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Mom Who Sold Daughter, 6, so Her Eyes and Skin Could Be Cut Out and Used for ‘Medicine’ Gets Life in Prison

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A mom who sold her 6-year-old daughter so her skin and eyes could be cut out and used by a “traditional healer” had been sentenced to life in prison in South Africa.

Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were all handed life sentences more than a year after the mysterious disappearance of Joshlin Smith from outside her home near Cape Town.

When Joshlin first disappeared, her mother was a figure of sympathy, and pictures of the girl’s striking green eyes, pigtails and broad smile were shared across the country.

Smith showed no emotion as her sentence was handed down, bringing an end to an eight-week trial that had to be moved to a local stadium so horrified members of the community could bear witness.

She admitted to selling her daughter to a traditional healer, or sangoma, for 20,000 rand ($1,100), and said the girl was desired for her “eyes and skin,” a witness told the court. (Read more from “Mom Who Sold Daughter, 6, so Her Eyes and Skin Could Be Cut Out and Used for ‘Medicine’ Gets Life in Prison” HERE)

India and South Africa Derail China-Backed Investment Deal at WTO

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In a surprising turn of events at the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference in Abu Dhabi, India and South Africa have put a roadblock in the passage of a significant investment agreement, potentially impacting investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars, particularly in China.

India and South Africa formally objected to the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFD), supported by China and introduced by Chile and South Korea. The deal, estimated to cover projects ranging from $200 billion to $800 billion, faced resistance from the two nations, raising questions about the fate of these investments, often earmarked for developing nations in the “Global South.”

Exercising their right to file formal objections, India and South Africa expressed concerns that the IFD would compromise the multilateral essence of the WTO by imposing binding regulations on all member nations.

India suggested that negotiations for the IFD should take place outside the WTO, emphasizing that interested nations could reach an agreement independently. This stance aligns with a specific set of WTO procedures, necessitating unanimous agreement from all members for such agreements.

While not explicitly stated, India’s reservations hint at concerns that the IFD, often dubbed “China’s IFD” by Indian media, might serve as a strategic move by China and its allies in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). There are apprehensions about the potential favoritism towards countries heavily reliant on Chinese investments and those with substantial sovereign wealth funds. Efforts are underway by WTO leaders to persuade India and South Africa to withdraw their objections.

Photo credit: Flickr

COVID-19-Infected HIV Patient Developed 21 Mutations: Study

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A South African woman suffering from “poorly controlled” HIV who also had COVID-19 for nine months saw the CCP virus develop at least 21 mutations while in her body, a recent preprint study found.

The woman, 22, was able to overcome the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus which causes COVID-19, within six to nine weeks after she started taking anti-retroviral medication that is used to treat HIV, according to researchers at Stellenbosch and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

They concluded that “increased vigilance is warranted” among HIV patients who contract COVID-19 to “prevent the emergence” of COVID-19 variants. Notably, the Omicron variant was first discovered in South Africa in November 2021, and U.S. health officials say it’s now the dominant strain across the United States.

“This case, like others before, describes a potential pathway for the emergence of novel variants,” the scientists said in the pre-print study, adding that it is still a hypothesis and much more data is needed. “Our experience reinforces previous reports that effective anti-retroviral treatment is the key to controlling such events.”

South Africa has the world’s largest HIV epidemic. About 8.2 million of out its 60 million population is infected with the virus. (Read more from “COVID-19-Infected HIV Patient Developed 21 Mutations: Study” HERE)

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Mass Rioting Leaves 45 Dead In South Africa (VIDEO)

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At least 45 people have died in South Africa during violent riots over the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma — with even cops seemingly caught helping themselves during shocking scenes of mass looting.

Sporadic violence first broke out last Thursday when Zuma, 79, started serving his 15-month sentence for defying a court order to appear at an inquiry investigating corruption during his nine years in office.

But it soon grew to some of the worst violence seen there in years — spreading from Zuma’s home in KwaZulu-Natal province to the country’s biggest city, Johannesburg, and surrounding Gauteng province, and to the Indian Ocean port city of Durban.

Shocking videos showed hundreds of people swarming through shopping districts and climbing up through almost completely empty shelves. Some malls were even torched. . .

Many of the deaths have been blamed on chaotic stampedes to steal food, electric appliances, liquor and clothing, officials have said.

(Read more from “Mass Rioting Leaves 45 Dead In South Africa (VIDEO)” HERE)

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WATCH: Woman Uses Her Own Underwear as Mask After Nearly Being Kicked Out of Store

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Don’t get caught with your pants down — unless, of course, you need a face mask in a jiffy.

A woman in South Africa avoided getting thrown out of a Pick n Pay supermarket by using her panties as a mask.

