NEWS ANALYSIS

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | The deposed leader of an IS-backed faction of Boko Haram has been detained by more radical elements who seized control of the group, three well-informed sources have told AFP. Uncertainty has surrounded the fate of Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi after he was replaced as leader of the …

Beirut, Lebanon | AFP |  The Syrian conflict, which entered its ninth year on Friday, has ravaged the lives of millions of people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Here are some figures: – Victims – The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which …

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Seated with other students on the steps at the Islamic University of Gaza with his backpack, the young Italian doctor-to-be draws looks from passersby. Riccardo Corradini is the first exchange student in the Gaza Strip under a popular European programme known as Erasmus …

Paris, France | AFP |  Attacks on two mosques in New Zealand which left at least 49 people dead on Friday have sparked horror, revulsion and dismay around the world. One of the gunmen – believed to be an Australian extremist — apparently livestreamed the deadly assault. “It is clear …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | With the world’s forests increasingly under threat from climate change and logging, leaders and top bank chiefs pledged billions on Thursday to help reverse the steep decline in Africa’s woodland areas. So far this century East Africa alone has lost around 6 million hectares of …

Tulu Fara, Ethiopia | AFP | From a quiet farmland at the base of rolling hills outside Ethiopia’s capital, the sound of wailing rang through the air. Devastated mourners flung themselves onto a ground littered with business cards, seat covers and shards of aluminium. They cried the names of loved …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Brexit, what Brexit? All four English entrants are still in Europe. For the first time in a decade the Premier League reigns supreme, providing half of the Champions League quarter-finalists for Friday’s last-eight draw. Liverpool were the last to book their ticket, with a hugely …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | In voting against Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce deal this week, hardline supporters of Brexit risked helping those who want to undermine the whole process. The so-called Brexiteers declared victory on Tuesday when the House of Commons rejected May’s EU withdrawal agreement for a …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s business community on Wednesday urged politicians to avoid a “no deal” Brexit after another crushing parliamentary defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May over her EU-divorce deal with Brussels. MPs will Wednesday vote on whether the country should leave the European Union without a deal in just over two weeks, …

But not all agree that Shs25, 000 per month for those over 65 years improves lives Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | “Everybody in Uganda needs social protection,” says Dr. Fred Muhumuza, a development economist based at Makerere University Kampala. Muhumuza was speaking on Feb. 21 at the Irish Ambassador’s …