IMF's $2 bn loan provokes Kenyans

Wednesday 14th April 2021 07:30 EDT
 

IMF's $2 bn loan provokes Kenyans

Angry Kenyans took to social media to protest a $2.34 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan to Kenya, arguing that the East African country is already overburdened with loans. Over 160,000 Kenyans have signed an online petition, asking the IMF to cancel the recently approved loan as previous disbursements to Kenya have been lost in corruption scandals and remain unpaid.

Nairobi, however, has argued that the amount is necessary to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce debt vulnerabilities. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani says access to vaccines is critical, and help from the international community is urgently required. Antoinette Sayeh, IMF deputy managing director, said in a statement that “the Kenyan authorities have demonstrated a strong commitment to fiscal reforms during this unprecedented global shock, and Kenya’s medium-term prospects remain positive."

UAE names first woman astronaut

The UAE named the next two astronauts in its space programme, including the country’s first female astronaut. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, named the two astronauts on Twitter. He identified Noura al-Matroushi as the UAE’s first female astronaut and her male counterpart as Mohammed al-Mulla. A government video described al-Matroushi, born in 1993, as an engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co. Al-Mulla, born in 1988, serves as a pilot with Dubai police and heads their training division, the government said. The two will undergo training at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. If al-Matroushi ends up going on a mission, she could become the first Arab woman in space, the UAE government said.

French prez set to shut the college he went

President Emmanuel Macron will announce the closure of France’s Ecole Nationale d’Administration, an elite finishing school that has produced many of the country’s presidents, ambassadors and business leaders, French media reported. The move to abolish what has for some in France become a symbol of unequal opportunity is part of Macron’s drive for a fairer society. Macron himself studied there. A new school will be established in its place with revamped rules for recruitment and access to the highest tiers of the civil service. France’s Europe 1 radio reported that Macron was expected to unveil the move to senior civil servants in a virtual meeting, two years after he first said he planned to close his own prestigious alma mater. The postgraduate school was founded in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to train a postwar administrative elite drawn from across all social classes. With time, however, it earned a reputation for selecting from the upper social echelons and being disconnected from reality - an image it struggled to redress.

Saudi to allow only ‘immunised’ pilgrims to Mecca

Saudi authorities said only people immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round umrah pilgrimage from the start of Ramzan, the holy fasting month for Muslims. The haj and umrah ministry said three categories of people would be considered “immunised” - those who’ve got two doses of the vaccine, those administered a single dose at least 14 days prior, and people who’ve recovered from the infection. Only those people will be eligible for permits to perform umrah, as well as to attend prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The condition also applies for entry into the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.


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