Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A one-year microenterprise graduation program targeting the ultra-poor in rural Africa offers a cost-effective way to tackle extreme poverty, according to preliminary results of a new study released in Kampala on Thursday. These preliminary results suggest that Village Enterprise’s integrated “graduation” model—comprised of targeting, training, …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Seven candidates are lined up against Vladimir Putin in a Russian presidential election next month that he is all but guaranteed to win, extending his Kremlin term to 2024 with a fourth term in office. His competitors include a former reality TV star and a …

Parkland, United States | AFP | Florida teen Stacey Sayers says she is on an emotional roller coaster — happy to have survived the carnage at her high school, but overwhelmed by what her classmates have lost. The 15-year-old was one of thousands who honored the victims in a series …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Running with a lacklustre slogan, no programme and refusing to debate his opponents, it sometimes seems like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for re-election at all. But it is unlikely to matter for the 65-year-old strongman who is cruising towards victory and a …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | A former Oxfam country director at the centre of sexual misconduct allegations embroiling the London-based charity has denied organising orgies, as Haiti announced it would open a probe into the spiralling scandal. Roland van Hauwermeiren, who led Oxfam’s team in Haiti, was one of three …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United will be desperate to bounce back in the FA Cup fifth round against Huddersfield on Saturday, their first match featuring opinion dividing video assistant referee (VAR) technology. Defeat at the hands of Newcastle at the weekend left Jose Mourinho’s men second in …

Bogota, Colombia | AFP | A leader of Colombia’s ELN guerrillas was arrested Thursday in Bogota on suspicion of planning two attacks on police that killed seven and left dozens wounded, prosecutors said. Rafael Antonio Botero Restrepo, known by the nickname “Tista,” was arrested in a joint operation carried out …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US Senate on Thursday shot down a series of immigration reform proposals including one championed by President Donald Trump, dashing hopes that Congress will soon decide on the fate of hundreds of thousands of young migrants brought to the country illegally as children. …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The latest round of Ethiopia-led peace talks on South Sudan will wrap up on Friday with a possible agreement that could pave the way to further negotiations on ending the war, the UN envoy said. The talks that opened on February 5 in …

Paris, France | AFP | Liberia’s new president, the ex-footballer George Weah, will visit France later this month and meet President Emmanuel Macron, the Elysee Palace announced Thursday. “This will be George Weah’s first trip to Europe since his election”, a statement said, calling his victory “an exemplary democratic change …