NEWS ANALYSIS

Marakabei, Lesotho | AFP | Vast white greenhouses sit high up on the slopes of Lesotho’s Marakabei town, hidden from view. It’s not fruit or vegetables, however, growing under the 18 plastic covers, but thousands of cannabis plants. The cannabis is grown legally by the Lesotho-based company Medigrow and is regulated …

Beira, Mozambique | AFP |  Maria da Paz prays silently on a pew near the altar of Beira cathedral. Tonight, as on many other nights, she wants to give thanks for simply being alive. In March, Cyclone Idai roared across Mozambique’s second city, bringing floods that killed more than 600 people …

  New York, United States | AFP | Grigor Dimitrov rallied for a shocking upset of 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer at the US Open on Tuesday, the lowest-ranked New York semi-finalist in 28 years advancing to face Daniil Medvedev. The 78th-ranked Bulgarian, who had dropped all seven prior meetings …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Five people have been killed in a surge of xenophobic violence in South Africa, police said on Tuesday, as President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed to clamp down and the African Union, Nigeria and Zambia condemned the attacks. Hordes of people — some armed with axes and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call an election for October 14 if MPs vote against his Brexit strategy, a top official said Monday on the eve of a parliamentary showdown. MPs from Johnson’s own Conservative Party are preparing to join opposition lawmakers in a …

Macomia, Mozambique | AFP | Aldeia da Paz was once a sleepy place. Farmers went about their daily lives, tending to meagre crops along the road linking Mozambique to its northern border with Tanzania. Everything changed after nightfall on August 1st. “They arrived around seven o’clock in the evening,” said Lucas …

Cases of over 100 deaths raises emotions and questions Kampala, Uganda | JULIAN SABIITI | A civil case in the High Court in Jinja involving an American woman who took in malnourished babies with promises of feeding them into recovery is raising emotions – and questions – after many of …

New York, United States | AFP | Rafael Nadal ramped up his quest for a fourth US Open title Monday with an impressive win over 2014 champion Marin Cilic to advance to the quarter-finals while Alexander Zverev slumped to a four-set defeat. Second seed Nadal — the winner at Flushing Meadows …

Top managers are still engaging the government on its licence renewal Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | MTN Uganda has recorded a 30.5% growth in revenue to Shs765.32bn for the first six months ending June.30 owed to the increase in demand for data and fin-tech services, according to its latest …

SUDHIR CASE: Plan to have BOU pay heavily Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE & ISAAC KHISA | Real estate tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia has won a major case in the High Court in Kampala that could see the Bank of Uganda pay him billions of shillings in costs and compensation for …