Category Archives: POLITICS

Getty Images François Bayrou has long been a centrist ally of President Macron President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s next prime minister, in a bid to end months of political turmoil. A Macron ally, Bayrou is a mayor from the southwest and leads the MoDem party. Ahead of the announcement, the two men spent almost two hours in talks described as tense by French media. The president’s task is now to ensure Bayrou lasts longer than his predecessor. Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was ousted by MPs nine days ago. Macron is half-way through his second term as president and Bayrou will be his fourth prime minister this year. French politics has been deadlocked ever since Macron called snap parliamentary elections during the summer. An

Citizens have a duty to respect decisions of the duly constituted courts of law: LAZ reaction to the constitutional court Judgement in the Eligibitlity case of Michelo Chizombe v Edgar Chagwa Lungu and others 2023/CCZ/0021 The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has closely monitored the developments surrounding the eligibility case of Michelo Chizombe vs. Edgar Chagwa Lungu and Others -2023/CCZ/0021 before the Constitutional Court. We acknowledge the significant public interest generated by this case,including the Judgment delivered today by the Court. By its Judgment, the Constitutional Court determined that Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the 1st Respondent is ineligible to contest any future elections having served two terms as President. This decision marks a departure from the Court’s earlier decision on the matter, specifically in the cases of Daniel Pule and

A long-serving ANC leader Bethuel Mthethwa has quit the party to join former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Mthethwa is the former mayor of Jozini local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). He is reportedly leaving while facing corruption allegations. He was subjected to the step-aside rule after an accusation of crime drawing back from when he was still the mayor. As reported by Scrolla, Mthethwa left because he believed the ANC no longer stands up for poor black people. According to Mthethwa, the ANC has turned into a newer version of the National Party (NP) because the party’s top leadership was doing what the NP did to black people in the past. “This is what they do whenever the organisation is heading to its elective conferences. “They make sure

Two people wearing face coverings and dark clothing were spotted near the area when the car caught fire in the eastern suburb of Woollahra. By REUTERS DECEMBER 11, 2024 09:30 View of the torched car in Sydney, Australia. December 11, 2024. (photo credit: Via Maariv) A car was set alight, and two properties spray painted with anti-Israel messages in Sydney just days after an arson attack at a synagogue in Melbourne, which is being investigated as terrorism, Australian authorities said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the latest attack, the second targeting the Jewish community in the Sydney suburb in three weeks, was an “outrage,” and he would be briefed on it soon by a new antisemitism task force. “This isn’t an attack on a government; this is an

The Women Election Situation Room Ghana (WESRG) has described Ghana’s 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections as largely peaceful and conducted in a conducive environment, despite a few isolated incidents. Speaking at a final media briefing on Sunday, the Chair­man of the WESRG, Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, praised Ghanaians for their patriotism and patience during the electoral process. He noted that the voting pro­cess unfolded smoothly in most areas, adhering to the country’s electoral laws. “The Electoral Commission (EC) prepared for the elec­tions with a Voters Register of 18,774,159 registered voters, com­prising 51.6 per cent females and 48.4 per cent males. 13 candidates contested the presidential elec­tion, while 801 candidates vied for parliamentary seats across the nation’s 40,976 polling stations,” he stated. According to Rev. Dr Adu-Gyamfi, who is the Chairman of

The indictment of Indian tycoon Gautam Adani on bribery charges by US authorities has raised questions about his close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and created political fodder for opposition parties ahead of key state elections, analysts say. US prosecutors have accused Adani and his nephew of orchestrating a US$265 million scheme to bribe Indian officials to secure power-supply deals. The explosive allegations come at a crucial time, coinciding with the tail end of state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The charges against Adani wiped out billions of dollars in stock market trading on domestic bourses on Thursday, with Adani Group companies losing more than US$26 billion in market capitalisation. Adani Group shares extended the losses early on Friday, but later in the day made a partial recovery. “The

Getty Images Last year’s Coronation of King Charles III cost taxpayers £72m, government figures have revealed. Just over £50m was spent by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which coordinated the event, while policing costs came to almost £22m, which were paid for by the Home Office. The DCMS described the Coronation as a “once-in-a-generation” moment and the figures came broadly within unofficial estimates, which suggested it would be between £50 and £100m. The Coronation in May 2023 had been described as a “slimmed down affair”, with the Westminster Abbey guest list only a quarter of the size of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation at the same venue in 1953. Being a state event, the Coronation was paid for by the UK Government and Buckingham Palace through the Sovereign

Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has reaffirmed his commitment to building a modern, inclusive Ghana underpinned by transparency, good governance, and digital systems. Addressing Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Accra on Wednesday, Dr. Bawumia outlined his vision to use technology as a tool to transform governance and tackle corruption. He emphasised the critical role of CSOs and research institutions in shaping policy and ensuring accountability.   Building systems for transparency and inclusion   Dr. Bawumia highlighted the government’s achievements in digital transformation during his tenure as Vice President, citing the Ghana Card, digital address system, and mobile money interoperability as foundational systems.   “When we came into office, I focused on building systems that ensure transparency. These include digital identity, property addressing, and

Elon Musk outlined plans Wednesday for his new role as “efficiency” tsar – signalling an assault on US federal spending and staffing that would be backed by President-elect Donald Trump’s executive powers and a conservative Supreme Court. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, the world’s richest man said he was taking aim at hundreds of billions of dollars in government spending – including funding for public broadcasting and international aid – as well as at bureaucracy that represents, according to him, an “existential threat” to US democracy. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who also owns the X social media platform, said that he and Vivek Ramaswamy, a fellow businessman and Trump loyalist, would work to slash federal regulations and make major administrative changes. “We are entrepreneurs, not politicians. We will

In a post on X, Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton decried the ICC as a “kangaroo court” and called Karim Khan a deranged fanatic.” By HANNAH SARISOHN NOVEMBER 21, 2024 17:09 Congressman Mike Waltz speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR) Florida Congressman and incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz slammed the ICC’s issuing of arrest warrants for  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, saying the international court has “no credibility.” “These allegations have been refuted by the US government,” Waltz wrote in a post on X. “Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the

As a fellow born and bred on the Copperbelt in the mining town of Luanshya, I am grossly perturbed and disturbed by the astronomical levels of illegal mining in the country. Copper cartels established by high profile criminals who are veritable Mafias with the wicked schemes akin to the Sicilian criminal barons are now taking hostage of many Copperbelt towns. In the evening we see truckloads of rowdy, insolent and brutal youths loaded on trucks in hundreds of numbers packed like sardines in tins heading for the mines. In the colonial days just as the Kaunda days, there was no illegal mining which is now rampant and almost uncontrollable in the whole Zambia. The founding fathers of Zambia among them Kenneth Kaunda, Simon Kapwepwe, Justin Chimba, Munukayumbwa Sipalo, Nalumino Mundia

Donald Trump picked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to co-lead a new government-efficiency commission. Their aim is to cut government spending, and one idea they’ve floated is to ax federal agencies. Millions of Americans are employed by the US government. Here’s how the agencies break down and what workers make. Elon Musk’s government-efficiency commission could end up costing some federal workers their jobs. As he and the former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy begin to outline their priorities as leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency, created by Donald Trump, one of those priorities seems to be eliminating government agencies. Most recently, Ramaswamy told Fox News, “We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright.” More than 2 million Americans collect their paychecks from the federal government, so Business Insider looked