Zambian media practitioner.He loves eslectronic, print and online journalism. He also loves business, economics, politics, development and climate change.
355 subjects with 454 messages.
Sanday
Namibia: Opposition snub swearing-in ceremony
Eight members of Namibia's main opposition party, Rally for Democracy and Development (RDP) have snubbed President Hifikepunye Pohamba's swearing-in ceremony held in that country's capital Windhoek. The RDP took the decision following last November's disputed vote in which Pohamba was declared winner. - Namibian Journalist, Chengetai Kusemoh said by telephone from Windhoek that the eight MPs from the opposition RDP who won parliamentary seats in the disputed vote boycotted the swearing-in ceremony pending a court appeal against the disputed vote.
RDP Secretary General Jesaya Nyamu cautioned, "Our members will stay away from the swearing-in ceremony due on Friday because we will wait for t…Nigerian asylum seeker dies in Switzerland
A Nigerian man on hunger strike has died on the tarmac at Zurich airport after Swiss authorities tried to deport him using a special flight to deport asylum seekers. Switzerland has since halted the use of special flights to deport asylum seekers following the unfortunate incident. - Hundreds of African immigrants and asylum seekers annually die while attempting to relocate to Europe and United States in search of comfort and better living conditions.
Swiss police say the 29-year old Nigerian man was shackled and was being forcibly deported along with 15 other Nigerians whose asylum bids had been rejected.
When he fell ill on Wednesday this week, the police took off his shackles and a …Zambia: 11 die of cholera
Eleven people have died of cholera in Zambia since the outbreak of the disease at the onset of rainy season in late 2009. The waterborne disease is endemic in the southern African state during the wet and rainy season of October to March. - According to the Ministry of Health spokesperson Reuben Kamoto Mbewe, there has also been an increase in cholera cases from 241 in February to 564 in March.
He said however, that the Ministry of Health has continued to monitor the situation from escalating and that basic water and sanitation measures are being provided to vulnerable communities nationwide.Ethiopia: Zenawi threatens to jam VOA signal
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said he is prepared to order jamming of Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts in Amharic, the country's main official language. Meles compared VOA Amharic to the hate media that incited the Rwanda genocide in 1994. - He denies having authorized the interference VOA Amharic listeners have been experiencing since February 22.
But speaking to reporters on Thursday, he acknowledged ordering preparations for jamming and said as soon as the equipment is working properly, he would give the go ahead.
He said: "We have to know before we make the decision to jam, whether we have the capacity to do it. But I assure you if they assure me at some future date …Zambia: Genital cocaine trafficker jailed
A woman who concealed over 300 grammes of cocaine in her private parts with intent of offloading it on the country's illicit drug market has been jailed. The Lusaka Magistrates Court slapped a five-year jail term on Alice Mulonda Sandi on Thursday. - She was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) at the Lusaka International Airport on her arrival from Pakistan last week.
Sandi was charged with trafficking and importing narcotic drugs, contrary to sections 6 and 7 of the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act Cap 96 of the Laws of Zambia.
Magistrate Lameck Ng'ambi noted although Sandi was a first offender, the offence she committed and the drugs she carried were serious an…Nigeria: Acting president dissolves cabinet
Nigeria's acting president Goodluck Jonathan has with immediate effect dissolved the West African country's cabinet, a move analysts say is an attempt to consolidate power in the absence of ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua. He became acting president in February amid the continuing illness of Yar'Adua. - Yar’Adua has been seeking medical attention since November 2009 and was recently sneaked into Africa’s most populous nation but he is yet to make a public appearance.
Authorities in Nigeria have denied there was a power vacuum in that country following a protracted illness of Yar’ Adua.
The dissolved cabinet was assembled by Yar'Adua and reports suggest that the move b…AU sanctions Rajoelina, 108 others
The African Union has officially imposed sanctions on Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina's headed administration for failing to implement a power sharing government by March 17, 2010. The AU Peace and Security Council slapped harsh penalties on 108 other senior government officials. - The sanctions include a call for Madagascar's diplomatic isolation until the government returns to internationally mediated power-sharing talks, according to a notice issued by Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra.
