Presidents of Malawi, Uganda and Zambia call for accelerated action to end child marriage in Africa New York, US | UN WOMEN | President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has emphasized the importance of education for girls and skills training to boost women’s economic empowerment and financial independence in the fight against …
Read More »S.Africa court battle to recognise Muslim marriage
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African legal rights group on Monday took the government to court in a campaign pressing for new legislation to recognise Muslim marriages as legally valid. The Women’s Legal Centre (WLC) said it was lobbying against “unfair discrimination” as South African law does not …
Read More »Turkey defends plan to allow religious marriages amid controversy
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | The Turkish government on Sunday strongly defended a plan to let state-approved clerics conduct marriage ceremonies, rejecting fierce criticism that this would undermine the modern republic’s secular foundations. Turkey is mainly Muslim but officially is a secular state. Under its current laws, even religiously observant couples …
Read More »Football, showbiz stars gather for Messi’s wedding
Rosario, Argentina | AFP | Football and showbiz stars gathered in Argentina for Latin America’s celebrity wedding bash of the decade as Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi prepared to marry his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo on Friday. Pop star Shakira and her husband, Messi’s teammate Gerard Pique, were expected among the …
Read More »In Burundi, unmarried couples have until December to legalise their relationships
In moral ‘crusade’, Burundi forces unwed couples to marry Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Unmarried couples have until the end of the year to legalise their relationships, the Burundi government said Friday, as part of an effort to reform morals in the country. The order follows the launch of a …
Read More »‘Bibi’ and ‘Manu’ Macron: the unorthodox new power couple
Paris, France | AFP | It is an image that will long live in French political memory. As incoming president Emmanuel Macron stood in front of his cheering supporters at the Louvre on Sunday night to savour his election victory, his wife Brigitte took his hand and kissed it, tears …
Read More »Chinese player’s wife raises red card after match gaffe
Beijing, China | AFP | The wife of a Chinese player gave her husband a red card Wednesday for playing away, claiming that spending too much time with his mistress led to his embarrassing gaffe in a crucial World Cup qualifier. Jiang Zhipeng, a Guangzhou R&F club left-back, had a …
Read More »Pope Francis says may consider making married men priests
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Pope Francis said in an interview published Thursday that the church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas faced with a shortage of priests. “We must think about whether viri probati are a possibility,” Francis said referring to older, …
Read More »India eases cash rules for weddings
New Delhi, India | AFP | India announced new measures Thursday to allow farmers and marrying couples to withdraw more money from banks, as frustration mounted over a cash crisis triggered by the withdrawal of all high-value notes. The shock move last week, which saw 85 percent of the cash …
Read More »Marriage and Divorce Bill; 100 years of acrimony, disappointment
By Ronald Musoke 1900 -2013 Attempts to reform Uganda’s marriage laws have been contentious and on and off for more than half a century. On April 4, when the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga halted debate and temporarily shelved the current Marriage and Divorce Bill for at least three months …
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