Lusaka, Zambia | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | On 23 March, Zambia’s main opposition party filed a motion seeking the impeachment of President Edgar Lungu. The action was led by the United Party for National Development (UPND) party and backed by a third of MPs. The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) immediately derided the move. Presidential spokesperson …
Read More »Almost 80% of UK firms pay men more than women: data
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Almost eight out of 10 companies and public sector bodies operating in Britain pay men more than women overall, said data published Thursday confirming long-standing gender inequality in the workplace. Prime Minister Theresa May introduced laws last year to force all employers with more …
Read More »In mourning, S.Africa defends Winnie Mandela as a hero
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | In life, Winnie Mandela was known as a brave anti-apartheid activist whose reputation was badly tainted by criminal convictions and thuggish gang violence. But in death, her chequered record has largely been forgiven in South Africa, with the president declaring 12 days of mourning and …
Read More »Trump wants US troops to ‘get out’ of Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants American troops to “get out” of Syria, even as some of his top officials stressed the need to stay for the long term. Trump’s remarks follow comments last week when he vowed US forces would soon quit …
Read More »Africa’s ambitious trade treaty
Beyond the clapping and ululation in Kigali, can the ACFTA be implemented? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | After close to 30 years of negotiations, 44 African states finally agreed to establish a single market to ease buying and selling of African-made goods and services. That leaves out 11 countries; …
Read More »Saving water and environment
Directorate of Water Resources hosts first Water and Environment week Entebbe, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | For one week in mid-March, the grounds of the Directorate of Water Resources Management in Entebbe was a beehive of activity as ordinary people mingled with water professional and experts to mull over the …
Read More »Uganda’s economy on a slow recovery path
But the public debt has increased by 9.4% to hit Shs 37.9trillion Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Uganda’s optimism in the first quarter of the Financial Year 2017/18 has been replaced with fear of a slow growing economy. The Central Bank’s latest quarterly report dubbed ‘State of the Economy’ …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Winnie Mandela, the activist ex-wife of Nelson Mandela
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Winnie Mandela, the former wife of South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, died on Monday aged 81, triggering an outpouring of tributes to one of the country’s defining and most divisive figures. The firebrand activist died in a Johannesburg hospital, her family said, adding …
Read More »Kagame’s Kampala visit
Meeting raises hope for improved relations between Kampala and Kigali Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | A recent one-day state visit by Rwandan President Paul Kagame to Uganda on March.25 has raised hopes that relations between the two countries might return to normalcy again after several months of heightened tensions. …
Read More »Israel rejects calls for independent probe of Gaza violence
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel rejected calls for an independent probe on Sunday after its soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip. Israel’s military has faced questions from rights groups over its use of …
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