NEWS ANALYSIS

Raub, Malaysia | AFP | Soaring demand for durians in China is being blamed for a new wave of deforestation in Malaysia with environmentalists warning vast amounts of jungle is being cleared to make way for massive plantations of the spiky, pungent fruit. Grown across tropical Southeast Asia, the durian is …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | “When I decided to come back, my friends took me for a fool,” recounts Clement Ndotizo, who spent a decade in France before returning to settle in his native Central African Republic, one of the world’s least-developed and most dangerous countries. But a “fool”, …

Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | Communist-run but with capitalist leanings, and a friend to both the United States and North Korea, Vietnam will host the next summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un from February 27-28. Like North Korea, Vietnam was once locked in a bloody and bitter war with …

“Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Donald Trump’s much-trailed announcement of a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this month in Vietnam sets up another box-office summit between the two mercurial leaders who were once bitter verbal enemies. As Trump and Kim prepare for their second date, here …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has indicated he could declare a national emergency in order to force the construction of hundreds of miles of border wall to prevent migrants from crossing into the United States illegally from Mexico. Trump is frustrated by the continuing high level of migrants, mostly from Central …

Crispin Kaheru is the Coordinator of the Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CCEDU) which recently wrote an open letter to President Museveni on electoral reforms. He spoke to Ian Katusiime about the issues raised. In your open letter to the President, you talk about monetisation of elections but this sounds …

Bill to align death penalty laws reawakens debate on punishment for capital offenses Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | On Jan.22 a man who confessed in the High Court in Kampala to have killed his wife in an acid attack was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The sentencing of …

Does Makerere university need a CEO instead of a vice chancellor? Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA  | Since he was named vice chancellor of Makerere University Kampala, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has cast himself as a no-nonsense, no compromise manager. His style has earned him several nicknames. The latest is `Ostrich’ …

MAAIF, FAO advance efforts towards regulation of fisheries and aquaculture Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT TEAM | Uganda will soon have a new Fisheries and Aquaculture law, if the proposed Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2018, is reviewed and approved by Cabinet and Parliament. The proposed law is a revision of …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa has rejected reported criticism of its record on corruption by five Western countries, including the US and Britain, who insisted they were only drawing the government’s attention to a serious issue. The Sunday Times reported on its front page that the five countries — the US, Britain, …