Posts in category: Uncategorized

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

The Pensions and Insurance Authority (PIA) has implored people accessing funds through the partial withdraw from the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) to re-invest the money into projects with proper returns.

And the authority has encouraged employees to take keen interest in ensuring that their employers remit the funds to NAPSA for them to be able to access the benefits.

President Hakainde Hichilema on Monday this week signed into law the NAPSA Amendment Bill 2023 which allows for the partial withdraw of pensions.

Commenting on the development, PIA acting Registrar, Namakau Ntini, people accessing these funds should ensure they adequately prepare by re-investing in bankable projects with returns which would earn them more money going forward.Ms Ntini explained that the funds from NAPSA were meant for long-term benefits, hence the need to ensure they were not misused.

She said this at a media workshop in Lusaka yesterday held under the theme “The Role of Media in Enhancing Public Understanding and Appreciation of Pensions and Insurance.”

“Now we have NAPSA that is able to allow a access to pensions savings. I am sure you have seen what has been going around social media where people are literally saying can I buy a jet or upgrade myself, but if you really listened carefully to what the President said, these funds are supposed to be re-invested.

Women with chronic hypertension and diabetes who were enrolled in an award-winning program for 12 months after childbirth were more likely to keep follow-up health care visits, which in turn led to improved care, according to initial findings of the program published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.

By TROY MUKUPA

“God rewrites stories and He can use anyone as a vessel regardless of what you or other people think,” says talented Chingola-based gospel singer and songwriter Tracy Kakusa in an interview.

Speaking to the Daily Nation Lifestyle, Friday, after the successful release of “Messiah” a brand new joint on which she collaborated with the talented Alinedi, Tracy said the single was an introduction to the many musical projects she has lined up for 2023.

Born on 22 February from Mrs. Theresa Mukuma Kakusa and the late Mr. Justin D’jango Kakusa, Tracy a graduate from the Copperbelt University and currently pursuing her masters (BSc Production and Operations Management, MBA in project management) gained recognition after the successful release of her two hit singles, “Eko Ali” and “He chose me” which has 2 versions: one in which she featured Likezo and another in which she featured Jubilant.

“The ‘Eko Ali’ song mainly talks about seeking God in our dire moments with an assurance that Ge will be found. Even when situations are hard, we need to hold onto Him and that He will answer us. Jeremiah 29:13 says; “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart”. He Chose Me song is a reminder to the listener that God can use anyone, that God rewrites stories and He can use you as a vessel regardless of what you or other people think as written in Jeremiah 1:5 which reminds us that before God formed any of us in the womb, He knew you and me, and before we were born He set us apart”

“Messiah, the one we just released is a celebrational song. I did this one as a duo collaboration with Alinedi. The song is all about thanking God, Almight, for His goodness. This is a song that has a message of reminding the listener that God is good all the time as He is the same today, tomorrow and the days to come,” she added

With catch verses in this new release “Messiah”, it’s clear Tracy Kakusa aspires to be a force in the gospel music industry as she continues to offload more sought after songs.

A year and half alone in a cave might sound like a nightmare to a lot of people, but Spanish athlete Beatriz Flamini emerged with a cheerful grin and said she thought she had more time to finish her book.

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. The chronic hyperglycemia associated with diabetes is not only inherently dangerous, but it also can lead to various complications, raising serious concerns. Diabetes may be generally categorized as either type 1 (T1D), which arises from defects in insulin-secreting cells that result in the absence of insulin production, and type 2 (T2D), which stems from reduced insulin secretion due to unhealthy lifestyle habits such as poor diet and lack of exercise.

A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH) explores how food insecurity affects the way adolescents and emerging adults practice intuitive eating. Intuitive eating, an approach to eating that focuses on responding to one’s hunger and fullness cues—sometimes expressed as “eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full”—is shown to decline among people living in food insecure households, according to the study.

A recently published article in Experimental Biology and Medicine addresses the mechanisms by which air pollution worsens COVID-19, highlighting the apparent protection offered by a dietary antioxidant, astaxanthin.

A meta-analysis of studies involving 33,541 cancer patients evaluates the relationship between advance care planning and aggressive vs. comfort-focused end-of-life care. The study, led by Kristin Levoy, Ph.D., MSN, RN, of the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Nursing, found a general trend toward less aggressive and more comfort-focused end-of-life care among cancer patients who had engaged in advance care planning, compared to those who did not do so.

Nothing is making sense anymore as the debate rages over the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) mealie meal being imported from South Africa and who is supposed to consume it.

Initially, the assurance given by the government was that the imported maize was for onward sale to the Democratic Republic of Congo.  It was not for local consumption.

But on Tuesday, another twist was added to the story that again begs more questions than answers.

Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri announced that the imported mealie meal would be sold in Zambia’s border towns to ease the deficit of the commodity the country has been facing.

And herein lies our concern.

Will Zambians in border areas be exempted from buying and consuming this GMO mealie meal that Government says is not for local consumption.

Will Zambians have access to the locally produced mealie meal in the border areas while the foreigners buy the imported mealie meal and suffer whatever health issues come up?

Government should come clear on this and explain how it would differentiate on who buys the imported GMO mealie meal in border areas, and being mindful that local and foreign consumers are not easily identified.

Mr Phiri said the GMO mealie meal from South Africa would soon be in the country’s border towns as government has commenced the importation of the commodity.

Mr Phiri says the motive of importing mealie meal was to ensure that the border areas were flooded with mealie meal from South Africa to meet the demand.

“The mealie meal coming from outside, will not find itself in our local stores like Choppies, Shoprite. The mealie meal is for the border areas and we are taking mealie meal to border areas so that our colleagues coming from outside can afford to find the product, buy it and go back,” Mr Phiri said.

Of concern to the public though are reports that the GMO mealie meal is already in the country and has found its way in some township shops in Lusaka.

Government must therefore provide answers how the National Biosafety Authority recently seized 19 bags of GMO mealie-meal from South Africa from a shop in Bauleni Township of Lusaka, being illegally sold to the public.

The shop keeper revealed that they were supplied with 50 bags of the GMO mealie-meal and 30 had already been sold out.

This clearly gives credence to a statement by National Democratic Congress president Saboi Imboela that the decision to import GMO mealie-meal from South Africa may have been predetermined before Government made pronouncements to give permits for the importation of the commodity to satisfy the demand from the Congo DR.

As we noted in our Tuesday edition, the current mealie-meal shortage in the country has yet again triggered a controversial and historical issue with regard the safety of GMO maize and products for human and animal consumption.

The debate on the safety and toxicity of GMO first emerged in 2003 when the MMD administration rejected a consignment of GMO maize food relief aid when nearly 30 percent of Zambia’s population, which then stood at 10.2 million, faced starvation.

The debate on GMO has resurfaced 20 years later and the questions on its safety have again arisen after Government’s decision to import GMO-mealie-meal from South Africa for onward “export” to neighbouring Congo DR and for sale in border areas.

Why must Zambians on the borders be exposed to the controversial GMO mealie meal, are they second-class citizens?

Please explain for it’s is not making sense at all.

A new study from a team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that signs of common infections in a sample of middle-aged and older adults were associated with poorer performance on a test of global cognitive function.