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Raila gets green light to contest in August polls

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Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga had been cleared to run for this year’s Presidential elections on August 9.

IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati who is the returning officer for Presidential elections declared the Azimio leader a candidate at exactly 11 am on Sunday.

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“The documentations are in order and I approve the nomination of Raila Odinga as a presidential candidate in the August 9 elections,” he said.

“I hereby present the certificate to Raila Odinga as a presidential candidate.”

Raila was accompanied by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi (Baringo Senator), Charity Ngilu (Kitui Governor), Junnet Mohamed (Suna East MP), Timothy Bosire (ODM Treasurer), Edwin Sifuna (ODM SG), Sabina Chege (Muranga MP), Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu), John Waluke (Sirisia MP), Governor Ann Kananu (Nairobi), Maina Kamanda (nominated MP), Esther Passaris (Nairobi Woman rep) and Governor Nderitu Muriithi (Laikipia).

Raila and Deputy President William Ruto, who was cleared on Saturday, are seen as the clear front runners in the succession race.

Raila has been counting on the influence of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who hails from the Mt Kenya region, to boost his quest to topple  Ruto’s popularity in the region.

A number of Cabinet secretaries have publicly declared their preference for Raila and his choice to pick a woman to be his deputy was seen as calculated move to boost his presidential bid.

After presenting the papers to IEBC, Raila is scheduled to hold a rally at Undugu grounds in Lang’ata constituency.

According to a statement by Raila’s presidential campaign secretariat press secretary Dennis Onsarigo, the former PM will then leave for Nakuru for roadside rallies starting at 2pm.

He is also scheduled to hold a rally at Mazembe grounds, Bondeni area in Nakuru at 4pm.

On Monday, Raila is scheduled to launch the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition party manifesto at Nyayo National Stadium.

Motion Of No Confidence In Ramaphosa Hits Another Snag, Put On Hold

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Parliament’s vote of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa was on Wednesday put on hold after nearly an hour of high drama in the chamber.

The motion sponsored by the ATM (African Transformation Movement) could not go ahead as a result of split views among MPs who were set to debate the motion and vote by way of an open vote after National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ruled so.

ATM had taken to court to have the vote held by secret ballot but their bid to have the matter heard urgently was dismissed. The matter will be set down as non-urgent. In light of this, the party refused to have the motion debated.

Mapisa-Nqakula argued that the matter was not sub judice as per the advice of parliament’s legal services.

ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina argued that the motion be struck off parliament’s roll but added: “As the ANC, we are ready.” DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone echoed the sentiment.

Emotions ran high, to the point that Mapisa-Nqakula called MPs to order.

“People are determined to make a mockery of what is happening here. I don’t think it is fair that we should come here being combative and engage in the manner that we are right now. I expect all of us to behave in a responsible manner.

“I cannot accept a situation where MPs are shouting at one another from their seats. It is not going to help us to be combative when we deal with this matter. The manner in which we are doing it now is like we are in some rally,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.

The EFF’s chief whip, Floyd Shivambu, said the issue was not subject to the opinion of parliament’s legal office and had been a factual issue.

We know that once a secret ballot comes, we are going to split the ANC vote into half and vote out your incumbent president. We have the capacity to do that, we have done it before

– Floyd Shivambu, EFF MP 

“The people [ATM] who have subjected the matter to judicial review are saying that they put it to court [and the matter is] currently under a normal roll.

“Legitimately, the ATM is saying we can’t proceed fairly with a motion of confidence if we are not going to be granted an opportunity to use a secret ballot. We know that once a secret ballot comes, we are going to split the ANC vote into half and vote out your incumbent president. We have the capacity to do that, we have done it before,” said Shivambu.

ANC MPs on the virtual platform lost their cool, telling Shivambu that he was dreaming and that such would never happen.

IFP chief whip Narend Singh said there had been a clear distinction between ongoing litigation and a matter before a court of law.

“When a matter is before a court it becomes sub judice and we have to discuss it here. But here, we hear of ongoing litigation, which is not the same. Having said that, whether the matter is sub judice or not is subject for debate and discussion between legal advisers.”

He called on the matter to be referred back to the programming committee which would sit on Thursday — and take the matter forward.

The FF+ cautioned that parliament could not have a situation in which it could not function because a party had taken it court.

“We have to proceed with our business,” the party said.

The ACDP also indicated it was ready to proceed. Despite this, it agreed with the view that the matter be deferred and the issue of sub judice be referred to the rules committee for consideration.

UDM chief whip Nkabayomzi Kwankwa accused Mapisa-Nqakula of double standards after changing her mind on the issue being sub judice.

“It’s almost like you are playing ‘footsie-footsie’ under the table with the ATM.”

MPs had earlier called for the debate against Ramaphosa to be postponed to the next term to give Mapisa-Nqakula enough time to process the court’s decision.

After granting parties an opportunity to express their views, Mapisa-Nqakula ruled that the motion would not proceed.

“Thank you very much honourable members, I now rule that we are not proceeding on this matter. The details of what we do next will be dealt with tomorrow at the programming committee.”

Al Jama-ah’s Ganief Hendricks said views on the motion had taken a “shocking development” but despite this, the party stood with the view of parliament’s legal services.

The DA-sponsored motion of no confidence in the entire cabinet was under way.

Motion Of No Confidence In Ramaphosa: Read Original Article

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Putin Suffering From Steroid Treatment For Cancer, Spies Claim

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Vladimir Putin may be suffering from cancer and the medical treatment he is receiving has altered the balance of his mind, according to theories being put forward by spies with sources close to the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “bloated” appearance could be the side effect of him taking steroids for treatment for cancer, spies have claimed.

