When an Atlanta resident died from the coronavirus in his West African homeland of Guinea, many wondered if a lack of medical-grade oxygen was to blame. What’s taken for granted in wealthy countries is expensive and scarce in much of the world. (June 24)
South Korean round-the-world cyclist Raymond Lee is stranded in Guinea after the government shut down borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He was repeatedly turned away from hotels in the seaside capital Conakry, in what Lee described as a prejudiced reaction to the pandemic.
One person is killed and several injured as police fired tear gas in clashes with protesters in Guinea at the start of a bitterly-disputed referendum that critics say is a ploy by the president to stay in power. IMAGES
Guinea’s President Alpha Condé votes in the capital Conakry in parliamentary polls and a Constitutional referendum, as police fire tear gas at protesters who claim the referendum is a ploy for Condé to have a third term in power.
Guineans go to the polls in parliamentary elections and a Constitutional referendum that critics say will prolong President Alpha Conde’s rule, amid violent clashes and fears about the spread of the novel coronavirus. IMAGES
Police fire teargas amid protest in Guinea ahead of a Constitutional referendum Sunday that could prolong President Alpha Conde’s rule, with the leader vowing to go ahead with the vote despite opposition and the coronavirus pandemic. IMAGES
Thousands of Guinean opposition supporters gather in Conakry for a mass rally against President Alpha Conde’s purported desire to stand for a third term in office. Wearing the opposition colour red, protesters carry placards reading “No to a new constitution” and “No to a third mandate for Alpha Conde”. After becoming the country’s first democratically-elected president in 2010, Conde was re-elected in 2015, though under the present constitution, presidents are limited to two terms in office. IMAGES
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, accompanied by his mother and twin brothers, organised a charity match in Tours to raise money to create access to drinking water and education in Guinea.
This week on Africa Weekly, we head to to Guinea, where for the past two months, opposition supporters have been protesting a new draft of the constitution that could allow President Alpha Conde to remain in power for a third term. Then we head to Somalia where the African Union Mission is due to withdraw in 2021, but many are worried that local forces will not be ready to take on this role in time for the withdrawal deadline.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrives in Goma, DRC, in a visit for a first-hand assessment of the fightback against Ebola. It is the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history after more than 11,000 people were killed in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia between 2014 and 2016. IMAGES
In Guinea, members of the political opposition demonstrate in the capital Conakry to demand the implementation of the political agreement on the establishment of communal elected officials and to denounce the violence of the defence and security forces. Several hundred people demonstrate on “The Prince” road, one of Conakry’s two main roads, before the situation turns into clashes between groups of young people armed with stones and the police, who respond with tear gas. IMAGES
Sixteen migrant farm laborers died this month in two separate road crashes within 48 hours of each other in Italy, sparking the workers to stage a mass walkout by the workers that has drawn international attention to the dire conditions endured by seasonal tomato pickers.
The crashes occurred close to the southern city of Foggia, which hosts half a dozen makeshift camps for illegal workers. Both accidents involved overcrowded vans carrying migrant laborers home from long shifts in the region’s tomato fields.
The vans are often operated by illicit gang members, known as the Caporali, who act as middlemen in Italy’s $3.5 billion tomato industry, supplying farm owners with cheap labor and taking a cut of the workers’ wages.
That leaves workers like Mohamed Doumbé Keita, an undocumented migrant from Guinea, earning less than $30 for a shift that can last up to 15 hours in scorching heat.
“It’s like the return of slavery,” Mohamed told VICE News. “Life is tough here. There’s no medical care, and each man fends for himself. If you don’t put in ten hours a day, you won’t even make €20.”
Though Italy’s previous government passed a new law to criminalize the Caporali as a mafia crime, it’s only now being enforced for the first time.
But the legislation targets farmers rather than the middlemen themselves, threatening a jail term of up to eight years for landowners found to be hiring laborers through the Caporali, and imposing penalties for using illegal workers.
That has angered some farmers, who feel their earnings are already squeezed by big retailers and consumer demand for cheap produce. VICE News went to Italy to see what the situation is really like.
The Guinean capital of Conakry is paralysed as a 25 percent hike in oil prices fuels a general strike. The movement, originally triggered for one day on July 4 by the intersyndicale CNTG-USTG (National Confederation of Guinean Workers-United Trade Union of Guinean Workers) is renewed from 9 July to 11 July. IMAGES
For around a year, the French region of Hautes-Alpes has seen migrant influx from Guinea and Ivory Coast grow exponentially. The young asylum seekers often leave bad living conditions back home in the hopes of a better life in Europe.
Thousands of opposition activists take to the streets of Guinea’s capital to demand local elections be held after a 12-year absence, pressuring President Alpha Conde to set a date.
The VICE News Capsule is a news roundup that looks beyond the headlines. Today: Guinea copes with an increase in Ebola cases, Rome’s first civil unions, China’s success in reducing carbon emissions, and Brazilian scientists propose saffron to fight dengue fever.
GUINEA
Government Responds to Spike in New Ebola Cases
A public awareness campaign aims to get residents in the country’s west to frequently wash their hands and stop improper burials.
ITALY
Couples Sign Rome’s First Civil Union Registry
They get tax and housing benefits, as well as access to family health and social services.
CHINA
Government Reports Decrease in Carbon Emissions
The country recorded a nearly 5% drop in the first four months of 2015, compared to the same period last year.
BRAZIL
Researchers Say Saffron Could Help Combat Dengue Epidemic
With light exposure, an active compound in the spice produces molecules highly toxic to mosquitos.
Kayla Ruble joined On The Line to discuss the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the global response to the spread of the virus.
Since the outbreak began, the contagion has infected more than 25,000 people and claimed more than 10,000 lives — mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Although transmission rates have slowed, new cases continue to be reported, and the economies of the hardest-hit nations remain at risk.
VICE News reporter Kayla Ruble has been following the global effort to combat the disease – both on the ground in Liberia, and from our newsroom – and answered your questions live.
Read “Life After Ebola: Pain, Flashbacks, and ‘Post-Ebola Syndrome’” – http://bit.ly/1Pb0Z9j
Read “The End of Ebola: Inside the Race to Finish Vaccine Trials in Liberia” – http://bit.ly/1zGoSMU
VICE News and On The Line want to hear from you! Let us know your questions on Twitter with the hashtag #ontheline, or send us a video message on Skype.
On Thursday at 12pm EDT Kayla Ruble will join On The Line to discuss the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the global response to the spread of the virus.
Since the outbreak began, the contagion has infected more than 25,000 people and claimed more than 10,000 lives — mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Although transmission rates have slowed, new cases continue to be reported, and the economies of the hardest-hit nations remain at risk.
VICE News reporter Kayla Ruble has been following the global effort to combat the disease – both on the ground in Liberia, and from our newsroom – and will take your questions live.
Read “Life After Ebola: Pain, Flashbacks, and ‘Post-Ebola Syndrome’” – http://bit.ly/1Pb0Z9j
Read “The End of Ebola: Inside the Race to Finish Vaccine Trials in Liberia” – http://bit.ly/1zGoSM
VICE News and On The Line want to hear from you! Let us know your questions for Kayla on Twitter with the hashtag #ontheline, or send us a video message on Skype.