Commissioner Lamamra said the sanctions are designed to get the attention of those who have turned their back on mediation efforts led by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano.
…Uganda: Gutted heritage tombs spark riots
Ugandan soldiers and police have clashed with rioters in the capital after fire gutted the site of the burial grounds of the former kings of the country's largest historic kingdom. Security forces used tear gas to disperse members of the Baganda ethnic group angry at the destruction of the tombs at Kasubi on the outskirts of Kampala. - "Last night the tomb of their kings - 200 hundred years basically of their cultural heritage - was burnt to the ground. They suspect it was arson. I've seen four people who were injured - some of them may be dead.
But the crowd has been largely chased away. A lot of them were marched out of the tombs compound with their hands up and sent down the road, cha…Glencore Energy to supply fuel to Zambia
Fuel troubled Zambia has finally settled for London-based Glencore Energy to supply 1.4 million tonnes of petroleum feedstock to the tune of US$ 1billion. Zambia has over the years experienced unstable supplies of petroleum feedstock which have in some cases resulted in protracted shortages. - According to the Zambia Public Procurement Authority the US$1 billion contract to supply 1.4 million tonnes of petroleum feedstock to Zambia over a two year period has been awarded to the UK based firm.
ZPPA spokesperson, Hazel Zulu said in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, "The Central Tender Committee gave the final authority to award the contract to Glencore Ltd UK on the 15th March 2010”.
Th…Banana raises hope for African HIV patients
There are slight hopes for millions of Africans infected with HIV or affected by AIDS as latest research has shown that bananas may hold the key to powerful new treatments that protect against the AIDS virus. Africa has the highest number of AIDS patients in the world and it is estimated that close to a half of the continent's population is either infected or affected by AIDS. - Reports say scientists in laboratory tests have found that a banana ingredient called BanLec was as potent as two existing anti-HIV drugs.
The scientists believe cheap therapies based on BanLec have the potential to save millions of lives. The ingredient is a lectin, a naturally occurring chemical in plants which …Togolese goalie Obilale to sue CAF
Togo goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale is planning to seek compensation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), amid fears he will never play football again. - Obilale returned to France last Saturday, two months after the fatal machine-gun attack on the Hawks as they travelled to the African Nations Cup in Angola early this year.
The 25-year-old has been in hospital in South Africa since he was airlifted there following the attack and has had five operations.
Obilale told French media, "Before thinking about playing football again, I hope to find again the form of a human being, I think I can recover in six months. But will I take up football again? I don't know. I want to press ch…Madagascar: It’s D-day for sanctions
Malagasy leader Andry Rajoelina risks getting his Island state into sanctions if he fails to implement a power sharing deal before March 17, 2010. The African Union and regional group, SADC have refused to recognise Rajoelina's administration which they have labelled 'illegitimate.' - If Rajoelina does not implement a power-sharing deal by March 17 then the AU will impose sanction on the Island, whose economy has been dwindling since the unrest that led to a bloodless coup in which Rajoelina ousted then President Marc Ravalomanana.
The United States and European Union have also threatened to move from the current suspension of aid and impose concrete sanctions on Madagascar.
Rajoelina …Zuma to assess political tension in Zimbabwe
South African President Jacob Zuma is expected in Zimbabwe for a three-day visit aimed at easing tensions within the cracking power-sharing government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. - It is thought that Zuma will assess the country's readiness for an election, which could take place next year.
President Mugabe and old rival Tsvangirai, united in government a year ago, but they remain at odds over several key issues and have struggled to turn around Zimbabwe's battered economy.
The crisis in that country has forced close to three million Zimbabweans to flee across the border to South Africa, where they live as refugees.
