All posts by : Felistas

GIDEON NYENDWA GOVERNMENT has released over K43 million to settle three months’ salary arrears for workers at the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), following a recent strike by employees over delayed payments. Minister of Transport and Logistics Minister, Frank Tayali, confirmed the development after meeting with TAZARA management and union representatives earlier this week. He announced […]

The incidence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)–associated oropharyngeal cancers—tumors of the back of the mouth and throat—is rising. If caught early, most of these cancers have a high survival rate, but about 20% of patients have a poor prognosis.

For millions of people around the world, asthma is more than just a breathing problem—it is a chronic and often debilitating condition caused by the immune system’s exaggerated response to harmless airborne particles.

Microdosing is gaining popularity with a new breed of health seekers. These self-experimenters take a very small amount of psilocybin mushrooms or LSD to try to reduce anxiety, stress and depression. Some claim the practice gives them access to joy, creativity and connection they can’t get otherwise.

BUUMBA CHIMBULU

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS (PwC) has warned that uncertainty surrounding donor support poses significant risks to the country’s economic stability, noting that the resulting funding gap is increasing pressure on other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to intervene.

PwC Senior Partner Andrew Chibuye, highlighted that the outlook for donor funding remained uncertain, with potential reductions or shifts in contributions from key partners threatening the country’s fiscal balance.

Mr Chibuye cited the United States’ recent suspension of foreign aid to the country’s health sector as a clear example of its vulnerability due to reliance on external assistance.

He said this in a recently launched PwC Zambia 2024 Economic Review and 2025 Outlook Report.

“The effect of this has been reduced access to health services as the suspension led to concerns of availability of medicines and other health commodities.

“The cut also increases pressure on other NGOs as organisations like Cecily’s Fund have had to step in to fill the void left by the absence of USAID funding, highlighting the reliance on external support for maintaining health and education services,” Mr Chibuye said.

Mr Chibuye also noted that while the UPND-led government initially introduced tax reforms to stimulate economic growth and improve livelihoods, recent tax increases outlined in the 2025 national budget reflect a shift in fiscal strategy in response to changing economic realities.

He pointed out that the resumption of debt servicing in 2024 had placed additional pressure on the national budget, with a large share now being allocated to debt repayments.

This had raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the country’s fiscal position and the potential impact on essential public services and development initiatives.

“The 2025 budget demonstrates a continued move towards self-reliance, with 80 percent of funding expected to come from domestic sources and only 20 percent from grants and external financing. This shift highlights the government’s commitment to reducing external debt,” he explained.

However, Mr Chibuye warned that new tax measures proposed in the 2025 budget – including an advance income tax on remittances exceeding US$2, 000, higher corporate income tax rates for non-traditional exports, and increased excise duties on betting and non-alcoholic beverages – have sparked concern within the private sector.

Businesses feared that the tax hikes could have a detrimental effect on the economy and private enterprise.

“New proposed tax measures introduced in the 2025 budget include an advance income tax on remittances exceeding US$2, 000, an increase in the corporate income tax rate for non-traditional exports, and higher excise duties on betting and non-alcoholic beverages.

The private sector has expressed concerns over these tax hikes, warning that they could negatively impact businesses and broader economy,” Mr Chibuye said.

Nitrogen-fertilized grasslands may produce six times more pollen than their unfertilized counterparts, suggests a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health. The study also suggests pollen from fertilized grasslands is more likely to trigger hay fever than pollen from unfertilized grasslands.

Would you want a psychopath looking after your pension? Or what about your shares? In a recent talk at the Cambridge Festival of Science, I spoke about the latest research relating to a psychopath’s love of money, greed for power, and willingness to harm other people financially for personal gain.

Artificial sweeteners are being added to a growing number of foods to reduce their sugar content while maintaining their appealing taste. But a growing body of research suggests these non-nutritive sweeteners may not always be a healthier and safer option. So what is our best option if we want to enjoy sweet-tasting foods without the harms of eating sugar?

Plump, pouty lips are everywhere—from social media filters to celebrity red carpets. But behind the glossy aesthetic of lip fillers lies a growing concern among medical professionals.

A multi-disciplinary team of UPMC clinicians has developed comprehensive clinical protocols for managing hospitalized patients exposed to xylazine—a veterinary sedative increasingly found in the unregulated opioid supply. Xylazine has been linked to severe and unique clinical complications, including difficult-to-manage withdrawal symptoms and necrotic skin ulcerations that are prone to infection and can develop into chronic, non-healing wounds.