Senior figures from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States believe there is a physiological explanation for his invasion of Ukraine, it is reported.

Citing sources close to the Kremlin, they are investigating reports that 69-year-old Putin’s “increasingly erratic behaviour” combined with a bloated appearance point to drug use.

They are advancing theories that he may be suffering from cancer and the medical treatment he is receiving has altered the balance of his mind.

Sources also cite the dictator’s decision to physically isolate himself from guests as the use of drugs is suppressing his immune system.

Emmanuel Macron was forced to sit at the other end of a 13ft table during a meeting with the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

And foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was also seated at the other end of a particularly long table.

A security source told the Mail on Sunday : “It is only human sources that can offer you the sort of rich picture that we have of Putin’s psyche.

“There has been an identifiable change in his decision-making over the past five years or so. Those around him see a marked change in the cogency and clarity of what he says and how he perceives the world around him.”

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Putin has also previously been accused of taking steroids which make users more aggressive.

Former foreign secretary Lord David Owen said he suspects steroid use due to changes in the shape of Putin’s face, which could be caused by muscle-boosting drugs.

Lord Owen told Times Radio: “Look at his face, see how that has changed – he now has an oval face.

“People who said, oh, it’s plastic surgery or Botox, I don’t believe that at all.

“He’s on either anabolic steroids as a bodybuilder – and he’s very proud of his muscles and strips to the waist and everything like that – or he’s on corticosteroids.

“If you’re on these drugs, this gives you this face.

“It reduces your immunity and makes you more vulnerable to Covid.

“This man has been in complete isolation, quite extraordinary, won’t see anybody, stays miles away, tremendous pressures.

“Which indicates he’s on a steroid and probably, maybe, a combination of both.”

Lord Owen said the anabolic steroids can increase a person’s aggression.

 

Once Again COVID means scaled-back Christmas celebrations 2021 around the world

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Christmas celebrations 2021 Once Again COVID means scaled-back Christmas celebrations around the world  From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, coronavirus growth has stalled Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or reduce services and disrupt travel planning and family reunions.

Drummers and bagpipers marched through Bethlehem in front of a smaller crowd than usual after the new Israeli travel ban aims to slow down the highly contagious form of Omicron, with international tourists reportedly away from the city where Jesus was born.

One line halfway through Germany’s huge Cologne Cathedral has been cut, not for the midnight mass, but for the vaccination. Cathedral Provost Guido Asman told the sky news agency DPA that the offer to give the shot was an expression of “caring for others” that was consistent with the Christmas message.

Christmas celebrations 2021

Christmas celebrations 2021 The Holy Land is closed to pilgrims for the second Christmas due to Covid
Middle East
The Holy Land is closed to pilgrims for the second Christmas due to Covid
Around the world, people tired of nearly two years of lockdowns and other restrictions are looking for ways to safely enjoy the holiday season.

“We can’t let the virus take our lives when we’re healthy,” said Rosalia Lopez, a retired Portuguese government employee who was shopping at the last minute in the coastal town of Cascais.

She said she and her family were tired of the epidemic and decided to go with their celebration after a quick test at home and masks in public, with the help of vaccines and boosters. She planned a traditional Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner at Baked Cod.

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In New York City, where Omicron is widespread, people waited in long lines for tests, many doing so as a precaution before traveling to be reunited with family.

Brianna Sultan and her daughter Ava, 8, spent one of the long lines waiting for the test after learning about another infection at school on Friday.

Some Christmas travelers face canceled flights as Omicron Wave hits airlines
Coronavirus update
Some Christmas travelers face canceled flights as Omicron Wave hits airlines
“It’s a terrible way to spend the day before Christmas,” Sultan said after more than two hours of intense cold in the Harlem area of ​​New York City. “It’s terrible that we can’t see our families because this cowardly strain is coming back.”

Christmas celebrations 2021

Christmas celebrations 2021
Christmas celebrations 2021

Christmas celebrations 2021 Vacation travel was a hit when major airlines canceled hundreds of flights due to low staffing related to Omicron.

Sadia Raine arrived in New York from Alexandria, Virginia on Friday to be with her 75-year-old mother. Raines said the two had not spent Christmas together for two years, and despite the risk of traveling during the outbreak, he could not stay away from his mother this year.

On Friday, members of the “Pirlipausen” winter swimming club in Seftenberg, Germany, enter Lake Senftenburg for their traditional Christmas swim, which is four degrees cold (39 degrees Fahrenheit).
Bernd W’stneck / DPA via AP
“We’ll cry,” he said, “We always talk on the phone, but it’s not like looking at anyone.”

In Britain, where the coronavirus is tearing apart alternative populations, some places of worship were hoping to move forward.

At St. Paul’s Old Ford, an Anglican church in East London, priests planned to serve on the eve of Christmas and on Christmas Eve. But to protect the parishioners, the church abolished the representation of birth.

“You may have to cancel the service, but you can’t cancel Christmas,” said Reverend April Kitch, an associate priest. “You can’t stop love. Love still stands.

Christmas celebrations 2021

Christmas celebrations 2021 Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve mass as Italy sets new epidemic record Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve mass as Italy sets new epidemic record
Numerous churches in the United States have canceled private services, including in the country’s capital, Washington National Cathedral, and in Boston’s historic Old South Church. Others plan outdoor celebrations or a mix of online and private worship.

In Rome, an unmasked Pope Francis held a mass celebration on Christmas Eve in front of a crowd of about 2,000 at St. Peter’s Basilica, where access was restricted and the faithful had to wear masks.

Although the number of trustees was much higher than the 200 approved last year, it was a fraction of the 20,000 who went to Basil.

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