Chemnitz, Germany | AFP | A giant Karl Marx statue towers in the east German city of Chemnitz but, 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell, another political wind is blowing here as the ex-communist city battles the image of a far-right hotbed. Polls suggest that Sunday the region’s voters will deliver …
Read More »Serena routs Sharapova in US Open start, ‘rusty’ Federer wins
New York, United States | AFP | Serena Williams overwhelmed Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 on Monday to reach the second round of the US Open in search of her 24th Grand Slam title while “rusty” Roger Federer rallied past Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal. Six-time US Open champion Williams crushed the five-time major …
Read More »African forest fires in spotlight after Amazon outcry
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | In NASA satellite images, forest fires in central Africa appear to burn alarmingly like a red chain from Gabon to Angola similar to the blazes in Brazil’s Amazon that sparked global outcry. At the G7 summit this week, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted about the …
Read More »Ngbaba, a sport lost in time, returns to battered C. Africa
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Two teams confronted each other on the dusty sports field, wielding roughly cut sticks to whack a homemade puck at high speed. For the middle-aged and beyond, the sight of this rugged game triggered distant memories, of happier times. The sport, known as ngbaba, …
Read More »UPDF’s uncertain future in Somalia
Despite opposition from troop-contributing countries, UN cuts down numbers again Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | July 13. Overnight assault on hotel in Kismayo port city. 26 people killed including a Briton, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans and one Canadian. Some Chinese are injured. July 22. Car bomb explodes …
Read More »Why is China’s currency falling?
Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s yuan has sunk by around four percent in August to its lowest point in more than 11 years on Monday, a decline likely to further exacerbate trade tensions with Washington. Here are five things to know about the yuan’s slide: – Why has the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: The Family’s man
David Bahati links to secret American group revealed Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | David Bahati, the MP for Ndorwa West constituency who is also the Minister of State of Finance for Planning is among the leading subjects of a new Netflix docu-series called `The Family’ which examines a mysterious …
Read More »Silva is ‘One of the best I’ve seen’
Bournemouth, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola hailed David Silva as “one of the best players” he has ever seen after the Spanish midfielder inspired Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Bournemouth on Sunday. City captain Silva was involved in all three goals as the champions clinched their second …
Read More »Sudan’s persecuted Christians eye long-sought freedom
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s Christians suffered decades of persecution under the regime of Islamist general Omar al-Bashir. Now they hope his downfall will give the religious freedom they have long prayed for. Deep within the maze of dusty alleys that honeycomb Omdurman, Khartoum’s sprawling twin city, Yousef Zamgila’s …
Read More »How former ICT Director Kitumba fell out with MAK
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Last week, Eng Frank Kitumba, the former Director Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Support at Makerere University, was evicted from the university house. He was evicted by a team from the University Estates, Works Directorate, security guards and police officers in what his …
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