Category Archives: Politics

05Jun/23

Mike Pence filed paperwork to run for president.

June 5, 2023 /Politics/ — Mike Pence is a former American politician who served as the 48th Vice President of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th Governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 and as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana’s 6th congressional district from 2001 to 2013. Continue reading

30May/23

Was Bishop Banda justified in criticizing President Hichilema.

May 30, 2023 /Politics/ — Catholic Bishop Alick Banda criticized President Hakainde Hichilema’s press briefing on May 19, 2023, for not addressing the issue of corruption in Zambia. The bishop said that the president’s focus on economic development was “a distraction” from the real problems facing the country. He also called on the president to be more transparent and accountable in his dealings with the public.

Banda’s criticism sparked a controversy, with some people supporting the bishop and others criticizing him. Some people argued that Banda was right to criticize the president, while others said that he was being disrespectful. Continue reading

24May/23

What was Kenneth Kaunda known for?

Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Continue reading

14May/23

Israel at 75: how inept British intelligence failed to contain Jewish independence groups

Steven Wagner, Brunel University London

Before they were Israeli, the Jewish community of Palestine – the Yishuv – had been Britain’s close junior partner. A dispute over Britain’s restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine began in 1939, but was set aside during the struggle to defeat Hitler.

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28Apr/23

Kenneth Kaunda Day

Kenneth Kaunda Day is a day to celebrate the life and legacy of Kenneth Kaunda. Kaunda served as president of Zambia for 27 years. During his time in office, he oversaw the country’s transition from a colony to an independent nation. He was a great leader who helped to shape Zambia into the country that it is today. Continue reading

26Apr/23

The deregistration of the Patriotic Front (PF) would be a serious blow to democracy in Zambia.

April 26, 2023 /Politics/ – The Patriotic Front (PF) is a political party in Zambia that was founded in 2001. The party has been in power since 2011, but lost the 2021 general election to the United Party for National Development (UPND).

In February 2023, the Registrar of Societies issued a formal warning to the PF for failing to update its office bearers’ credentials. The Registrar gave the PF a deadline of 14 days to comply with the law, or face deregistration. Continue reading

25Apr/23

The US reaction to President Joe Biden re-election bid.

April 25, 2023 /Politics/ — US President Joe Biden announced his re-election bid on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The announcement was met with mixed reactions from the public. Some people were excited to see Biden run again, while others were disappointed.
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21Apr/23

Dominic Raab resigns in wake of bullying report

April 21, 2023 /Politics/ – Dominic Raab, the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, resigned on 21 April 2023 in the wake of a report that found he had bullied civil servants. The report, which was commissioned by the government, found that Raab had created a “toxic” and “intimidating” work environment.
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11Apr/23

‘It’s like you’re a criminal, but I am not a criminal.’ First-hand accounts of the trauma of being stuck in the UK asylum system

Steve Taylor, Leeds Beckett University

Warning: this story contains graphic descriptions of violence. Pseudonyms are used to protect the interviewees’ identities.

Angela had already been in the UK as an asylum seeker for nine years and four months when we interviewed her. She was still in a state of limbo, unsure whether asylum would be granted, and her story was disturbing to hear.

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10Apr/23

Good Friday Agreement: the early 1990s back-channel between the IRA and British government that made peace possible

Niall Ó Dochartaigh, University of Galway

In February 1990, in the midst of the Troubles, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness publicly invited the British government to reopen a back-channel used during previous phases of contact with the IRA in the 1970s and during the 1981 hunger strike.

If [the British government] think there is something to be lost by stating publicly how flexible they would be, or how imaginative, we are saying they should tell us privately … there is an avenue which they are aware of whereby they can make what imaginative steps they are thinking about known to the Republican movement.

It was a crucial early step on the road to the Good Friday Agreement.

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