Pope apologises for using vulgar reference to gay men during discussion on homosexuality
The Vatican ban was articulated in a 2005 document from the Congregation for Catholic Education, and later repeated in a subsequent document in 2016, which said the church cannot admit to seminaries or ordain men who “practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture.”
New poll finds South Africa’s ANC support around 42 per cent hours before voting starts
In a Tuesday update of the tracking poll by South African think tank the Social Research Foundation, the ANC’s support was estimated at 42.2 per cent on May 27, the latest day for which data is available, under a scenario modelled for the 66 per cent turnout seen at the last national election in 2019.
History to judge Ramaphosa leader who ruined or remade ANC as South Africa’s political force
If the party loses its majority for the first time in 30 years, as opinion polls predict, some political analysts say 71-year-old Ramaphosa will be unlikely to see out a second term. Ramaphosa was the ANC’s lead negotiator during talks that led to a peaceful end to apartheid, which enabled Nelson Mandela to become South Africa’s first Black president after 1994s historic all-race vote.
President Andrzej Duda seeks release of Polish traveller sentenced to life in Congo
The 52-year-old Pole, Mariusz Majewski, was detained by Congolese forces in February and later faced a military court in the restive nation, accused of spying.
Sri Lanka’s tea producers worried 70 per cent wage hike will turn over market to Kenya, India
The industry must start paying the salary increase from next month, Sri Lanka’s Labour Ministry said on Sunday, warning that plantation companies refusing to comply could be taken over by the government. Implementing the wage hike will cost plantation companies an additional 35 billion rupees, the association said.
$668m Nairobi Expressway run by state-owned China Road and Bridge Corp is a snapshot of how China engages with Africa
Daily average use in March was already 57,000 vehicles, exceeding a 2049 target of around 55,000 set by CRBC in a 2019 presentation on the project’s economic viability seen by Reuters.
Uganda nears yellow fever vaccination target with 12 out of 14 million having received the jab
Uganda, with 45 million people, is one of 27 countries on the African continent classified as at high risk for yellow fever outbreaks. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 200,000 cases and 30,000 deaths globally each year from the disease. Uganda’s most recent outbreak was reported earlier this year in the central districts of Buikwe and Buvuma.
EU consider punitive sanctions against Israel on the eve of Spain, Ireland recognising Palestinian state
Spain, Ireland and Norway plan to make official their recognition of a Palestinian state on Tuesday. While dozens of countries have recognised a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers has done so, and it is unclear how much of a difference the move by Ireland, Spain and non-EU member Norway might make on the ground. The recognition, however, is a significant accomplishment for the Palestinians, who believe it confers international legitimacy on their struggle.
South Africa: ANC’s surprise election challenger evokes past anti-apartheid struggle and is drawing in numbers
That MK party, named after the ANC’s old armed wing, shows how the 82-year-old Zuma is leveraging the past to rally South Africans’ support against the ANC, which he himself once claimed would rule until “Jesus comes back.”
