Author: Wadline Barnett

London, Dublin (1/11 – 66) Hamas is sheltered in a sea of civilians. Ostensibly a Palestinian political and military organization established in 1987, Hamas “governs” on the basis of having won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections – defeating Fatah, another Islamist terror combine – before forming a government in the Gaza Strip, described as “…the world’s largest open-air prison” for its Palestinian inhabitants. So why don’t the Palestinians, having been robbed of their ancient lands, simply up and move somewhere else? It is telling that none of the Islamic nations surrounding Israel care to admit any more…

I first met Pamela (not her real name) in a spiritual healing center, known as a “prayer camp,” during my first visit to Ghana in November 2022. She was locked up in what looked like a prison cell, where she had been for more than a year on the basis of her real or perceived mental health condition. When I went back this month, she was locked in the same room, looking out through the same iron bars on the window. The room was bare. There were puddles of urine on the floor. I asked where she slept. “On the floor,” a…

CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s finance minister will propose tax measures next year to raise additional revenue, a mid-term budget review said on Wednesday, as the National Treasury projected wider budget deficits and higher debt over the next three years. A major constraint on South Africa’s economic growth potential in the last decade has been rolling power cuts as utility Eskom struggles with breakdowns at its coal-fired power plants. Underperformance at state-owned logistics company Transnet has also weighed on growth. This, coupled with a significant drop in mining revenue as commodity prices fall, has resulted in lower tax receipts. Revenue…

Amid efforts to diversify the economy while increasing oil and gas production, Angola has instituted a series of ambitious measures to attract investment. This strategic investment approach has not only welcomed foreign players to the market but encouraged pan-African commerce and economic growth. Visa-Free Travel Opens Business Opportunities Under efforts to bolster tourism while attracting entrepreneurs and investors into the domestic economy, Angola passed a policy amendment in late September 2023 allowing visa-free travel to nationals for over 90 countries. While the visa-free stay is exclusively for tourism-related purposes, the amendments lay the foundation for a new era of intra-African travel and trade. …

Parliamentary year began Monday in Angola with a message on the state of the Nation by the head of state. João Lourenço’s address came after an extraordinary parliamentary session convened to consider a proposal of the main opposition group to impeach him. The president seemingly rebutted a request by the president of the UNITA opposition party to take the floor. “Any citizen who wanted to make a speech on the state of the nation would be illegitimately exercising the powers that the constitution gives exclusively to the Head of State,” João Lourenço said. Lourenço dealt mainly with economic issues and…

The inaugural African Conference of Agricultural Technology opened in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday, aiming to promote the adoption and use of biotechnology in African farming for food security. Cohosted by Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), the four-day conference showcases agricultural technologies and innovations that can transform livelihoods in Africa. The event, held under the theme of “Agricultural Resilience Through Innovation,” brought together more than 500 delegates, including policymakers, industry leaders, representatives of women and youth farmers’ organizations, innovators, and researchers. Greater adoption and use of agricultural technologies are…

A SENIOR Advocate, Olisa Agbakoba, has hinted that Nigeria’s potential liabilities on contract awards exceeded the country’s total foreign reserves. He said this on Monday, October 30, when he appeared as a guest on the Arise TV programme, ‘The Morning Show,’ to review the retiring Justice Musa Dattijo’s valedictory speech, which continues to generate interest among lawyers and the general public. Responding to a question on the Process & Industrial Development (P&ID) case favouring the Nigerian government, Agbakoba said the country was deeply indebted to contract awards cases. “As I speak, our liabilities on potential awards exceed our foreign reserves.…

London (04/11 – 67) US district judge, Denise Cote yesterday granted Sri Lanka’s request for a six-month halt on a creditor lawsuit against the country. Hamilton Reserve Bank, an obscure and tiny St Kitt’s bank with interesting ties, says it has accumulated a big chunk of one of Sri Lanka’s now-defaulted bonds and had been suing it for immediate repayment. Sri Lanka had asked for a stay on these legal proceedings to let it restructure its overall pile of debt in some peace and quiet, and had gotten heavyweight support from the UK, France and the US government. Judge Cote ruled, “The Court recognizes that…

Paris (25/10 – 25) The never-before-told tale reveals how covert online battles in the French-speaking Sahel region helped topple governments. When Israeli businessmen Royi Burstien and Lior Chorev touched down in the busy capital of the West African nation of Burkina Faso, they had an urgent message for the country’s embattled ruler. The Israelis — one a veteran political operative and the other a former army intelligence officer — had been hired with the mission of keeping the government of President Roch Marc Kaboré in power. Their company, Percepto International, was a pioneer in what’s known as the disinformation-for-hire business.…

Kenya Power has revealed scheduled power outages set to affect four counties on Wednesday. The power company released a statement outlining the affected areas and the corresponding outage timings. The four counties slated for these outages include Nairobi, Bomet, Trans Nzoia, and Nyeri. In Nairobi, parts of Runda, Woodvale Drive, Mugumo Drive, and Ruaka Road will experience power cuts from 9 am to 5 pm. Bomet County residents in areas such as Chebunyo, Emarti, Kaboson, Tenwek Hospital, Chepalungu, and adjacent locations will face a power outage from 9 am to 4 pm. In Trans Nzoia County, the neighborhoods of Gumo…