The initiative was announced in the National Assembly by Foreign Minister Mohlabi Tsekoa, who said it was a follow-up to the 2009 Tripoli Declaration. African heads of state declared 2010 the year of peace in the document.
More.

“There’s a hole in the map of South Africa. That hole is a separate little country, Lesotho, which is where I was riding a horse when it started to hail. As I lowered my head, the horse I was riding lowered his, and he continued stomping through the cornfields.

Lesotho is a country high in the mountains, and up there a thunderstorm strikes nearly every day in the summer. It is a poorer and more traditional place than its neighbor, but within reach of South Africa’s cities. It can be an escape from the World Cup hubbub this June and July. But as the only place in Africa where people live in the snow, it can be cold that time of year, too.

The hail beat against my face and lasted long enough that I began shivering uncontrollably, but just as I was about to break, the clouds did and the sun burst through. I had seen waterfalls and bushmen paintings in caves during my day-long trek. I arrived at Malealea lodge wet but drying now, thrilled but smiling.”
[source...]

KATHMANDU: Nepal and the Kingdom of Lesotho established diplomatic relations on May 17, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

Ambassador of Nepal to the Arab Republic of Egypt Shyam Lal Tabadar and Ambassador of Lesotho to the Arab Republic of Egypt Thabo Khasipe signed a joint communique to this effect amid a function at the Embassy of Lesotho in Cairo.

With the establishment of diplomatic relations, Nepal and Lesotho, both belonging to the groups of landlocked and least developed countries, will promote and strengthen cooperation at the bilateral as well as multilateral levels. No, the number of countries with which Nepal has diplomatic relations has reached 131.

“We’re pleasantly surprised, and didn’t expect this before the third quarter,” says Gilles Moec, a European economist for Deutsche Bank in London. “But the improvement is rather thinly spread, and not necessarily sustainable. A lot will depend on whether the positive activity in exports and consumer spending continues, which may prove difficult.”
[continue there...]

Gap was in for an unpleasant read last Sunday morning.

Splashed on the front and inside of The Sunday Times was the story of alleged illegal dumping of harmful waste in rivers and tips by a factory in Lesotho that makes jeans for the retailer and Levi Strauss.

It was the latest in a long line of fashion retailers to have parts of the supply chain exposed as potentially harmful or unethical in local communities.

However Gap should be lauded for its swift and thorough response to the investigation and it is testament to the industry that such revelations will not go unnoticed and that ethical sourcing is at the top of many retailers’ agendas.

Gap has put the factory in question “under notice” while a full independent investigation is carried out. The decision not to cut ties with the factory should also be praised as many people’s livelihoods will depend on working there.
[continue there...]

Technorati Tags: gaps, lesotho, pollution

Former president Sir Ketumile Masire has accused the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) of being a stumbling block to finding a solution to the political crisis in the country.

Addressing the media in Gaborone on Friday, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) appointed mediator said during his attempts to help solve the political problems in Lesotho since last year, he had identified the government as the main problem – abusing the loopholes in the system and not willing to compromise. He said the opposition was a bit compromising and willing to accept any form of mediation and proposals to break the standoff.

Sir Ketumile said the opposition had filed their complaint with the High Court to challenge the allocation of the seats. He revealed that he was surprised when the court ruled that the opposition had no right to challenge the outcome of elections in court and that it also had no jurisdiction over such matters. “How can the highest court in the land say it does not have jurisdiction over any matter of national concern?” he wondered.
[continue there...]

Speaking to the media in Maseru today, Mr Thahane said the new computerised budgeting and accounting system has resulted to a number of delays in the issuance of purchases orders and cheques in government, as a result of shortcomings in its implementation, especially on making correct entries by officials at the departments.
[continue there...]