Lawmakers in Kenya impeach deputy president
Kenya’s parliament voted on Tuesday to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on charges including enriching himself and stirring ethnic hatred.
Moses Wetang’ula, Kenya’s National Assembly speaker, made this known in proceedings broadcast on state television on Tuesday.
“According to the results … of the motion that I’ve just declared, a total of 281 members being more than two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly have voted in support of the motion,” Wetang’ula said.
The motion will be forwarded to the Senate for further hearings before a vote is taken on a final decision.
Anti-LGBTQ laws cost Uganda $1.6 billion in 12 months
A new study found that Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ laws have cost the nation up to $1.6 billion since being introduced. These losses include foreign direct investment, international aid, trade and tourism and could total as much as 3.2% of GDP.
This is according to a report by Open for Business, a coalition of global companies including American Express Co., AT&T Inc., and Virgin Group Ltd.
Uganda rolled out this controversial legislation in May last year. It includes life imprisonment for certain sexual acts and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” — defined in part as engaging in sex if one is HIV-positive. Soon after the enactment of the law, the World Bank — long Uganda’s biggest provider of budget support — halted new loans to the East African nation because the act contradicts its values.
Open for Business believes that combined losses over a five-year period could rise to a range of $2.3 billion to $8.3 billion.
Netanyahu warns Lebanon of ‘destruction like Gaza’
Israel’s prime minister has urged the Lebanese people to throw out Hezbollah and avoid “destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza”.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s appeal on Tuesday came as Israel expanded its invasion against Hezbollah by sending thousands more troops into a new zone in south-west Lebanon. It also said 50 Hezbollah members were killed in air strikes on Monday.
The Lebanese health ministry said 36 people were killed and 150 injured in Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched barrages of rockets towards the Israeli port of Haifa for the third consecutive day, injuring 12 people.
Brazil lifts ban on Elon Musk’s X platform
Brazil’s Supreme Court has lifted a ban on Elon Musk’s X after the platform was blocked amid a dispute over disinformation.
“I authorise the immediate return of the activities” of X, Judge Alexandre de Moraes said in his ruling, after the company paid millions of dollars in fines for failing to comply with a series of court orders. He gave Brazil’s communications regulator 24 hours to make the platform accessible again.
Through its Global Affairs account, X said it was proud to return to Brazil, adding that it would “continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law” in the countries where it operates.
The platform formerly known as Twitter was suspended in Brazil, one of its largest and most-coveted markets, at the end of August in a standoff over online disinformation related to Brazil’s 2022 election campaign. X had also failed to name a legal representative in the country, as required by law.
Nigeria’s capital import declined by 22% in Q2 2024
Nigeria’s capital importation experienced a significant decline in the second quarter of 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Capital ImportationCapital Importation report.
The figures show a 22.85% drop from $3.37 billion in the first quarter to $2.60 billion. Despite this quarter-on-quarter decrease, the current figure represents a substantial year-on-year increase of 152.8% from $1.03 billion in the same period last year.
Portfolio Investment emerged as the leading type of capital import, accounting for 53.93% of the total at $1.40 billion. Other investments totalled $1.169 billion, making up 44.92%. Within this category, loans dominated, constituting a staggering 98.6% at $1.15 billion, while other claims received a modest $16 million during the quarter.
Breaking down the Portfolio Investment category, money market instruments took the largest share at $1.07 billion, representing 76.6% of total foreign portfolio investment. Bonds accounted for 12.6% at $177.79 million, while equities contributed 10.67% at $149.93 million. However, the report noted a quarter-on-quarter decline in capital imports for both bonds and money market instruments. Foreign capital inflow into bonds saw a sharp decline of 57.75%, while money market instruments experienced a 32.92% drop compared to the first quarter of 2024.
Mozambique ruling party likely to win elections despite dissatisfied youth
Voters in Mozambique go to the polls on Wednesday against a backdrop of anger and frustration at state corruption and a long-running jihadi insurgency that has pushed more than 1 million people from their homes and derailed a $20bn gas project.
However, the ruling Frelimo party is expected to win easily, even as an outsider candidate is shaking up the presidential race and winning over young voters. Mozambique’s median age is just 17.
Frelimo has ruled the southern African country since the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975. For the first time, it is fielding a presidential candidate born after independence, Daniel Chapo, a provincial governor who was relatively unknown until being picked in May as the candidate to succeed the outgoing president, Filipe Nyusi. Few expect them to relinquish control. Moreover, Frelimo dominates the electoral machinery, including the electoral commission.
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