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While 140 characters may have been more appealing than 700-word pieces, brevity is no longer enough COMMENT | BAJINDER PAL SINGH | Social media are no longer the new kid on the block, but in 2016, platforms like Twitter and Facebook looked poised to nudge traditional newspapers into obsolescence. Following President …

The model of Rwanda, which is a world leader in health-care access and outcomes, should be everywhere COMMENT | SAMUEL KARGBO | In late October, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) confirmed what many had long suspected: millions of dollars donated to fight the Ebola outbreaks …

Why the misery index has a role to play in assessing the state of an economy and success of policy COMMENT | KOICHI HAMADA | The United States, Europe, and Japan are all making positive economic strides. In the U.S, the unemployment rate is falling, and now stands at just over …

Why is country mortgaging her future by relying on external borrowing rather than tax revenue? COMMENT | MUSA MAYANJA LWANGA & FLORENCE NAKAZI | In the recent past, owing to Uganda’s many development needs including large infrastructure projects and expanding public administration costs, government expenditure has significantly exceeded revenue collection. This has …

CRISPR-Cas technology is poised to change the world, but those changes need to be positive  COMMENT | TECHNOLOGY | Antoine Danchin |  Since its introduction four decades ago, genetic engineering has been a source of high hopes for health, agriculture, and industry. But it has also provoked deep anxiety, not least …

  SOUTH SUDAN: The revitalisation process can restore the tainted credibility of key players if they avoid previous mistakes. COMMENT | Duop Chak Wuol |  Countries are created in line with international treaties and norms, and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the deciding factor for any organised society …

INEQUALITY: Unless it is confronted, social cohesion and democracy itself will come under growing threat  COMMENT | Kaushik Basu | At the end of a low and dishonest year, reminiscent of the “low, dishonest decade” about which W.H. Auden wrote in his poem “September 1, 1939,” the world’s “clever hopes” are …

Uganda’s (Africa’s) paradox: Why youth unemployment and urban poverty is a sign of progress  Andrew M. Mwenda | THE LAST WORD | Uganda, like all African countries, has a big problem of youth unemployment. Some figures put it at 83%. Unemployed and underemployed youths are relegated to slums in towns where …

COMMENT | LOUIS GAKUMBA | This is not a feel-good story. As impossible and improbable as it sounds, last month a story broke out of Libya; shocking images of thousands of African immigrants caged behind bars like cattle for auction sale. Emaciated and frail, some were sold for as little as …

What are the seven relationships behind violence on the continent and the way out COMMENT | JAKKIE CILLIERS | Africa will remain turbulent because it is poor and young, but also because it is growing and dynamic. Development is disruptive but also presents huge opportunities. The continent needs to plan accordingly. …