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Methodist Church Appoints First Black Woman As President

Angel Gimalo
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Methodist Church Appoints First Black Woman As President

The Methodist Church has reached a historic milestone with the appointment of its first black female President.

The Rev Sonia Hicks was inducted at the Methodist Conference, which is meeting online and in Birmingham.

She comes from a long line of Methodists, with her great-grandfather having been a Methodist preacher in Jamaica.

In her Conference address, Rev Hicks spoke about the racism her family experienced when they first came to Britain.

She told of her Great Aunt Lize who was turned away from a local Methodist church for being black, despite having her Methodist membership card with her.

Later, the family were able to find a home at Walworth Methodist Church in South London.

“In a world where people are excluded because of their ethnic background, their sexual orientation, their gender or simply because, like me, they were brought up on a council estate, I believe that we are called to show God’s love for all people,” she said.

“It is a calling that Christian people have always struggled with, but we can and should be better at making God’s love a reality in the British Methodist Church, overcoming the systemic discrimination that exists.”

She continued: “As Christians we are to mirror the grace and the mercy of God. We are to find ways of issuing God’s invitation of acceptance to those we meet on a daily basis. No ifs, no buts.

“I believe that there is a place for all in the presence of God, at God’s Table. But, as we acknowledge that everyone has a place, we also must acknowledge that we will therefore live with the tension of not all thinking the same. We will also have to recognise that living with such tension is never the easy option.”

The Methodist Conference is continuing to meet this week. One of the more contentious points on the agenda is a debate on a report called ‘God in Love Unites Us’, which proposes that the Church embrace same-sex unions and the cohabitation of unmarried couples, and which may cause evangelicals to leave.

Barbara Easton, head of the Methodist Academies and Schools Trust, who was inducted as Vice President, told delegates: “I am urging you, my sisters and brothers, to see that we still have something valuable to bring to the Church’s table and to be confident about the colour and texture that we add to make the ecumenical quilt richer.”

Russian Court Orders Arrest Of Navalny Ally Zhdanov

Zoe Maven
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Russian Court Orders Arrest Of Navalny Ally Zhdanov

A Russian court on Tuesday ordered the arrest in absentia of Ivan Zhdanov, an ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Zhdanov was the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation which has been declared “extremist” and in effect outlawed by the authorities, a move his allies saw as part of a wider crackdown on the opposition.

Moscow’s Nagatinsky District Court said Zhdanov, who is based abroad, was accused of failing to comply with an earlier court decision, an offence that can carry a jail sentence of up to two years.

It ordered his arrest in absentia for one month, starting when he is detained. It gave no details of the earlier court decision.

Zhdanov was added to a federal wanted list earlier this month and he said in March that police had detained his father in an incident he described as an attempt to pressure him over his own opposition activities.

Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critics, is serving a 2-1/2 year jail term for parole violations in a case he says was trumped up to thwart his political opposition against the Kremlin, something it denies.

Russian police also raided the homes of two investigative journalists on Tuesday and detained a third as part of a criminal investigation into suspected slander. The raids follow a crackdown on independent media but the Kremlin denied the police action could be seen as retribution for their work.

Maritime: Nigeria’s FG To Remove Over 3000 Shipwrecks From Coastline

Elizabeth Williams
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Maritime: Nigeria’s FG To Remove Over 3000 Shipwrecks From Coastline

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the removal of shipwrecks from Badagry to Tincan Island waterways in order to ensure smooth navigation on Nigerian waters.
The Director-General, NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this during a chat with the media in Lagos, He said the removal of shipwrecks will soon commence Stakeholders and the Nigerian Navy had raised alarm over the impending dangers shipwrecks posed on the Nigerian waters.


He added: “Navigation on our waters is very dangerous now due to shipwrecks. Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have responsibilities of removing wrecks. We agreed with NPA and we have commissioned contractors to identify the wrecks and locations in order to have safe navigation. Today, (Friday), the FEC has approved the removal of wrecks from Badagry to Tincan, and the removal will commence any moment from now”.

Jamoh, who expressed optimism about the developments in the industry so far, said his administration is pursuing vigorously its 3S agenda, which covers security safety, and shipping development, while prioritising security and not leaving others out.
Emphasising the recently launched Deep Blue project, he said, for the first time, we have our own facilities working together to ensure security on Nigerian waters.
He listed the security architecture to include two special mission vessels; three special mission helicopters, 16 armoured vehicles, two special mission aircraft, 17 interceptor boats, four unmanned aerial vehicles, C4i operation centre, special forces/MSUs, and about 600 trained personnel.


