finish of the 19th century, when Belgium colonized this area of Africa. One in all us (Russell) was there to assist the scholars with their on-line analysis strategies. I watched in dismay as a younger scholar slowly typed her question right into a smartphone. This was not going to finish properly. She was looking for out which metropolis was the capital of the Belgian Congo throughout this time interval. She moderately searched and in lower than a second she found that the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo is Kinshasa, a port city on the Congo River. She fortunately copied the reply into her worksheet. However the scholar didn't notice that the Democratic Republic of Congo is a very completely different nation than the Belgian Congo, which used to occupy the identical space. The capital of that former nation was Boma till 1926, when it was moved to Leopoldville (which was later renamed Kinshasa). Understanding which metropolis was the capital throughout which era interval is difficult within the Congo, so I used to be not terribly shocked by the woman's mistake. The deep downside right here is that she blindly accepted the reply provided by the search engine as right. She didn't notice that there's a deeper historical past right here. We Google researchers know that is what many college students do--they enter the primary question that pops into their heads and run with the reply. Double checking and going deeper are abilities that come solely with a substantial amount of practice--and maybe a bunch of solutions marked incorrect on essential exams. College students typically do not need a substantial amount of background information to flag a end result as probably incorrect, so they're particularly inclined to misguided search outcomes like this. In reality, a 2016 report by Stanford College schooling researchers confirmed that almost all college students are woefully unprepared to asses content material they discover on the net. As an example, the scientists discovered that 80 p.c of scholars at U.S. universities should not in a position to decide if a given website online accommodates credible info. And it's not simply college students; many adults share these difficulties. If she had clicked by way of to the linked web page, the woman most likely would have began studying in regards to the historical past of the Belgian Congo, and discovered that it has had just a few hundred years of wars, corruption, modifications in rulers and shifts in governance. The title of the nation modified a minimum of six occasions in a century, however she by no means realized that as a result of she solely learn the reply offered on the search engine outcomes web page. Asking a query of a search engine is one thing individuals do a number of billion occasions every day. It's the method we discover the cellphone variety of the native pharmacy, test on sports activities scores, learn the newest scholarly papers, search for information articles, discover items of code, and store. And though searchers search for true solutions to their questions, the search engine returns outcomes which can be attuned to the question, somewhat than some exterior sense of what's true or not. So a seek for proof of wrongdoing by a politician can return websites that purport to have this info, whether or not or not the websites or the knowledge are credible. You actually do get what you seek for. In some ways, search engines like google make our metacognitive abilities come to the foreground. It's simple to do a search that performs into your affirmation bias--your tendency to assume new info helps views you already maintain. So good searchers actively hunt down info which will battle with their preconceived notions. They search for secondary sources of help, doing a second or third question to realize different views on their subject. They're always conscious of what their cognitive biases are, and greet no matter responses they obtain from a search engine with wholesome skepticism. For the overwhelming majority of us, most searches are profitable. Search engines like google are highly effective instruments that may be extremely useful, however in addition they require a little bit of understanding to search out the knowledge you might be really looking for. Small modifications in the way you search can go a great distance towards discovering higher solutions. The Limits of Search It's not shocking or unusual that a quick question could not precisely mirror what a searcher actually desires to know. What is definitely outstanding is how typically a easy, temporary question like or will give the best outcomes. In any case, each of these phrases have a number of meanings, and a search engine may conclude that searchers have been searching for info on instruments to catch butterflies, within the first case, or larger-than-life individuals within the second. But most customers who kind these phrases are looking for basketball- and football-related websites, and the primary search outcomes for these phrases present simply that. Even the distinction between a question like versus is placing. The primary set of outcomes are a couple of basic English rock band, whereas the second question returns references to a preferred Dr. Seuss guide. However search engines like google generally appear to provide the phantasm you can ask something about something and get the best reply. Similar to the scholar in that instance, nonetheless most searchers overestimate the accuracy of search engines like google and their very own looking out abilities. In reality, when Individuals have been requested to self-rate their looking out capacity by the Pew Analysis Heart in 2012, 56 p.c rated themselves as very assured of their capacity to make use of a search engine to reply a query. Not surprisingly, the best confidence scores have been for searchers with some school levels (64 p.c have been "very confident"--by distinction, 45 p.c of those that didn't have a university diploma describes themselves that method). Age impacts this judgment as properly, with 64 p.c of these below 50 describing themselves as "very confident," versus solely 40 p.c older than 50. When speaking about how profitable they're of their searches, 29 p.c reported that they will at all times discover what they're searching for, and 62 p.c mentioned they can discover a solution to their questions more often than not. In surveys, most individuals inform us that all the pieces they need is on-line, and conversely, if they can't discover one thing through a fast search, then it should not exist, it is likely to be outdated, or it may not be of a lot worth. These are the latest printed outcomes, however we've got seen in surveys accomplished at Google in 2018 that these insights from Pew are nonetheless true and transcend the years. What was true in 2012 