Egypt recruits first female train drivers
The Cairo metro has recruited Egypt's first female train drivers, a novelty in a country where few women have formal jobs.
Since April, commuters on the network's newest line have seen women take the controls in the driver's cab, with reactions ranging from raised eyebrows to outright disapproval, according to the two pioneers.
Source: AFP
–
Kenya's Odinga to challenge presidential poll result in court today -lawyer
Kenya's veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga will challenge the results of this month's presidential election in the Supreme Court on Monday, his legal team said in the latest twist in a political clash that has gripped East Africa's powerhouse.
"Yes, we shall," lawyer Paul Mwangi replied to a Reuters query by text.
Last week, the election commissioner declared that Deputy President William Ruto had won the election by a slim margin, but four out of seven election commissioners dissented, saying the tallying of results had not been transparent.
This is Odinga's fifth stab at the presidency. He blamed several previous losses on rigging. Those disputes triggered violence that claimed more than 100 lives in 2017 and more than 1,200 lives in 2007.
In 2017, the Supreme Court overturned the election result and ordered a re-run, which Odinga boycotted, saying he had no faith in the election commission.
Source: Reuters
–
Somalia: end of hotel siege in Mogadishu, at least 20 killed
At least 20 people have now died in the long siege that took place in a Mogadishu hotel between Friday evening and Saturday night.
For over 30 hours, security forces fought with al-Shabaab militants hiding inside the Hayat hotel and filling it with explosives. Authorities said more than 106 hostages were freed.
Abdullahi Maalin Gaafoow said he was inside with two friends, who got up to leave a few moments before the attack began. The politician described the scene of terror after the first explosions.
The attack started with two suicide bombings followed by an assault by multiple gunmen who entered the building, targeted civilians and later holed up in rooms.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group that frequently perpetrates assaults to try to destabilise the government, claimed responsibility for the operation.
The hotel was largely destroyed during the battle, and its manager warned explosives could still be hidden inside.
Source: The Maravi Post
–
“Africa is open for business, not for sale”
Africa is ready to work with the rest of the world as an equal partner, and will not let anyone dictate the terms of engagement since the continent has the capacity to fund its own developmental trajectory.
Outgoing Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera of Malawi, said this at the 42nd SADC Summit in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“There is no one outside Africa who is coming to build Africa the way we want it to be built. Not the Americans. Not the Europeans. Not the Asians,” President Chakwera said.
Source: Kizito Sikuka, Southern African Research and Documentation Centre
Teenage pregnancy rate in Uganda
Uganda has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 25% of teenagers registered pregnant each year.
According to the Ministry of Health, 25 percent of Ugandan teenagers become pregnant by the age of 19. Close to half are married before their 18th birthday and continue having babies into their mid-40s.
Source: UNICEF
–
At first light, children from one of Kenya's smallest and most isolated tribes put on life jackets and board a fishing boat for the journey across the lake to school. Until recently, they could walk the distance.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 22, 2022
➡️ https://t.co/IWguqIAgEP by @nickeperry for @AFP pic.twitter.com/MhTOA7oShz
–
SADC announces winners of 2022 SADC Media Awards and Secondary School Essay Competition
The SADC Secretariat announced the winners of the 2022 SADC Media Awards and Secondary School Essay Competition during the official opening ceremony of the 42nd Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, which took place on 17 August 2022 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
The aim of the SADC Media Awards and Secondary School Essay Competition is to recognise excellence in journalism and scholars in member states to cover issues pertaining to the region, which promote and deepen SADC regional integration.
Thato Molongoana from the Kingdom of Lesotho is the overall winner of the 2022 SADC Secondary School Essay Competition, and she receives a prize of $1500 (R25 590).
–
Uganda power distributor Umeme's half-year profit up 33%
Umeme Limited, Uganda's sole power distributor's half-year pretax profit jumped 33%, helped by a surge in energy sales across all categories of customers and a drop in its operating costs, it said on Monday.
For the first six months of this year ending June 30, Umeme's pretax profits rose to 92.8 billion shillings ($24 million), compared with 69.6 billion shillings recorded in the same period last year.
The firm said the steep rise in profits was largely on account of higher electricity sales that rose 9% from the same period last year.
There was also a 6.5% drop in operating costs driven by a reorganisation of the business and efficiency gains from investment in technology.
Umeme, which is listed on both the Uganda and Kenya stock exchanges, holds a monopoly 20-year power distribution concession in Uganda that is due to expire in 2025.
Source: Reuters
Drought in the Horn of Africa is the driest conditions & hottest temperatures since satellite record-keeping began.
— MulindwaMoses (@mulindwa_guy) August 21, 2022
Impacting 13 million people currently, women & children walk about 14 km looking for water & animals are dying in hundreds of thousands. This is a climate crisis! pic.twitter.com/DYd44M1X2S
IOL