How Joe Manchin Survives as a Democrat in West Virginia

HORN OF AFRICA : World Bank considers billion-dollar investment in electricity infrastructure for Horn

The five Horn of Africa countries – Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan – could be in line for financing to the tune of $1.035bn from the World Bank. Source link

Zimbabwe: Army Bars ED’s Appointment of Clansman As Zanu-PF Commissar – Jonathan Moyo

Exiled former government minister Jonathan Moyo has sensationally claimed President Emmerson Mnangagwa was going through a tough period after senior military officials blocked him from making key new appointments into Zanu PF leadership positions. Mnangagwa announced new senior appointments in the governing party, last Wednesday, including appointing disgraced former Vice President Kembo Mohadi as the […]

Manchin rejects voting rights bill; Meadows pushed Rosen to validate election hoaxes

Grasping at every straw: Trump administration efforts to overturn election results included asking the Justice Department to probe whether Italy used ‘satellites’ to alter vote totals In the news today: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin released a pomp-rich but substance-thin editorial announcing his opposition to a Democratic voting rights bill because … Republicans don’t like it. […]

Africa: Dams and the Technology-Development Nexus – the Case of the GERD

The business of national economic development is always multi-faceted with blurry lines, with politics, economics, technology and ecology interacting all the time. There is a peculiar additional complexity when we deal with strategic national resources such as water. This complexity is amplified when there are other stakeholders to the same resource but outside the national […]

South Africa: Plan to Protect Sharks Needs an Urgent Update

When great white sharks disappeared from two well-known congregation areas on South Africa’s coast recently, the possible reasons were hotly debated. The appearance of a pair of shark-eating killer whales in the area was one. Another was the decline in numbers of smaller shark species that great whites prey on. Coupled with this was the […]

U.S. Aid to Central America Hasn’t Slowed Migration. Can Kamala Harris?

SAN ANTONIO HUISTA — An American contractor went to a small town in the Guatemalan mountains with an ambitious goal: to ignite the local economy, and hopefully even persuade people not to migrate north to the United States.Half an hour into his meeting with coffee growers, the contractor excitedly revealed the tool he had brought […]

GABON : Ahead of joining Commonwealth, Gabon sends envoy to Paris

In retaliation for not having been invited to the France-Africa finance summit in Paris on 18 May (AI, 20/05/21), Gabon Source link

Kamala Harris and a High-Risk, High-Reward Presidential Résumé

Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your wrap-up of the week in national politics. I’m Lisa Lerer, your host.Is Kamala Harris drawing the shortest straws in the White House?This week, President Biden announced that Ms. Harris would lead the administration’s effort to protect voting rights, a task he immediately said would “take a hell of a […]

South Africa: Urban South Africa Is Ill-Prepared for the Coming Climate Change Storm

South Africa is no stranger to the devastating impacts of weather-related hazards such as floods, wildfires, storms and droughts. These events have wreaked havoc on infrastructure and communities, causing devastating economic and social losses. Without urgent adaptation measures, South African cities and towns will be hard hit, leaving millions exposed and vulnerable to climate change. […]

Africa: New Study Reveals the Origin of African Jackals

Dr Alberto Valenciano, a former researcher from the University of Cape Town (UCT), is the lead author on new research that has found the origin of some of the most emblematic groups of African carnivorous mammals: jackals. Dr Valenciano was joined by an international group of researchers, including Dr Romala Govender from UCT’s Department of […]

U.S. Economy Continues to Recover, Adding 559,000 Jobs in May

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employers added 559,000 workers during the month of May, continuing the nation’s economic recovery. “In May, the unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage point to 5.8 percent, and the number of unemployed persons fell by 496,000 to 9.3 million. These measures are down considerably from their recent highs […]

Namibia: Genocide – Listen to the Cries of the Descendants

The unfolding debate regarding an agreement reached between Namibia and Germany over the colonial-era massacres of mainly the Nama and Ovaherero people has enjoyed prominent coverage in the mainstream media, and has been a major talking point on social media platforms. Traditional leaders from the affected communities are, however, deeply divided on the agreement and […]

Africa: Global Food Prices Rise At Rapid Pace in May

Rome — FAO Food Price Index posts fastest monthly increase to reach highest value since September 2011 Global food prices rose in May at their fastest monthly rate in more than a decade, even as world cereal production is on course to reach a new record high, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United […]

VP Kamala Harris Asked to Lead on Voting Rights, and It’s a Challenge

“I think that Vice President Harris herself personifies the need for voting rights to be extended,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, who attended the speech in Tulsa, said in an interview. “When she’s on the phone or walks into an office, we’re looking at the reason we need voting rights.”Michael Waldman, the president of the Brennan […]

RUSSIA/GUINEA : Alpha Condé's team to woo Russian infrastructure companies in Saint Petersburg

Guinean president Alpha Condé flew a delegation to Saint Petersburg to attend the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) from 2-5 June. Source link

