Burkina Faso’s former President Blaise Compaoré has received a life sentence in absentia for his role in the assassination of his charismatic predecessor, Thomas Sankara. Sankara, 37, was gunned down along with 12 others during the 1987 coup d’état that brought Compaoré to power. The pair had been close friends and had jointly seized power in 1983. Sankara remains a ...

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister has warned people in large parts of eastern Ukraine to evacuate while it’s still possible. Iryna Vereshchuk said that military leaders in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions were asking local people to try to leave and that they were doing all they could to make this happen “in an organised way”. If people did not ...

The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) says the lifting of the ban on the importation of day old chicks, stock feed and hatching eggs will help in reviving the poultry sector in the country. Speaking in an interview with Q-news, ZNFU Spokesperson, Calvin Kaleyi notes that the poultry sector has been grappling with challenges due to the increased cost of ...

Government has bemoaned the continued low levels of labour productivity in the agriculture sector. Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary, Boniface Nalishuwa says the new dawn government has prioritized transformation of the economy and creation of jobs. Speaking in Lusaka today at the Stakeholder Validation meeting of the Draft Productivity report covering the period 2019-2020, Mr. Nalishuwa says ...

Minister of Transport Frank Tayali says the decision by the government to outlaw random Police road blocks did not mean allowing lawlessness on the roads. Mr. Tayali has since called on the Zambia Police to take charge not only to control contravening on the roads, but also ensure that all those that found contravening are dealt with in accordance with ...

The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has challenged the new dawn government to actualize its plan to address the sky rocketing fuel pump price in the country before it creates impact on commodity prices. Speaking in an interview with Q-news, ZACA Executive Director, Juba Sakala says the current fuel pump price has negatively affected consumers and has the potential to affect production ...

The Timber Producers Association of Zambia has welcomed the announcement Minister of green economy and environment Collins Nzovu that government will resume the issuance of timber concession licenses that were last issued in 2017, describing the move as timely. Association president Charles Masange says the issue of concession licenses has been long overdue. Mr Masange says currently, only 42 licenses ...

The Ministry of Agriculture has disclosed that the 30-days in which all permits for the importation of onions were supposed to run has elapsed and the ministry is no longer issuing any such permits following the ban on importation of onions. Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Green Mbozi says any imports that were coming into the country after ...

Leadership Movement Deputy Secretary General, Chalwe Chandalala has expressed disappointment with the UPND Alliance government for alleged failure to deliver on campaign promises. Mr. Chandalala has told Q-news that majority of Zambians who voted for the UPND Alliance did so with the conviction that the UPND was going to address the high cost of living. He says as things stand, ...

Economist Mutisunge Zulu says Zambia’s success in securing an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal will be a precursor to debt restructuring. Mr. Zulu states at the time bond holders and creditors were engaged, they needed some form of surety which is what the IMF support has provided towards debt restructuring. He says the IMF could be delaying to reach a ...