San Francisco, United States | AFP | Uber on Thursday laid out a vision for on-demand aircraft that can whisk commuters to home or work in a fraction of the time it would take on the road. The ride-sharing giant assessed the feasibility of what it called “vertical take-off and …
Read More »Study shows record-shattering birds stay in air for 10 months
Miami, United States | AFP | A small, dark-feathered bird known as the common swift flies for 10 months on end without ever landing, the longest time spent aloft of any known bird, scientists said Thursday. The findings in the US journal Current Biology confirmed a 46-year-old hypothesis, first offered …
Read More »NMS, CIPLA-QC in court over ‘imported’ Aids and Malaria drugs
The High Court in Kampala on Wednesday summoned the Attorney General of Government and National Medical Stores (NMS) to respond to claims that it has continuously withdrawn money from the consolidated fund to purchase imported anti-retroviral and anti-malarial drugs from a local manufacturer disguised as locally made. Documents presented to …
Read More »Nakumatt Holdings admits they are looking for financial support
Following a series of speculative social media posts, Nakumatt Holdings has come out to say that “despite a number of unforeseen business challenges”, they are undertaking reforms and seeking financing that will stabilize their operations across East Africa. “We wish to reassure all our stakeholders that the business is solid despite …
Read More »IMF chief says Egypt in currency ‘crisis’
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Thursday that Egypt is going through a currency “crisis,” suggesting a quick devaluation to tackle a widening gap between the official and black market rates. Egypt has been struggling to shore up its foreign currency reserves in the political and …
Read More »ANALYSIS: ICC ‘bias’ handy cover-up for African detractors
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Complex diverse political agendas are driving African nations to quit the International Criminal Court, with leaders seeking to cloak the move by reigniting age-old anger at the West, analysts say. Gambia’s announcement that it would be the third country to withdraw from the court …
Read More »Humanity will wipe out Earth’s wildlife soon
Paris, France | AFP | Nearly three-fifths of all animals with a backbone — fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals — have been wiped out since 1970 by human appetites and activity, according to a grim study released Thursday. On current trends, that plunge in stocks of global wildlife …
Read More »Great Lakes leaders want UN force in DRC bolstered amid unrest fears
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Leaders of the Great Lakes region called Thursday for the UN peacekeeping force in strife-torn DR Congo to be bolstered, as fears rise of an upsurge in violence linked to delayed presidential polls. At the end of two-day talks, they called for more contributions to …
Read More »First ladies ‘rock’: Michelle Obama stumps with Hillary
Winston-Salem, United States | AFP | First Lady Michelle Obama brought her star power onto the campaign trail Thursday stumping for Hillary Clinton as the Democratic White House hopeful seeks to conquer battleground states before Election Day. Obama has emerged as a compelling force in the hard-fought campaign, delivering powerful …
Read More »Gordon Brown calls for war crimes probe of Syria school strike
United Nations, United States | AFP | Former British prime minister Gordon Brown on Thursday called for a war crimes investigation of the deadly strike on a school in Syria that killed 22 children. “This is the worst assault on school children among 98 separate attacks on Syrian schools in …
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