continues to be precisely the identical now: Individuals have nice confidence of their capacity to look. The one important change is of their success charges, which have crept as much as 35 p.c can "always find" what they're searching for, whereas 73 p.c say they will discover what they search "most of the time." This enhance is basically as a result of enhancements in the major search engines, which enhance their information protection and algorithms yearly." What Good Searchers Do So long as info wants are simple, easy searches work moderately properly. Most individuals really do lower than one search per day, and most of these searches are quick and commonplace. The typical question size on Google throughout 2016 was 2.three phrases. Queries are sometimes temporary descriptions like: or or . And considerably surprisingly, most searches have been accomplished earlier than. In a median day, lower than 12 p.c of all searches are utterly novel--that is, most queries have already been entered by one other searcher up to now day. By design, search engines like google have realized to affiliate quick queries with the targets of these searches by monitoring pages which can be visited because of the question, making the outcomes returned each quicker and extra correct than they in any other case would have been. A big fraction of queries are searches for one more web site (referred to as navigational queries, which make up as a lot as 25 p.c of all queries), or for a brief factual piece of knowledge (referred to as informational queries, that are round 40 p.c of all queries). Nevertheless, advanced search duties typically want greater than a single question to discover a passable reply. So how will you do higher searches? First, you may modify your question by altering a time period in your search phrase, typically to make it extra exact or by including further phrases to scale back the variety of off-topic outcomes. Very skilled searchers typically open a number of browser tabs or home windows to pursue completely different avenues of analysis, often investigating barely completely different variations of the unique question in parallel. You possibly can see good searchers quickly attempting completely different search queries in a row, somewhat than simply being glad with what they get with the primary search. That is very true for searches that contain very ambiguous terms--a question like has many attainable interpretations. Good searchers modify the question to get to what they want rapidly, resembling or , relying on the underlying purpose. Selecting one of the simplest ways to phrase your question means including phrases that: are central to the subject (keep away from peripheral phrases which can be off-topic) are central to the subject (keep away from peripheral phrases which can be off-topic) you understand the definition of (don't guess at a time period if you're not sure) go away widespread phrases collectively so as ( could be very completely different than ) hold the question pretty quick (you often don't want greater than two to 5 phrases) You may make your question extra exact by limiting the scope of a search with particular operators. Probably the most highly effective operators are issues resembling double-quote marks (as within the question , which finds solely paperwork containing that phrase in that particular order. Two different generally used search operators are website: and filetype: These allow you to search inside just one website online (resembling ) or for a specific filetype, resembling a PDF file (instance: ) Second, attempt to perceive the vary of attainable search choices. Just lately, search engines like google added the potential of looking for photographs which can be just like given photograph you can add. A searcher who is aware of this could discover pictures on-line which have options that resemble these within the authentic. By clicking by way of the same photographs, a searcher can typically discover details about the item (or place) within the picture. Trying to find matches of my favourite fish photograph can inform me not simply what sort of fish it's, however then present hyperlinks to different fishing places and ichthyological descriptions of this fish species. Total, knowledgeable searchers use all the assets of the search engine and their browsers to look each deeply (by making question variations) and broadly (by having a number of tabs or home windows open). Efficient searchers additionally know methods to restrict a search to a specific web site or to a specific type of doc, discover a phrase (through the use of quote marks to delimit the phrase), and discover textual content on a web page (through the use of a text-find software). Third, be taught some cool tips. One is the find-text-on-page ability (that's, Command-F on Mac, Management-F on PC), which is unfamiliar to round 90 p.c of the English-speaking, Web-using inhabitants within the US. In our surveys of hundreds of internet customers, the massive majority must do a gradual (and errorful) visible scan for a string of textual content on a website online. Understanding methods to use text-finding instructions hurries up your total search time by about 12 p.c (and is a ability that transfers to virtually each different laptop software). Fourth, use your critical-thinking abilities. In a single case examine, we discovered that searchers searching for the variety of academics in New York state would typically do a question for , after which take the primary end result as their answer--never realizing that they have been studying in regards to the instructor inhabitants of New York Metropolis, not New York State. In one other examine we requested searchers to search out the utmost weight a specific mannequin of child stroller may maintain. How huge may that child be? The solutions we bought again assorted from two kilos to 250 kilos. At each ends of the spectrum, the solutions make no sense (few infants in strollers weigh lower than 5 kilos or greater than 60 kilos), however inexperienced searchers simply assumed that no matter numbers they discovered accurately answered their search questions. They didn't learn the context of the outcomes with a lot care. Search engines like google are amazingly highly effective instruments which have remodeled the way in which we consider analysis, however they will harm greater than assist once we lack the talents to make use of them appropriately and consider what they inform us. Expert searchers know that the rating of outcomes from a search engine isn't an announcement about goal reality, however about the perfect matching of the search question, time period frequency, and the connectedness of internet pages. Whether or not or not these outcomes reply the searchers' questions continues to be up for them to find out. Read the full article