Smartphone camera footage obtained by Newsflash caught the bizarre interaction in which the store guard asked the maskless woman, who was waiting with her cart of groceries in the checkout line, to put on a face mask or leave the store.

Having no mask handy, the resourceful renegade objects before pausing, presumably the moment a lightbulb went off in her head.

In the next moment, the cheeky customer can be seen reaching up beneath her paisley-printed skirt, then pulling her black thong underwear down her legs and up to her face, where she placed it in such a way as to cover her nose and mouth.

(Read more from “WATCH: Woman Uses Her Own Underwear as Mask After Nearly Being Kicked Out of Store” HERE)

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South African Man Given U.S. Citizenship After Allegedly Murdering Alaskan Women

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A South African man was able to become a naturalized American citizen weeks after allegedly murdering two native Alaskan women, Breitbart News has learned.

Brian Smith, a 48-year-old native of South Africa, was indicted in October for the murders of 30-year-old Kathleen Henry and 52-year-old Veronica Abouchuk in Anchorage, Alaska, in separate incidents. Henry was allegedly strangled to death, while Abouchuk was allegedly shot and killed. . .

Smith, the law enforcement official confirmed, was able to become a naturalized American citizen weeks after he had already allegedly murdered Henry in a hotel room and potentially months to a year after allegedly murdering Abouchuk. At the time of his naturalization in September, Smith had not been identified by police as a murder suspect.

In the case of Henry’s murder, which has become known as the “Memory Card Killing,” Smith allegedly recorded the torture and murder of the native Alaskan woman on September 4. In early October, a woman found the SD memory card on a street with the title “homicide at midtown Marriott,” which allegedly depicts Smith strangling and murdering Henry. (Read more from “South African Man Given U.S. Citizenship After Allegedly Murdering Alaskan Women” HERE)

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Diver Survives After Being Scooped up in Whale’s Mouth

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A diver in South Africa survived an experience out of a biblical passage last month when he ended up almost being swallowed by a whale.

Rainer Schimpf, 51, was snorkeling off the coast of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, when he ended up in the path of a Bryde’s whale, which opened his jaws and engulfed him headfirst.

“We were very astonished that out of nowhere this whale came up,” he told Sky News. “I was busy concentrating on the sharks because you want to know if the shark is in front of you or behind you, left or right, so we were very focused on the sharks and their behavior — then suddenly it got dark.”

Schimpf, who has worked as a dive operator for over 15 years, said he was in the water with two others for just a matter of minutes before the whale appeared. He had happened to be with a group recording a sardine run, which is where marine animals such as dolphins, whales, and sharks gather fish into bait balls.

“So my next thought was that the whale may take me down into the ocean and release me further down, so I instantly held my breath,” he told Sky News. “Obviously he realized I was not what he wanted to eat so he spat me out again.” (Read more from “Diver Survives After Being Scooped up in Whale’s Mouth” HERE)

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SHOCKING: South African Parliament Votes to Seize Land Owned by All White Farmers

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On Tuesday in South Africa, a shocking vote in the National Assembly ruled that white South African farmers will be removed from their land. The vote, prompted by a motion brought by radical Marxist opposition leader Julius Malema, was not even close; 241 legislators voted for it with only 83 voting against it. Malema told his supporters in 2016 he was “not calling for the slaughter of white people — at least for now.”

Supporters of the motion issued harsh statements; News24 reported Malema saying before the vote was taken, “The time for reconciliation is over. Now is the time for justice.” Gugile Nkwinti, minister of water affairs, echoed, “The ANC (African National Congress) unequivocally supports the principle of land expropriation without compensation. There is no doubt about it, land shall be expropriated without compensation.”

As The Daily Mail noted, “A 2017 South African government audit found white people owned 72 percent of farmland.” (Read more from “SHOCKING: South African Parliament Votes to Seize Land Owned by All White Farmers” HERE)

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South Africa Likens Draft Climate Deal to Apartheid

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South Africa on Monday criticized a draft United Nations accord on fighting climate change as a form of “apartheid” against developing nations.

A summit in Paris is supposed to agree a global accord for tackling climate change in December, but a last week of negotiations on the draft text, which began in Germany on Monday, got off to a stormy start with developing nations saying their demands had been omitted from the pared down 20-page draft.

“It is just like apartheid,” Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa’s delegate who speaks on behalf of the main grouping of more than 130 developing nations and China, told the meeting.

“We find ourselves in a position where in essence we are disenfranchised,” she said, saying views of the poor had been ignored. South Africa’s apartheid system was overthrown in 1994 when Nelson Mandela became the nation’s first black president.

Developing countries said the draft, drawn up by two senior diplomats, favored rich nations and failed to stress that developed nations needed to take the lead in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and to provide far more aid and clean energy technology. (Read more from “South Africa Likens Draft Climate Deal to Apartheid” HERE)

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