Zuma is in Harare to "fac…SA: ANC youth convicted of hate speech
A South African judge has convicted controversial ANC official Julius Malema of hate speech for his comments about the woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of rape. - The Equality Court judge ordered Malema to make an unconditional apology and pay about US$6,700 to a centre for abused women, according to media reports out of South Africa.
The ANC Youth League leader had said the woman must have had a "nice time".
Zuma was acquitted of rape years ago.
The youth league said Malema would appeal against the ruling.
Malema, a close ally of Zuma, is a controversial figure known for using colourful insults against anyone who crosses him.Africa unite to combat polio
Over 85 million children under five years old will be immunized against polio in 19 countries across West and Central Africa in a massive example of cross-border cooperation aimed at stopping a year-long polio epidemic. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone are considered to have active outbreaks of polio within the last six months. - The campaign kicked off on March 6 in these countries as well as Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Central African Republic, Gambia, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau. Niger, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire will join at a later date due to political transitions or elections.
Campaign
Over 400,000 volunteers and health work…Zambia: BP to sell five African units
BP Plc's Zambia marketing wing is among the five African units lined up for sell by the London based global oil giant. BP Plc said it will sell its marketing operations in Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana after a 'strategic review' into its African operations. - BP Plc said it will focus on South Africa and Mozambique while it will also continue to invest in its operations in Angola, Algeria, Egypt and Libya.
This contained in a statement issued by BP African Unit CEO Sipho Maseko.
The intentions by BP Plc to quench its marketing wing in Zambia will further suffocate the fuel-thirsty nation which has battled with fuel shortages for years due to lack of stable suppliers from…Three journalists kidnapped in Nigeria
Three employees of South African TV channel SuperSport have been kidnapped in south-east Nigeria. The three - one South African and two Nigerians - were reportedly attacked near the airport in Owerri, after covering a football match in Enugu. - South Africa's foreign ministry said it was in contact with Nigerian officials but gave no further details.
It is not clear who is responsible but foreigners are often kidnapped for ransom in the nearby Niger Delta.
According to SuperSport's general manager in Nigeria Felix Awogu, "The attackers ordered out more than 20 people inside the bus and took away the three and the bus”.
Militants in the Niger Delta have cost Nigeria's oil indus…Rwanda: Ex-first lady arrested for genocide
Former Rwanda first lady Agathe Habyarimana has been arrested in France for crimes related to the 1994 genocide. Her husband and former Rwanda president Juvenal Habyarimana's assassination triggered the genocide. - Habyarimana is accused by the current Rwandan government of helping to plan the 1994 genocide, and has long been sought by prosecutors there.
Habyarimana, who has been living in France for several years, denies the accusations.
More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died in the massacres of 1994.
French officials said Mrs Habyarimana was detained in the Paris region by police executing a Rwandan-issued international arrest warrant.
Diplomatic relations broken off 20…Uganda: Over 100 killed in landslide
More than 100 people have been killed in a landslide in the mountainous eastern region of Bududa in Uganda. Uganda's Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Musa Ecweru who confirmed the deaths, has since gone to the remote areas to assess what help is needed. Rescuers are digging through the mud with handheld tools, looking for survivors and bodies. - Up to 60 children are missing. They took shelter in a health centre which reports say was destroyed overnight.
Ecweru said he had counted 58 bodies himself but local officials had told him at least 106 people have died.
More than 300 people are reported to be missing after their homes were buried in the area on Monday night after recent heav…Zambia: More flood victims evacuated
The number of people being evacuated to safer and higher grounds in the Zambian capital, Lusaka following heavy flooding has continued to rise. - Several days of continuous rains and severe flooding in some parts of Zambia have forced the evacuation and relocation of hundreds of people while some parts of the country have been completely cut-off from the capital.
According to the Zambia Red Cross Society, the number of families being evacuated to a make-shift temporal shelter at Independence Stadium, north of Lusaka has continued to rise.
The Red Cross says more people that have failed to endure the effects of the floods have signed up for voluntary evacuation and relocation to safer g…