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.30

534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. 999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland. 1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city. 1419 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle. 1460 – Wars of the Roses: Lancastrians kill the 3rd Duke of York and win the Battle of Wakefield. 1702 – Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine. 1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York. 1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed. 1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed. 1853 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest. 1890 – Following the Wounded Knee Massacre, the United States Army and Lakota warriors face off in the Drexel Mission Fight. 1896 – Filipino patriot and reform advocate José Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila. 1896 – Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5. 1897 – The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand. 1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605. 1905 – Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell. 1906 – The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India (later Dhaka, Bangladesh). 1916 – Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was murdered by a loyalist group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was discovered in a Moscow river three days later. 1916 – The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita. 1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed. 1927 – The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan. 1935 – The Italian Air Force bombs a Swedish Red Cross hospital during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. 1936 – The Flint sit-down strike hits General Motors. 1943 – Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair. 1944 – King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant. 1947 – Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania. 1952 – An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber crashed in Luqa, Malta after an engine failure, killing three crew members and a civilian on the ground. 1958 – The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension. 1972 – Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker II ends. 1993 – Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland. 1996 – Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel. 1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed. 2000 – Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred. 2004 – A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina kills 194. 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin. 2006 – Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed. 2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths. 2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed. 2009 – A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 l (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River. 2009 – A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan. 2013 – More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[spicynbachili1]

With a month to key elections, ‘difficult times ahead’ for DRC | DR Congo News

The long-delayed and long-awaited race for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) presidency shifted into a brand new gear this week with the official launch of the candidates’ electoral campaigns.

Precisely a month from now, some 40 million individuals, about half of the resource-rich nation’s inhabitants, are anticipated to lastly elect a brand new president after two years of postponements, uncertainty and turmoil.

Outgoing President Joseph Kabila has controversially remained in workplace despite the fact that his second consecutive and remaining constitutional time period formally expired in 2016. Whereas Kabila insisted the election delays had been resulting from challenges enrolling thousands and thousands of voters and monetary constraints, his refusal to step down led to the opposition accusing him of making an attempt to cling to energy and sparked violent rallies through which dozens of protesters had been killed.

The DRC has not has a peaceable switch of energy since independence from Belgium in 1960, and there are nonetheless a number of questions over how the upcoming polls will probably be performed – from logistical and financing difficulties to varied threats to peace and safety, together with militia violence and a lethal Ebola outbreak within the nation’s east.

Nonetheless, electoral officers keep that the vote will go forward as deliberate on December 23, when at the very least 20 candidates will vie to succeed Kabila.

Amongst them is Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a die-hard Kabila loyalist who was chosen on the 11th hour because the candidate for the outgoing president’s recently-minted electoral coalition, the Widespread Entrance for Congo (FCC).

Shocking however best decide?

Kabila’s alternative of Shadary took most – together with many within the FCC – abruptly. A largely unknown political determine within the huge nation, Shadary has meagre funds and no unbiased energy base. The 57-year-old can be below European Union sanctions for his function within the repression of lethal anti-Kabila protests in 2016, when he was inside minister, and is seen as somebody with extraordinarily restricted ties to the worldwide neighborhood.

“These are all elements that may considerably drawback a candidate for top political place within the DRC,” says John Mukum Mbaku, nonresident senior fellow on the Brookings Establishment in Washington, DC.

However it’s these precise elements, coupled along with his hard-core loyalty, that possible “endeared” Shadary to Kabila and made him “an ideal alternative” for the outgoing president’s potential political ambitions, Mbaku provides.

Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary on the launch of his election manifesto in Kinshasa [Kenny Katombe/Reuters]

Certainly, some observers see Shadary’s alternative as a deliberate transfer by Kabila to create “a brand new political class”, one that may stay below his management and dependable to him, whilst he steps down from the presidency after 17 years.

“For the final years, we see an alienation between Kabila and the pillars of his regime. He had a robust crew round him within the first decade of his reign, however for various causes, these individuals disappeared,” says Kris Berwouts, a political analyst and DRC commentator.

