Connect with us

Musings From Abroad

Ukraine/Russia: 2 killed, 1 injured as ‘incoming fire’ hits Fox News journalists on field

Published

on

The media world has had new casualties in the ongoing Ukraine/Russia war as report says Fox News cameraman and a local producer were killed on Monday in an attack that also left the correspondent injured.

The journalists, Pierre Zakrzewski and fixer Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova while working in the war frontline near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, were killed when their vehicle “was struck by incoming fire” while in the field with Benjamin Hall – injured journalist.

Zakrzewski, who was based in London, had “covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us,” adding that “his passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched.” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said.

“He was profoundly committed to telling the story and his bravery, professionalism and work ethic were renowned among journalists at every media outlet,” Scott said

“Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network and his loss is devastating,” Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer said on the air Tuesday. He quoted Fox president Jay Wallace as saying that other staff “always felt an extra sense of reassurance when they arrived on the scene, and they saw that Pierre was there.”

Scott also said the 24-year-old Kuvshynova was “incredibly talented” and had spent weeks helping the network’s crews navigate Kyiv, gathering information and communicating with sources, “operating around the clock to make sure the world knew what was happening in her country.”

“Our team in Ukraine tells me that Sasha had a passion for music, the arts and photography and was a joy to work with,” Scott said. “Several of our correspondents and producers spent long days with her reporting the news and got to know her personally, describing her as hard-working, funny, kind and brave. Her dream was to connect people around the world and tell their stories and she fulfilled that through her journalism.”

The recent death of the two journalists takes the count to three as an American journalist was killed near the capital, Kyiv in Ukraine when he and a colleague came under fire.

Musings From Abroad

WHO ‘very worried’ over spread of Mpox varieties in Congo DR 

Published

on

A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO), Rosamund Lewis, has said that the body is “very worried” about the spread of a variety of Mpox that has killed nearly 600 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.

This year alone, Congo DR has reported 13,000 cases, which is more than twice as many as during the last peak in 2020, with the disease occurring in almost every province. The WHO is working with the authorities on the response and a risk assessment.

The dangerous clade mpox outbreak was the subject of a warning released by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday.

“The virus variant is known to be more virulent. If it adapts better to human-to-human transmission, that presents a risk,” Lewis, WHO’s mpox lead, told journalists.

WHO in May announced that the disease was no longer a global health emergency after which its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the end of the emergency status for the disease.

Most reported cases of the disease were identified through sexual health or other health services in primary or secondary healthcare facilities, and involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men.

A less severe form known as clade II started to spread around the world last year, mostly through male-to-male sexual contact, prompting WHO to declare a public health emergency.

Lewis expressed concern over new evidence suggesting that clade I can also spread through sexual contact. According to her, mumps can also infect humans through contaminated animals or family members living together in a home. Children and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable; in up to 10% of cases of clade I, illness results in death.

“We have very little information of who is dying of mpox [in DRC] other than age,” said Lewis, adding more data was needed.

The viral infection known as mpox spreads by intimate contact and results in lesions filled with pus and flu-like symptoms. Although most cases are mild and can be fatal.

Continue Reading

Musings From Abroad

Sudan Conflict: US insists all warring parties guilty of war crimes

Published

on

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has maintained that neither party in the ongoing conflict in Sudan can be exonerated from war crimes.

The position was made known on Wednesday as the US continues pressure on the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to end fighting that has caused a humanitarian crisis. The US also insisted that the RSF and allied militias committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

“The expansion of the needless conflict between the RSF and the SAF has caused grievous human suffering,” Blinken said, referring to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). In West Darfur, the RSF has also been charged with spearheading an ethnic massacre; in the capital city of Khartoum, locals have accused the paramilitary group of raping, stealing, and detaining civilians.

“Masalit civilians have been hunted down and left for dead in the streets, their homes set on fire, and told that there is no place in Sudan for them,” Blinken said. The Masalit are a non-Arab tribe.

“Detainees have been abused, and some have been killed at SAF and RSF detention sites,” Blinken added.

A war broke out in mid-April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over plans for a political transition and the integration of the RSF into the military, four years after longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, was overthrown in an uprising.

Blinken, however, maintained that the position did not rule out the possibility of other determinations in the future as more information became available.

“The United States is committed to building on this determination and using available tools to end this conflict and cease committing the atrocities and other abuses that are depriving the Sudanese people of freedom, peace, and justice,” Blinken said.

Over 6 million people have fled their homes as a result of the conflict, and about 1.2 million of them have entered neighbouring countries, severely straining the resources of Sudan and its neighbours.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Politics45 mins ago

Zambian govt says no plan to remove Christian nation clause from constitution

Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango has maintained that the ruling party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), has adopted...

Strictly Personal1 hour ago

Zambia’s Fiscal Dilemma, State Compensation Ethics and Treasury Stability, By Misheck Kakonde

The recent judgments overseen by the Attorney General in compensating individuals like Hon. Mwaliteta, Hon. Frank Tayali, Mr. William Banda,...

Politics2 hours ago

Uganda begins withdrawal of troops from eastern Congo DR

Uganda has started the withdrawal of 1,000 troops deployed for a regional peacekeeping mission in the Eastern Democratic Republic of...

Behind the News2 hours ago

Behind the News: All the backstories to our major news this week

Over the past week, there were lots of important stories from around the African continent, and we served you some...

VenturesNow2 hours ago

Somalia secures $4.5bn debt relief from lenders

After a decade-long process of negotiations and reforms with creditors, Somalia has finally secured a $4.5 billion debt write-off from...

Metro3 hours ago

President Hichilema warns Zambian procurement officials against corruption in handling govt contracts

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has warned procurement officers handling government contracts against engaging in corrupt practices while carrying out their...

VenturesNow9 hours ago

IMF advises Nigeria’s central bank to raise Monetary Policy Rate

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Nigeria’s central bank (CBN) to further hike Monetary Policy Rate (MPR). The IMF...

Metro10 hours ago

Nigeria’s VP Shettima admits hardship, poverty, pleads for patience

Vice President Kashim Shettima of Nigeria has become the first official in the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to admit that...

Sports1 day ago

South Africa to host Ireland in Rugby Two-Test summer tour

Current Rubgy World Cup champions, South Africa, will host Ireland, in a two-Test series in July, 2024, which will be...

Metro1 day ago

DR Congo: President Tshisekedi says Rwanda’s Kagame acting like Adolf Hitler

Democratic Republic of Congo President, Félix Tshisekedi, has taken a dig at President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, comparing him to...

Trending