Bonn, Germany | AFP | Syria told the UN climate talks in Bonn on Tuesday that it would join the Paris Agreement, leaving the United States as the only nation in the world opting to stay outside the landmark treaty. “We are going to join the Paris Agreement,” the Syrian delegate, …
Read More »Karuma to get skyline facility
Energy minister launches construction of Karuma Dam employer’s facility Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | On Oct. 27, the State Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Simon D’Ujanga, launched the construction of a Permanent Employer’s Camp at the 600MW Karuma Dam. The facility’s cost is part of the entire US$1.7 billion …
Read More »Tanzanian police raid opposition party offices
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian police carried out a raid Tuesday night on the headquarters of an opposition party which recently criticised the state of the economy under President John Magufuli. “The police have just ended a raid on the headquarters of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT) Wazalendo,” …
Read More »Twitter to double tweet limit to 280 characters
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter announced Tuesday it would double the limit for tweets to 280 characters in a bid to draw in more users and boost engagement at the social network. “We’re expanding the character limit! We want it to be easier and faster for everyone …
Read More »Mugabe deputy had ‘designs to seize power’: state media
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was plotting to seize power, state media said Tuesday, the day after President Robert Mugabe sacked him in a bitter power struggle. Mnangagwa was the leading contender to succeed Mugabe, 93, but his abrupt removal appeared to clear the way for …
Read More »Egypt’s Sisi rules out extending presidential term
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ruled out a constitutional amendment to extend his term, saying an election would be held next year and he will not run again in 2022, in an interview with CNBC Monday. Sisi is a former army chief who overthrew his Islamist …
Read More »‘Election was designed to be rigged’: Liberian vice-president
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Vice-President has quietly occupied the executive backseat for 12 years, but in light of electoral fraud he believes snatched away his chance at the presidency, Joseph Boakai is unleashing himself. Known as Sleepy Joe for his propensity to fall asleep at public events, the second-in-command …
Read More »DR Congo vote date: What’s at stake?
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Democratic Republic of Congo has said elections to replace President Joseph Kabila will take place by December 2018, a year later than scheduled. Following is an explanation why the decision is so important for DRC’s political crisis: – Election deal – A mineral-rich country a …
Read More »Apple’s $120 mn patent award from Samsung upheld by top US court
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Supreme Court on Monday upheld a $120 million patent award Samsung was ordered to pay Apple in the latest ruling in a series of legal skirmishes between the top two smartphone makers. The US justices let stand without comment a 2016 appeals court …
Read More »Managing Marburg
How an oddly timed outbreak is testing emergency strategies Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | On Oct.11, a woman died in Chemuron village, Kween District in an Eastern Uganda. She had a fever, headache, and was bleeding from several places. Doctors attending to her had feared the worst and sent her …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price