“During the last two-three years, Kabila has tried to create new leaders – individuals who do not need their very own electoral base, no worldwide community, no appreciable monetary means to deploy; people who find themselves principally indebted to him. Ramazani Shadary is certainly one of them.”

Kabila’s strikes

Analysts say Shadary’s anointment was solely the final in a collection of strikes by Kabila to safe his political future and pursuits earlier than the August eight announcement that he wouldn’t search a 3rd time period – a call he took amid growing regional and worldwide strain.

Firstly, Kabila obtained the Nationwide Meeting to cross a regulation granting immunity to former presidents for crimes dedicated whereas in workplace, in addition to offering them with a everlasting safety element and a residence on the expense of the state. Secondly, he packed the federal forms, together with the judiciary and the army, with loyalists. Thirdly, at Kabila’s request, the Individuals’s Social gathering for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), the FCC’s largest and most influential group, created the publish of the president, which he’s anticipated to carry after leaving workplace. Lastly, Kabila – who will probably be a senator-for-life, as per the structure – will even stay the FCC’s chief. 

Kabila has been the DRC’s president since 2001 [Kenny Katombe/Reuters]

Together with these security and authorized ensures, Berwouts says Kabila wished to “stay influential in [the DRC’s] politics and economically energetic. Within the final years, he has bought lots of land, for example”.

Mbaku, who can be a professor of economics at Weber State College, says these strikes be sure that Kabila will be capable of retain important political affect, whereas remaining “the facility behind the throne” and therefore not having “to concern any retribution from a hostile regime”.

“In fact, given the truth that Kabila is eligible to return in 2023 and compete for the presidency, he might have chosen loyalist Shadary to maintain the presidential ‘seat’ heat for him till he returns in 2023,” he provides.

Fractured opposition

Such a state of affairs would mark an audacious comeback for Kabila, who took energy in 2001 after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Need Kabila, who had compelled out Mobutu Sese Seko, an authoritarian president who led for many years a corrupt, brutal, and dysfunctional authorities.

Joseph Kabila went on to win elections in 2006 and 2011, however each polls had been marred by accusations of widespread fraud.

Subsequent month’s vote will probably be performed in a first-past-the-post system, which suggests, in idea at the very least, win by Kabila’s hand-picked successor just isn’t a foregone conclusion if the vote is free and truthful – particularly when contemplating Shadary’s low public profile and widespread grievances over poor providers, continual monetary mismanagement and corruption.

Regardless of its enormous pure sources endowments – the DRC is the world’s high miner of cobalt and Africa’s main copper producer – the nation is mired in grinding poverty and a number of other humanitarian and financial crises.

“Congolese individuals, particularly those that reside within the city areas, are fairly annoyed with their extraordinarily poor dwelling situations, which haven’t improved for the reason that dictator Mobutu was ousted in 1997,” says Mbaku.

“They proceed to complain about excessive charges of unemployment, lack of respectable and reasonably priced housing, lack of ability of the poor to have efficient entry to fundamental healthcare and alternatives for schooling and job coaching.”

In what was seen as a serious drive to present the historically fractured opposition a preventing likelihood within the upcoming polls, seven key DRC political leaders met earlier this month within the Swiss metropolis of Geneva to pick out a joint candidate.

On the time, Felix Tshisekedi and Important Kamerhe had been seen because the possible figures to unite and lead the anti-Kabila entrance. However after a number of days of negotiations below the auspices of the Lamuka Coalition, the opposition heavyweights introduced Martin Fayulu, a member of parliament with lots of grassroots credibility within the capital, Kinshasa, as their alliance’s flag-bearer.

Barely 24 hours later, this uncommon occasion of opposition unity was shattered. Tshisekedi, son of the late opposition chief Etienne Tshisekedi, withdrew his signature from the settlement after protests by his supporters in Kinshasa. Kamerhe adopted him only a few hours later.

“The try to create a standard platform with a joint candidate was, in fact, very formidable,” says Berwouts, creator of Congo’s Violent Peace: Battle and Wrestle for the reason that Nice African Warfare.

“The truth that two of the seven leaders who signed the settlement withdrew their signature 24 hours later was a serious blow and affected the credibility of the opposition as such.”

Nonetheless, the opposite members of the coalition have continued to help Fayulu’s candidacy whereas additionally hoping to broaden their alliance by becoming a member of forces with civil society teams and dealing along with the influential Catholic Church.

In the meantime, Kamerhe introduced on Friday that he was throwing his help behind Tshishekedi, in a transfer that has created a second opposition bloc to Shadary’s candidacy.