The NIMASA boss, however, called for immediate suspension of war risk insurance being charged by international shipping lines on Nigerian-bound cargoes, noting that piracy has reduced drastically on Nigerian waters.

Myanmar Judge Denies Motion To Dismiss Evidence Against Suu Kyi

Zoe Maven
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Myanmar Judge Denies Motion To Dismiss Evidence Against Suu Kyi

The judge in the trial of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday rejected a motion to dismiss evidence central to a case that could see her jailed for up to two years for incitement.

Aung San Suu Kyi is accused of a series of offences ranging from bribery and violating coronavirus protocols to illegally possessing two-way radios and incitement to commit crimes against the state.

Her lawyers have rejected the allegations and her legal team head Khin Maung Zaw said the prosecution had entered evidence he believed was inadmissible, but the judge allowed it.

The evidence includes letters the prosecution says were issued by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the days after the coup which were widely shared on social media.

One urged embassies not to recognise the junta, among several documents that Khin Maung Zaw said were signed by neither Suu Kyi nor her co-defendants, ousted President Win Myint and former Naypyitaw mayor Myo Aung.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the military took power, with protests and strikes, bombings, killings, and civilians taking up arms against the junta.

Hundreds of people have been killed by security forces, mostly civilians, and tens of thousands displaced by fighting.

Suu Kyi’s communication with the public has been via her lawyers. Legal team member Min Min Soe told reporters that Suu Kyi had urged people to stay united.

Ulf Kristersson Asked To Form New Swedish Government

Zoe Maven
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Ulf Kristersson Asked To Form New Swedish Government

Sweden’s parliamentary speaker on Tuesday asked Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson to try to garner enough support to form a government.

Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Lofven resigned on Monday after losing a no-confidence vote last week, handing the speaker the job of finding a candidate for prime minister who could form a government that would pass a vote in parliament.

Parliament speaker Andreas Norlen told a news conference that Ulf Kristersson has the task of looking into the options, being leader of the biggest party in the group that ousted Lofven.

Kristersson is also supported by the Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats, but together, the parties can count on only 174 votes in the 349-seat parliament.

Writing on social media, Kristersson said in the coming days he would focus completely on the important talks that will now be held with the other parties in Sweden who also want a change of power, parties that put the political issues before the political game.

If no one from Lofven’s Social Democrats, the Greens – the junior party in Lofven’s minority coalition – the Centre and the Left Party is willing to support Kristersson, he will not be able to secure parliament’s backing as a majority would be against him.

Kristersson and his allies will hope to persuade at least one Member of Parliament to break ranks so that he can be elected.

The centre-right split over whether to seek a political accord with them after the last election in 2018, when the Centre and Liberals choosing to support their former rivals rather than give the Sweden Democrats a chance to influence policy.

Nigeria Oil Palm Producers Seek N200bn Intervention Fund From CBN

Elizabeth Williams
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Nigeria Oil Palm Producers Seek N200bn Intervention Fund From CBN

The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to set aside a minimum of N200 billion intervention fund to support smallholder oil palm farmers under the oil palm development initiative.
The association, during its National Executive Council meeting, also called on the Federal Government to urgently enact a law establishing the National Oil Palm Development Council to regulate, incentivise investment, fund and provide a level playing field for the industry.


According to a communiqué signed by the National Executive council headed by the National President, Alphonso Inyang, It demanded the release of 25 per cent of all import duties charged from the importation of oil palm products to the association for backward integration and opening of new oil palm plantations in the country.
They further demanded improved funding of Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) for increased research and production of hybrid seedlings and urged the CBN to persuade the Bankers’ Committee to accept oil palm plantations as collaterals and be included in the National Collateral Register (NCR).


While urging state governments with comparative advantage in oil palm production to provide land for the increased cultivation of the economic crop, they asked for sustainable planting of oil palm trees.
They urged them to also partner with the association to produce and distribute 10 million hybrid oil palm seedlings to smallholder farmers yearly.

Minnesota State Courts Lift Mask Requirement Effective July 6

Angel Gimalo
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Minnesota State Courts Lift Mask Requirement Effective July 6

Those entering state courthouses next month will no longer need to wear face coverings, the Minnesota Judicial Branch announced Tuesday.

The statewide mask mandate ended Friday, May 14.

