Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will this month visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are locked in a deep diplomatic crisis, his office announced Tuesday. Erdogan will also visit Kuwait, the main mediator in the Qatar crisis, during his July 23-24 tour. Turkish Prime Minister Binali …
Read More »Macron puts France top of ‘soft power’ rankings: survey
Paris, France | AFP | France has leapfrogged the United States and Britain as the world’s top so-called soft power, helped by the election of President Emmanuel Macron, a study of countries’ non-military global influence showed Tuesday. While France has risen, Donald Trump’s ascent to the White House has seen the …
Read More »Call for Boko Haram peace talks masks ethnic tensions
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | A group of community elders in northeast Nigeria where Boko Haram has waged a bloody eight-year insurgency are urging the Islamists to enter peace talks, a move some see as motivated by ethnic self-interest. The Borno Elders Forum of retired military and civilian officials, all ethnic …
Read More »Boxed in: S.Korea child law sees more babies abandoned
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The young woman laboured up the steps, past brightly decorated walls akin to a child’s nursery, her daughter in her arms. Opening a hatch in the wall, she put her inside, turned around and walked away. She ran her hands over her head but did …
Read More »ARTS: Tasty githeri of art
Exhibition tackles Buganda totems and nostalgic paintings Kampala, Uganda| DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | Githeri is a Kenyan word that loosely means cooking different foods – usually maize and beans – in one bowl. When art borrows the concept, the resukt is a wonderful mixture of different ideas, techniques, styles, themes and …
Read More »VIDEO: Amongi says proposed ammendment of land law is in good faith
VIDEO: Amongi says proposed ammendment of land law is in good faith Kampala, Uganda | NBS TV | Uganda Lands Minister Betty Amongi has defended the proposed amendment to the constitution on land, saying it is meant to speed up government projects. Amongi says many government programmes have been stalled or …
Read More »Football: Boro smash club transfer record for Assombalonga
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Middlesbrough have broken their transfer record to sign striker Britt Assombalonga from second-tier Championship rivals Nottingham Forest for a fee in the region of £14 million (15.8 million euros, $18.2 million). Boro, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, are believed to have …
Read More »VIDEO: Museveni lashes at clergy
VIDEO: Museveni Lashes At Clergy Kampala, Uganda | NBS TV | Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has taken a swipe at religious leaders for what he described as neglecting the core issues affecting people like climate emanating from human activities and concentrate on politics. The President made the attack on the …
Read More »Cardinal unhappy over copyright of Mother Teresa’s sari
Rome, Italy | AFP | The famous white sari with three blue borders worn by saint Mother Teresa has been copyrighted by nuns, and one of the Vatican’s top cardinals is not pleased. “Holy Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a universal symbol, beloved by believers (and) unbelievers,” said Cardinal Jose Saraiva …
Read More »Ailing Kunsa re-applies for bail over pension scam jail term
Kampala, Uganda | SSALI GODFREY | Ailing convicted former Commissioner Compensation Department in the Ministry of Public Service, Stephen Kiwanuka Kunsa has re-applied for bail before the Anti-corruption court, saying he cannot handle prison conditions yet he appealed the court’s decision. Through Isabirye and Company Advocates, Kunsa argues that he is …
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