“That is the successful ticket,” Kamerhe instructed reporters alongside Tshisekedi in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

An opinion ballot final month confirmed Tshisekedi effectively forward within the race, with 36 %. Kamerhe (17 %) and Shadary (16 %) adopted, whereas Fayulu’s projected share of the vote stood at eight %.

Important Kamerhe (left) and Felix Tshisekedi (proper) at a joint information convention in Nairobi [Baz Ratner/Reuters]

Voting machines, bias allegations

The race, though crowded, remains to be marked by the absence of main opposition figures who’ve been prevented from participating within the elections.

Key amongst them are Moise Katumbi, a rich businessman and a preferred ex-governor who says he was prohibited from getting into the nation and file his candidacy in time; and Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former vp who did handle to register after being acquitted of struggle crimes costs by the Worldwide Prison Court docket in June however noticed his candidacy later disqualified by election officers.

UNICEF: Two million kids in DRC are acutely malnourished

Opposition figures and worldwide observers in the meantime have expressed concern over the use for the primary time of a brand new digital voting system, saying it’s extra susceptible to vote-rigging than conventional ballots.

Electoral officers have dismissed the criticism, saying using the 106,000 South Korean-made touchscreen voting machines are supposed to slash each election prices and the ready interval for outcomes.

Critics additionally accuse the federal government, which has refused all types of worldwide help to hold out the elections, of controlling public debate to silence dissent within the lead-up to the vote and refusing entry to any potential watchdogs.

In an announcement on Wednesday, Amnesty Worldwide stated election campaigning will happen in a “hostile political setting” that leaves little room for the DRC’s residents “to freely and safely train their human rights”.

“The authorities have proven outright bias and selectivity in permitting the ruling occasion’s public rallies whereas cracking down on dissent, rallies and protests by the opposition supporters and critics of the federal government,” Joan Nyanyuki, the rights group’s director for East Africa, the Horn and the Nice Lakes, stated.

Trying forward, Mbaku expects the subsequent few weeks to be dominated by efforts by the ruling coalition to “demonise the opposition and improve Shadary’s capability to win the election”.

He additionally warns of “critical violence” within the case the federal government mishandles the election amid opposition anger over the anticipated “domination of the airwaves by the FCC and their candidate”.

Amidst this local weather, Berwouts says he expects “difficulties” for opposition candidates desirous to rally help within the coming weeks.

“The probabilities on free and truthful elections are nil,” he says. “If elections are postponed, there will probably be violent protests, and in the event that they happen, there will probably be violence too – and the outcomes will probably be contested in all eventualities.

“Congo has some tough weeks and months forward.”

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from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/with-a-month-to-key-elections-difficult-times-ahead-for-drc-dr-congo-news/

[hj34r35t3535]

Transforming Lives and Building Hope for the People of Congo- The Harish Jagtani Foundation

New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI/SRV): The Harish Jagtani Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Harish Jagtani, an Indian national, in Kinshasa in 2016. With this initiative, he envisages bringing a positive change in the public healthcare sector of Africa by chalking out a path toward humanity. The Harish Jagtani Foundation’s contributions during the pandemic are incalculable and beyond words of appreciation. In no small measure, Harish Jagtani, the foundation’s chief visionary, has been praised all across the globe for his noble work.

One of the recent highlights of the activities of the Harish Jagtani Foundation was bringing the BMVSS team from Jaipur to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Jaipur Foot Campaign. The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg that is extremely useful for patients who have had limbs amputated. The Jaipur foot campaign kicked off from December 1 till January 30, with over 575 limbs, which were fitted including a couple of upper limbs at the Harish Jagtani Foundation’s camp in Kinshasa City. HJ Foundation has set up a dedicated camp to create and fit 575 prosthetic limbs for persons who have been disabled for various reasons.

This camp was free of charge, and persons who have lost limbs were given new limbs and trained on using their new limbs so that they can resume their normal lives, with their faces eloquent with happiness. For the 575 persons who benefited from the campaign, this camp proved to be a life-changing experience. Keeping in mind the dire state of the underprivileged population, all the people who visited their camp were also provided with meals and money for their commutation by the Harish Jagtani foundation. Hard work and consistency pay off and this foundation is the flag bearer of the same. It is the grit and determination of the people of the foundation, which has helped them transform lives and build hope for the people of Congo.

Last year, the Harish Jagtani Foundation, performed more than 100 free surgeries on cataract and glaucoma patients. For accomplishing this great task of delivering light to 100 families, the foundation established the DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign. Furthermore, HJ Foundation is collaborating with HJ Hospital and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that renal dialysis is free and accessible to all individuals, including the poor. In no small measure, scores of people die every year due to the lack of resources when it comes to renal dialysis. Thus, this step undertaken by the HJ foundation is definitely inching towards humanity.

