Around 12,000 people have been urged to leave Canada’s oil sands camps near the fire-hit town of Fort McMurray as a resurgent wildfire heads towards them. A regional official told the BBC that 8,000 people were given precautionary evacuation orders late on Monday, in addition to some 4,000 who had already been advised to leave. More than 80,000 people fled ...

The Bank of Zambia has maintained the benchmark lending rate at 15.5 percent. Bank of Zambia Governor Denny Kalyalya has told a media briefing in Lusaka this morning that the central bank is focused on containing soaring inflation. He says in maintaining the policy rate at 15.5 percent, the monetary policy committee took into consideration that the measures put in ...

Claudio Ranieri was named the League Managers’ Association (LMA) manager of the year on Monday after leading 5 000-1 outsiders Leicester City to an improbable Premier League title. The 64-year-old is only the second non-British or Irish manager to win the accolade after Frenchman Arsene Wenger won it with Arsenal in 2002 and 2004. The award capped a day of celebration ...

Jurgen Klopp, who has breathed new life into Liverpool in his seven months in charge, would seal his place in the hearts of the club’s supporters if he pulls off victory over Sevilla in Wednesday’s Europa League final. It would bring Liverpool’s first European trophy since the famous fightback against AC Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul in ...

Thai authorities are set to close the island of Koh Tachai, saying heavy tourism is negatively affecting natural resources and the environment. The island, off Phang Nga province, is part of the Similan National Park. Almost all Thai marine national parks close from mid-May to mid-October, for monsoon season, but Tachai will not reopen, the Bangkok Post reported. The park ...

Tight security is in place in Hong Kong as the most senior official from Beijing to travel there since the pro-democracy protests of 2014 arrives. Zhang Dejiang, the man responsible for Hong Kong affairs in Beijing, arrives amid concerns over the territory’s freedoms and interference by China. More than 6,000 police have been deployed, drones banned and tall barriers put ...

UPND Chairman for Rural Reconstruction and Development Moono Mapani has urged the government to respond positively to the rejection of the 2015/16 marketing season maize floor price by farmers. Mr. Mapani says most rural farmers have made it categorically clear that the announced K75 per 50kg bag of maize is not enough considering the high cost of production. Mr. Mapani ...

Chief Mukobela of the ILA people in Namwala district says a shared and collective effort by all stakeholders in child protection is needed to eradicate child marriage in the country. Chief Mukobela says the staggering number of children who are married off before the age of 18 is worrying calls for concerted efforts by all to nip the phenomenon in ...

President Edgar Lungu has been called to quickly assent to the Bill operationalised the Constitutional court. The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is urging President Lungu to keep in mind that there are many pending constitutional issues that require the interpretation of the Constitutional Court. YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza says his organization is sad that from the time the ...

The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has urged candidates contesting the August 11th elections to be truthful in their campaigns. FODEP acting Executive Director Mweenge Chifwembe says there is need for all candidates to avoid making election promises they would not fulfill. Mr. Chifwembe has also appealed to politicians to conduct decent campaigns devoid of insults. And Zambia Centre for ...