CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Dictatorial tendencies

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has vowed to take severe action against suspected arsonists after a major fire in a market in Lusaka — even if he has to operate outside the law to do so. “If it means taking measures which are unprecedented, we will do just that; some people will have to lose their rights. People who have lost their property have lost their livelihoods. So if I become a dictator for once bear with me,” he said.

Fight malaria, starve ‘grannies’

The new frontier in the fight against malaria — one of Africa’s biggest killers — is not expensive new drugs, but gardening. Tests in Mali’s Bandiagara district have shown that cutting off the flowers from the Prosopis juliflora shrub could decrease mosquito populations by 60%. Prosopis is a kind of mesquite native to South America and the Caribbean and considered a weed in Africa. Researchers think the nectar from these flowers feeds the “granny” mosquitos responsible for breeding; without flowers to snack on, the breeding mosquitos starve.

Civil servants dressed down

Ugandan civil servants have been warned to dress “appropriately” or risk disciplinary action. For men, that means long-sleeved shirts, jackets and ties, while women must avoid braids and hair extensions, brightly coloured nails, and showing cleavage. “We were approached with complaints that, specifically lady officers, were dressing in an unacceptable manner, with mini-skirts and showing body parts which otherwise generally should be covered in Ugandan society,” said a government spokesperson.

Robot rejection