Going back in time, his steering wheel of motivation prompted him to commence his journey towards doing something for needy people.Harish Jagtani said, “Through the foundation’s successful stories, I want to spotlight grievances, triumphs and experiences of the underrepresented, needy and diminished voices in Congo”. With the same vision, he unraveled HJ Foundation to the world.

Opening up doors of hope for the Congolese natives, the Harish Jagtani Foundation has decided to set up a permanent camp in the heart of Congo, which will be functional from June 30, 2022. The camp will revolve around the Jaipur Foot, anti-malaria initiative, kidney dialysis and DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign.

Furthermore, Harish Jagtani believes that the reason behind his immense success is his strongsupporting pillars- his mother, Neeta Jagtani and his wife, Sunita Jagtani. They have played a significant role in supporting the fountainhead of illuminating ideas- Harish Jagtani. Furthermore, their contribution to society has reached its zenith. Neeta Jagtani and Sunita ‘Neha’ Jagtani, have helped scores of people in the pandemic, from distributing 10,000 PPE kits to delivering 100s of food packets for the needy, they have marked the flags of growth on the map of humanity.

Dreams do come true if you work hard towards it and let your passion drive your force. Harish Jagtani has proven himself to be a standing example of the same. With the perfect blend of humanity and smooth execution, he has won scores of hearts in Congo. On his way to becoming the reigning leader in the world of humanity, Harish Jagtani is a name to remember.

[ericfruits]

Congo and Angola: a tale of two kleptocracies

IN THE nightclubs of Kinshasa, the raucous capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, adverts are everywhere for Congolese beer. From Primus, one of the biggest brands, with its label in the colours of the national flag, to Mützig, a German-themed lager, there is a choice that would be enviable in other African countries. The brews are typically served in intimidating 750ml bottles. Yet these days, ask for a beer and you are as likely to be given a can of Cuca, a less appealing Angolan fizz. It is not just beer: walk through a Kinois supermarket and every other product seems to be from Angola.

For over a year Angolan goods have flooded into Congo—so much so that on August 28th the government announced that it would try to ban the imports. Congolese businessmen complain that they cannot compete with Angolan traders, because their aim is not to make a profit, but to acquire dollars (access to which is restricted in Angola). Yet it is not just Angolan economic policy that affects Congo; so too do its politics. Of the country’s nine neighbours, none matters more. The presidency of Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001, depends in part on Angolan support. But as Angola inaugurates a new president, to replace José Eduardo Dos Santos, its egregious dictator for the past 38 years, relations between the two countries may be tested.

Angola and Congo are intimately linked by geography. First, there is oil—the mainstay of Angola’s economy. Cabinda, the exclave where much of Angola’s oil is produced, is separated from the mainland by a strip of Congo. Much of Angola’s offshore oil production happens in Congolese waters. Second is the 2,600km border between the two countries. During the long civil war in Angola, enemies of the MPLA, its ruling party, found in Congo a useful hiding place. That has put the country “at the top of Angola’s foreign-policy priorities” for the past 20 years, says Stephanie Wolters of the Institute for Security Studies, a think-tank in South Africa.

Of the many countries that have meddled in Congo since the end of the cold war, Angola has arguably wielded the strongest influence. During the second Congo war in 1998, when Rwanda and Uganda attempted to depose Laurent Kabila, Joseph’s father and president at the time, it was Angolan (and Zimbabwean) troops who stopped the advance. In 2001, as the war raged on, Laurent Kabila was assassinated. Angola was one of several suspects, and helped engineer the succession of his son.

Angola has backed Mr Kabila, but its support is limited. When he refused to give up power at the end of his second term last year, as mandated by the constitution, Angola pressed him to negotiate with the opposition. He did, leading to a power-sharing deal that allows him to stay in office for one more year while elections are organised. But that deal is in tatters. The opposition has split and Mr Kabila still claims that insecurity makes holding elections impossible. In the past year, a dispute over the succession of a traditional chief in Kasai, a region on the Angolan border, has turned into a bloody insurgency against the government. Over 1m people have been displaced, tens of thousands of whom have flooded into Angola. A series of prison breaks, including one involving 4,000 detainees in Kinshasa, has put even peaceful parts of the country on edge.

