Lucerne, Switzerland | AFP | Switzerland, where gun culture has deep roots, has managed to avoid the charged national debates over firearm ownership that have consumed other countries. But in a state where compulsory military service means many are comfortable around weapons, voters might, in a May referendum, push back …
Read More »‘Ethiopian crew followed procedure, but jet was out of control’
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last month killing 157 people, repeatedly followed procedures recommended by Boeing, but were unable to regain control of the jet, the Ethiopian transport minister said Thursday. “The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by …
Read More »Gen. Jeje Odongo oversees Ssebulime investigation
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Internal Affairs Minister, Gen. Jeje Odongo will head a sub-committee investigating the murder of Ronald Ssebulime. Ssebulime was gunned down by police officers in Mukono district on March 24th after the Information Communication and Technology-ICT State Minister; Idah Nantaba raised am alarm, fearing that …
Read More »Uganda steps up manhunt after US tourist and driver kidnapped
Uganda hunt for kidnapped US tourist enters third day Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Ugandan security forces scoured dense bush on Thursday in the hunt for a US tourist and her safari guide who were kidnapped by gunmen in a national park. “The operation to rescue the tourist is still ongoing,” …
Read More »Smartphone moviemakers take the limelight at African festival
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | “It’s not because you don’t have the means that you don’t dream,” says Guy-Serge Namane, a director at the second Bushman Film Festival, a cornucopia of global smartphone cinema. “Action!,” his assistant director calls. Namane asks actress Berenice Irie, in full make-up, to …
Read More »The Sudanese cartoonist reaching out to the world
Copenhagen, Denmark | AFP | From his self-imposed exile in Denmark, political cartoonist Khalid Albaih sees himself as an “ambassador” for his native Sudan, with biting sketches that aim to unify rather than alienate. His criticism of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, in power for three decades, has made it impossible …
Read More »Manchester City back on top as Spurs party in style
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City brushed aside struggling Cardiff to leapfrog Liverpool at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday as Tottenham opened their glittering stadium in style. City’s 2-0 victory over Cardiff took Pep Guardiola’s quadruple-chasers to 80 points — one clear of Jurgen …
Read More »Facts about Sharia law around the world
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Brunei on Wednesday introduced harsh new sharia laws — including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex — despite a storm of global criticism from rights groups. Although most Muslim nations incorporate elements of sharia law in their legal systems, very few carry …
Read More »S.Sudan holds breath as fragile peace faces crucial test
Udier, South Sudan | AFP | Chol Deng, her husband and five children sit, exhausted, under a tree, having journeyed back to South Sudan five years after fleeing their corpse-strewn hometown Malakal. Encouraged by a six-month lull in fighting as a peace deal holds for the first time since 2015, …
Read More »American tourist kidnapped at Queen Elizabeth, Police in hot pursuit
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police and UPDF have dispatched teams to Queen Elizabeth National Park where a search in on for an American tourist and Ugandan guide are reported kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a $500,000 ransom, Police has confirmed. The two were grabbed, after armed men put …
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