Beijing, China | AFP |  A key gauge of China’s debt has reached its highest level on record, setting off alarm bells of imminent risk to the banking system, a Swiss banking watchdog reported. China’s credit-to-GDP gap reached 30.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016, its highest level ever …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s ruling United Russia party has cruised to an easy victory in parliamentary polls that could pave the way for President Vladimir Putin to glide to a fourth term in 2018 elections, partial results showed. Sunday’s ballot for the 450-seat State Duma was smooth sailing …

Anand, India | AFP | At a hostel for dozens of pregnant women, impoverished widow Sharmila Mackwan weighs up her decision to carry twins for another couple — her only ticket out of poverty — as the government moves to close India’s multi-million dollar surrogacy industry. She has left her …

Businessman and author Andrew Rugasira has promised major reforms as he announced his intention to stand for president of what he has described as an ineffective Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI). “The chamber is a far cry from its original mandate. It is institutionally ineffective, and it has …

COMMENT: By Ogenga Latigo Should an MP usurp the mandate and duty of the government to table an amendment of the Constitution? The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, onAug. 25 allowed a motion to permit a very ordinary Ugandan, Nakifuma County MP Kafeero Ssekitoleko, to introduce a “Private Members …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Sudan on Sunday threatened to shut its border with South Sudan used by refugees fleeing conflict if Juba failed to “fulfil its commitment” of expelling insurgent groups battling Khartoum. South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011 under a peace deal that ended a 22-year civil …

VIDEO: The construction of the multi-billion new Jinja Nile Bridge is on schedule according to contractors. The project now stands at 40% and is expected to be completed by 2018. The new Jinja Bridge is expected to boost transport network, promote tourism and economic transformation in the Northern Corridor.   …

Montreal, Canada | AFP |  Through his foundation, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is the top nongovernmental donor to the Global Fund against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with plans to give $600 million between 2017-2019. In an interview with AFP, Gates said the Global Fund’s successes have given him hope, even …

The Uganda Bankers Association has appointed Wilbrod Humphreys Owor as it new executive director. He takes over from Emmanuel Kikoni who has steered the association over the last 16 years. Owor, formerly the managing director of United Bank of Africa-Uganda, comes with 25 years of working experience spanning across key …

New York, United States | AFP |  An explosion rocked one of the most fashionable neighborhoods of New York on Saturday night, injuring 29 people, one seriously, a week after America’s financial capital marked the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated the blast was not …