The Southern African Development Community, of which Congo and Angola are members, has accepted Mr Kabila’s delays in organising elections. But that will not last. On August 19th Sindika Dokolo, an art-collecting Congolese businessman who is the son-in-law of Mr Dos Santos, and other Congolese activists published a “manifesto” telling Mr Kabila to step down and calling for civil disobedience if he does not by the end of the year. Mr Dokolo, who surely has the backing of his father-in-law, has also met Moïse Katumbi, another wealthy Congolese exile, who aspires to replace Mr Kabila. Mr Dokolo’s activism has clearly unnerved the Congolese. In July, a court sentenced him in absentia to a year in prison for real-estate fraud.

Mr Dos Santos, who retains vast influence in Angola, fears chaos in Congo. He also wants to be on the right side of whoever succeeds Mr Kabila. (He has painful memories of a predecessor, Mobutu Sese Seko, who was openly hostile.) Mr Kabila is clinging tightly to his throne, but if he starts to lose control, his southern neighbours may well give him an extra shove.

This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition under the headline "A tale of two kleptocracies"

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[ladystylestores]

Belgium’s King Sends Letter of Regret Over Colonial Past in Congo

BRUSSELS — King Philippe of Belgium on Tuesday expressed his “deepest regrets” for his country’s brutal past in a letter to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first public acknowledgment from a member of the Belgian royal family of the devastating human and financial toll during eight decades of colonization.

The king’s letter, issued on the 60th anniversary of Congo’s independence, acknowledged the historical legacy and pointed out continuing issues of racism and discrimination, though it stopped short of the apology that some, including the United Nations, had asked for.

“I want to express my deepest regrets for the wounds of the past, the pain of which is revived today by discriminations that are still too present in our societies,” the king wrote in the letter sent to President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The king would, he added, “continue to fight against all forms of racism.”

The letter, which was followed by a statement from Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès of Belgium urging her country to “look its past in the face,” are part of the European nation’s newfound willingness to address its vicious colonial past.

In an address on Monday, Mr. Tshisekedi said that King Philippe had planned to be at the Independence Day celebrations in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but that the coronavirus pandemic had intervened.

Mr. Tshisekedi said he was trying to foster a strong relationship with the European country. “I consider it necessary that our common history with Belgium and its people be told to our children in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as in Belgium on the basis of scientific work carried out by historians of the two countries,” he said.

“But the most important thing for the future is to build harmonious relations with Belgium,” he added, “because beyond the stigmas of history, the two peoples have been able to build a strong relationship.”

Belgium has long grappled with its legacy in Africa, and protests in the United States against the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police have spurred a global conversation about racism that has given a new intensity to the issue.

In addition to the remarks from the king and prime minister, statues of King Leopold II, whose violent personal rule of what was then the Congo Free State, have been removed from city squares and government buildings across Belgium. Leopold, an ancestor of King Philippe, extracted wealth from the resource-rich territory in central Africa while inflicting immense harm that led to the deaths of millions.

Jean-Luc Crucke, the finance minister for Wallonia, one of Belgium’s three regions, said on Tuesday that a parliamentary commission would begin work in September to scrutinize the country’s colonial past. The panel would allow Belgium to “continue this path” laid out by the king’s letter, which he called “heavy with meaning and more than symbolic.”

Ms. Wilmès, speaking at a commemoration event in Brussels later in the day, acknowledged the troubled history with the Democratic Republic of Congo, “a past imprinted with inequalities and violence against the Congolese.”

Some activists said that the king���s letter did not go far enough because it did not contain an apology and, because he is not a member of the government, it did not formally reflect the views of the Belgian state, which took control of the vast land after King Leopold II and continued colonial exploitation.

Jean Omasombo, a political scientist at the University of Kinshasa and a researcher at the Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium, said that the Belgian state had never recognized its responsibility for colonial atrocities.

“This letter is a first step,” Mr. Omasombo said. “But it is not sufficient.” Mr. Omasombo added that he welcomed the idea of the parliamentary commission but that it should not be “a distraction” from accountability.

Until 1908, Leopold ran the Congo Free State as a venture for personal profit. With an army that included Congolese orphans, the king and his agents drained the land of resources, and then forcibly moved, separated and enslaved families, before being forced to turn control of the area back over to the Belgian state. Congo achieved independence from Belgium in 1960, but the following decades were scarred by civil war.

Almost 10,000 people demonstrated in Brussels against racism this month in the wake of the killing of Mr. Floyd. Some protesters climbed on a statue of King Leopold II and flew a giant flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo, chanting “murderer” and “reparations,” repeating a demand for the Belgian state to pay damages to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Belgium’s grappling with its colonial heritage has long been fraught. For decades, Belgians were taught that the country had brought “civilization” to the African continent, and some have defended King Leopold II as a foundational figure. Streets and parks are named after him, and statues of the king can be found throughout the country.

As in so many European nations, racial discrimination is an ongoing issue in Belgium. Recently, a black member of the European Parliament said she had been mistreated by the police in Brussels.