Zimbabweans Protest Covid-19 Vaccine Shortages

Harare — Hundreds of Zimbabweans protested Wednesday about a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as the country awaits more doses from China. The government wants to inoculate at least 60% of Zimbabwe’s more than 14 million people by the end of the year but has struggled to get the necessary supplies. Claudina Maneni brought her 60-year-old […]

Republican swindlers vexed by failure to profit off Teflon Joe

Then came the revelation that House Republicans were rerunning Donald Trump’s fundraising scam—automatically inflating a donor’s intended donation or making it recurring unless the giver opted out of doing so. Perhaps they’ve forgotten the Trump campaign had to refund tens of millions in donations.  Now it appears Republicans have almost entirely stripped Biden out of […]

Africa: Gender Violence Claims Rock Pan-African Parliament

Johannesburg, Claims of gender-based violence have rocked the Pan-African Parliament after representatives tussled over the next president of the institution’s bureau. The incident happened during a session on Monday as the legislators listened to a presentation by an ad-hoc committee formed to harmonise proposals on how to elect the next president. A clip aired by […]

CONGO : Interior minister said to be victim of €400,000 bank scam

Brazzaville has been buzzing with speculation over which minister’s bank account was robbed of €400,000. Source link

Mozambique: Mozambican Debt Remains Unsustainable

Maputo — Mozambique’s public debt remains “unsustainable”, according to the latest annual report on the debt from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and hence the country remains debt distressed. All the key debt ratios showed a decline in sustainability in 2020. Thus the ratio of the net present value of the debt to Mozambique’s […]

Africa: Launch of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Support Center in Uganda and Malawi

The African Energy Commission (AFREC) in collaboration with the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) hosted two virtual kick-off meetings to launch the activities of the of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Support Center in Uganda and Malawi. The launch of the project took place on 15th April 2021 in Uganda and 26th May 2021 […]

Mike Flynn Uses Memorial Day To Call For A Military Coup To Overthrow Biden

Convicted felon Gen. Mike Flynn advocated for a military coup in the United States to overthrow President Biden. Video: Here is video of former general and National Security Advisor Mike Flynn calling for a Myanmar-like coup to replace the sitting U.S. president with Donald Trump. The talk of war is very real. pic.twitter.com/1GoP5OG1He — justin […]

NIGERIA/UKRAINE/CAMEROON : VP of company building stadiums for Cup of Nations halted Interpol warrant to return to Cameroon

The appearance in Yaounde on 15 April of the vice-president of Canadian group Magil Construction, Franck Mathière, alongside sports minister Source link

Malawi: Land Grab – Kanengo Northgate Implicated, Chief Want Probe

TA Chitukula demands probe at Ministry of Lands and Kanengo Northgate Project over a title deed for a land the company did not buy. Traditional Authority (T/A) Chitukula of Lilongwe has demanded that Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) should institute investigations into how GM Properties Limited managed to secure a title deed for a land the company […]

Democrats stage mass walkout, prevent vote on Texas election law bill

Texas Democrats staged a mass walkout late Sunday night as a last-ditch effort to stave off a vote on a GOP “election integrity” initiative that would overhaul the state’s voting laws, reports said.  “Members, take your key and leave the chamber discreetly,” state Rep. Chris Turner, the Democratic caucus chair of the house, wrote in […]

Africa: Update From the Seventy-Fourth World Health Assembly – 29 May 2021

New resolutions on: Local production of medicines Ending violence against children Addressing social determinants of health Strengthening local production of medicines and other health technologies to improve access Member State requests for WHO’s support in strengthening local production have been increasing in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to highlight even more the […]

Zimbabwe: Gold Smuggling Syndicates Exposed

A new report has illustrated the depth of the gold smuggling scourge in Zimbabwe, estimating that over 70% of the country’s output has found its way into backstage international markets. Titled, ‘Illicit Gold Markets in East and Southern Africa’, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime’s report said the 10% to 30% of authorised buyers […]

Fox News Attacks Kamala Harris For Memorial Day Weekend Tweet Then Shoots Itself In The Foot

Fox News attacked Vice President Harris for wishing everyone a happy long weekend and then promptly did the same thing. Here is the tweet that Fox News tried to gin up into a controversy: Enjoy the long weekend. pic.twitter.com/ilGOrod4AW — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 29, 2021 Aaron Rupar caught what Fox did next: […]

Africa: More Than 23.1 Million People Vaccinated Across the Continent

As of May 30, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached   4,821,436 while over 23,109,877 vaccinations have been administered across the continent. Reported deaths in Africa reached  130,120 and 4,355,268 people have recovered. South Africa has the most reported cases –   1,659,070 – and 56,363 people died. Other most-affected countries are Morocco ( […]

Africa: Europe Addresses Africa’s Vaccine Dilemma

Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, is in South Africa as part of an initiative to assist vaccine production on the continent. But improving manufacuting capacity is still set to be a long journey. German Health Minister Jens Spahn touched down in South Africa on Friday, as part of a trip focused on assisting local vaccine […]