Author: Agencies

Development projects can have profound impacts on their societies. There are many benefits that flow from building new roads and power plants, and from modernising agricultural practices. But they can also have permanent negative consequences. For example, communities may be involuntarily relocated to make way for roads or power plants. These projects can change the way natural resources are used in a particular area, making it difficult or impossible for communities to continue their traditional agricultural practices. The job opportunities that they create can challenge traditional values and ways of living. Historically, many of these projects have been owned or…

In Africa, of the three million people who develop TB disease every year, nearly 160,000 are children 0-4 years old, and another 160,000 are 5-14 years old. Every year, about 500,000 people in Africa die because of TB. Children make up 15% (75,000) of these deaths. Less than half of the children aged 0-14 who have TB are diagnosed – so they never even start treatment. What are some of the drivers? TB is transmitted between people through the air. When a person with TB coughs or breathes out, some of the TB bugs are expelled to float in the air. If someone else…

As the holy month of Ramadan kicks off this week, millions of Muslims around the world are feeling the pinch of inflation. Food and energy prices have been soaring around the world as Russia’s war in Ukraine, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change-related events weigh on the global economy. Countries of the Global South – especially in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, where the vast majority of the world’s Muslims live – are also among the worst hit by price surges and shortages of key supplies. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 349 million people across…

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has condemned an alleged attack on his daughter Winnie claiming her car was shot at during Monday’s protests. The Opposition leader shared photos of what appeared like a bullet hole on the vehicle on his Twitter account claiming police shot at the car. “This illegitimate regime has consistently shown animosity towards my daughter Winnie, and today they wasted no time in attacking her vehicle,” Raila said. Winnie was part of Raila’s convoy as he traversed the streets of Nairobi and its environs to condemn alleged Kenya Kwanza excesses. Raila said no matter the scales of intimidation,…

This week in our book recommendation series in celebration of women’s history month, we present a booklist for all those readers who want to think and act like revolutionaries. The books here are touchstones of African feminism and are all about dismantling the patriarchy. “I wrote this book with enough rage to fuel a rocket” is how Mona Eltahawy opens her powerful manifesto The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls, which seeks to inspire girls to break the rules and lean into their inner rebel. Tsitsi Dangarembga’s memoir Black and Female, Minna Salami’s Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone, and Desiree…

Azimio leaders have responded to claims by leaders in government that retired President Uhuru Kenyatta is funding Monday’s mass action. Narok Senator Ledama Olekina says the former President is not involved in the planning or funding of the mass protests in any way. His remarks come hot on heels of claims by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua that Uhuru is the chief financier of the Azimio demos. “Stop blaming former President Uhuru Kenyatta he has nothing to do with the protest! Hapa mumekosea (you are wrong on this). He is nowhere near the demonstration,” Ledama said in tweet on Sunday. The…

The son of Uganda’s ageing leader, Yoweri Museveni, has said he intends to stand for the presidency in 2026, the first time the outspoken army general has given a timeline for replacing his father, who has ruled the East African country for 37 years. “You have wanted me to say it forever! Okay, in the name of Jesus Christ my God, in the name of all the young people of Uganda and the world and in the name of our great revolution, I will stand for the Presidency in 2026,” Museveni’s son Muhoozi Kainerugaba wrote on Twitter late on Wednesday. Uganda’s…

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has caused panic not just in the U.S. tech industry but also in China, where the bank has been a key player for years among Chinese startups. In recent days, many startups in China have issued statements to reassure their investors that their deposits with SVB will not impact their operations. Before the bank failed and was taken over by U.S. regulators this month, Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th-largest American bank. In foreign markets, SVB’s reputation for financing about half of all U.S. venture-backed technology and health care companies made it a popular…

The journalist’s approach to any topic is to seek out those caught up in the story and get their views. This is not that kind of a story. The wires are replete with anecdotal despatches of African “homophobia” in which for the past decade in East Africa, Uganda has become Ground Zero. The latest flashpoint is a new bill tabled in parliament last week containing proposals to further criminalise homosexual acts. This move has followed what, a decade after the introduction of the first bill entrenching the colonial-era law criminalising homosexuality, has become a familiar script. A decade ago, a…

LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) – Britain said on Thursday it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect, a move that follows other Western countries who have barred the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. “The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review,” Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of…