The member, Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, a 71-year-old Green party representative from Germany, filed a legal complaint this month against Belgian officers who she said had pushed her against a wall and taken away her purse and her mobile phone as she was trying to film what she described as the police “harassing” young black men at a Brussels train station.

According to Ms. Herzberger-Fofana, police officers did not believe her when she said she was a member of the Parliament, despite her identification and a diplomatic passport.

“I consider this as a racist and discriminatory act,” she said in a recent speech at the European Parliament. “We can’t ignore this police violence.”

The police claim she insulted officers and have filed their own complaint. The public prosecutor is investigating the episode.

Monika Pronczuk reported from Brussels, and Megan Specia from London. Ruth Maclean contributed reporting from Dakar, Senegal.

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[hospitalvision]

Transforming lives for the People of Congo- The Harish Jagtani Foundation

Opening up doors of hope for the Congolese natives, the Harish Jagtani Foundation has decided to set up a permanent camp in the heart of Congo, which will be functional from June 30, 2022. The camp will revolve around the Jaipur Foot, anti-malaria initiative, kidney dialysis and DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign.India, 28th April 2022: The Harish Jagtani Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Mr. Harish Jagtani, an Indian national, in Kinshasa in 2016. With this initiative, he envisages bringing a positive change in the public healthcare sector of Africa by chalking out a path toward humanity. The Harish Jagtani Foundation's contributions during the pandemic are incalculable and beyond words of appreciation. In no small measure, Harish Jagtani, the foundation's chief visionary, has been praised all across the globe for his noble work.

One of the recent highlights of the activities of the Harish Jagtani Foundation was bringing the BMVSS team from Jaipur to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Jaipur Foot Campaign. The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg that is extremely useful for patients who have had limbs amputated. The Jaipur foot campaign kicked off from December 1 till January 30, with over 575 limbs, which were fitted including a couple of upper limbs at the Harish Jagtani Foundation's camp in Kinshasa City. HJ Foundation has set up a dedicated camp to create and fit 575 prosthetic limbs for persons who have been disabled for various reasons.

This camp was free of charge, and persons who have lost limbs were given new limbs and trained on using their new limbs so that they can resume their normal lives, with their faces eloquent with happiness. For the 575 persons who benefited from the campaign, this camp proved to be a life-changing experience. Keeping in mind the dire state of the underprivileged population, all the people who visited their camp were also provided with meals and money for their commutation by the Harish Jagtani foundation. Hard work and consistency pay off and this foundation is the flag bearer of the same. It is the grit and determination of the people of the foundation, which has helped them transform lives and build hope for the people of Congo.

Last year, the Harish Jagtani Foundation, performed more than 100 free surgeries on cataract and glaucoma patients. For accomplishing this great task of delivering light to 100 families, the foundation established the DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign. Furthermore, HJ Foundation is collaborating with HJ Hospital and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that renal dialysis is free and accessible to all individuals, including the poor. In no small measure, scores of people die every year due to the lack of resources when it comes to renal dialysis. Thus, this step undertaken by the HJ foundation is definitely inching towards humanity.

Going back in time, his steering wheel of motivation prompted him to commence his journey towards doing something for needy people. Mr. Jagtani said, “Through the foundation’s successful stories, I want to spotlight grievances, triumphs and experiences of the underrepresented, needy and diminished voices in Congo”. With the same vision, he unravelled the HJ Foundation to the world.

Opening up doors of hope for the Congolese natives, the Harish Jagtani Foundation has decided to set up a permanent camp in the heart of Congo, which will be functional from June 30, 2022. The camp will revolve around the Jaipur Foot, anti-malaria initiative, kidney dialysis and DON DE LA VISION ophthalmological campaign.

Furthermore, Harish Jagtani believes that the reason behind his immense success is his strong supporting pillars- his mother, Mrs. Neeta Jagtani and his wife, Mrs. Sunita Jagtani. They have played a significant role in supporting the fountainhead of illuminating ideas- Mr. Harish Jagtani. Furthermore, their contribution to society has reached its zenith. Mrs. Neeta Jagtani and Mrs. Sunita ‘Neha’ Jagtani, have helped scores of people in the pandemic, from distributing 10,000 PPE kits to delivering 100s of food packets for the needy, they have marked the flags of growth on the map of humanity.

Dreams do come true if you work hard towards it and let your passion drive your force. Mr. Harish Jagtani has proven himself to be a standing example of the same. With the perfect blend of humanity and smooth execution, he has won scores of hearts in Congo. On his way to becoming the reigning leader in the world of humanity, Harish Jagtani is a name to remember.