In-person court hearings have increased, but a large amount of remote court hearings continue and will continue through the beginning of September.

In-person hearings, such as criminal and civil jury trials, court trials in “major criminal” cases as well as juvenile protections cases, criminal settlement conference and grand jury proceedings all continue to be held in-person.

At the end of March 2020, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Lorie Gildea ordered a halt to new jury trials. In June 2020, a small number of district courts, including Olmsted County, were given the go-ahead to restart criminal jury trials as part of a pilot program.

As summer 2020 progressed, more courts were allowed to conduct jury trials and increase in-person proceedings.

As cases of COVID-19 spiked in the state, an order was issued in November 2020 to suspend jury trials and instead, ramp up remote hearings. That order was continued into mid-March.

In May 2021, the judicial branch updated it orders, allowing more in-person hearings. The newest update says face coverings will no longer be needed after July 6.

Former S’Africa President Jacob Zuma Sentenced By Top Court

Zoe Maven
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Former S’Africa President Jacob Zuma Sentenced By Top Court

South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been sentenced to 15 months in jail by the country’s highest court and has been given five days to hand himself in to police or have the police minister order his arrest.

The sentence comes after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of contempt for defying its order to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was president.

The former president testified only once at the inquiry into what has become known as “state capture” but then refused to appear subsequently.

The inquiry which was headed by Justice Raymond Zondo, asked the Constitutional Court to intervene.

Acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe was damning in her ruling saying that Zuma refused to come to the court to explain his actions and instead chose to make provocative, statements in attempts to question the integrity of the judiciary.

She said she was left with no option but to commit Zuma to imprisonment, in hopes it would send an unequivocal message that the rule of law and the administration of justice prevails.

The former president was not in court to hear the majority ruling and has repeatedly declared that he was the victim of a giant political conspiracy.

In a separate legal matter, Zuma pleaded not guilty last month in his corruption trial involving a $5bn (£3bn) arms deal from the 1990s.

The Constitutional Court did not simply find him in contempt, but spelled out the many ways in which the former president had lied, sought to mislead the public, and ultimately tried to “destroy the rule of law”.

Israeli Rescuers Arrive In Miami To Help After Building Collapse

Elizabeth Williams
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Israeli Rescuers Arrive In Miami To Help After Building Collapse

The Israel Defense Forces sent a search and rescue delegation to Florida to assist with rescue efforts following the Surfside residential building collapse that left at least four dead and nearly 160 still missing.
The team of Home Front Command soldiers headed to Florida following a series of talks over the weekend between Israeli defense officials and officials in Miami, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday night.

Building Collapse
Nearly 160 people are still unaccounted for after the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside came down on Thursday.
Surfside is one of four small cities that together make up North Beach, the north end of Miami Beach, just east of the city of Miami. The area covers the top of a narrow stretch of land on the Atlantic Ocean. The area is more than a third Jewish.
The 12-story tower’s collapse has left at least four people dead and 159 missing as of Friday. Search and rescue teams are still trying to find survivors in the rubble
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the move was approved in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.


The mission of the delegation is to assist in the life-saving efforts by mapping the challenges at the site of the destruction, assisting the Jewish community and supporting the local rescue forces,” the IDF said.

Tigray Rebel Forces Retake Capital Mekelle

Zoe Maven
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Tigray Rebel Forces Retake Capital Mekelle

Rebel forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have retaken its capital, Mekelle, sparking street celebrations and forcing officials to flee.

The fighting has left thousands dead and has pushed 350,000 towards famine but now residents reported scenes of joy, with fireworks and thousands waving flags.

The government, which took Mekelle in November after Tigrayan rebels rejected political reforms and captured army bases, has now called a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the region.

There had been recent reports of renewed fighting between fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and government forces outside Mekelle.

But a rapid offensive on Monday led to the unexpected recapture of the city by the rebels, in what may be a possible turning point in the bitter conflict.

A statement released by what was termed the Government of the National State of Tigray praised a stunning victory, saying Mekelle was now under the complete control of the Tigray Defence Forces.

Since 1994, Ethiopia has been divided into states, now numbering 10; they are defined on ethnic grounds by the constitution and described as largely autonomous, but with central institutions

In 2018, following anti-government protests, Abiy Ahmed took over as prime minister and introduced reforms

Ethiopia is still awaiting the results of its 21 June parliamentary elections. Boycotted by some opposition groups and not held in some regions, including Tigray, they are expected to favour Mr Abiy.

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