NEWS ANALYSIS

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | A century after Egypt’s March 1919 revolution, the prominent Wafd party credited with leading popular demands to end the British occupation, has now been largely sidelined on the country’s political scene, analysts say. A one-time liberal opposition force with a mass following, Wafd is considered Egypt’s …

Why Trump and XI policies in the South China Sea could lead Japan to rearm ANALYSIS | Andrew M. Mwenda | As Uganda and Rwanda were preparing themselves for a possible military confrontation, I was in Japan talking to public officials, intellectuals and academics on the situation in the Sea …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday confirmed he will stay in power beyond his term expiring next month, despite tens of thousands of people demonstrating against his rule. Bouteflika announced on March 11 he was withdrawing from his bid for a fifth term, initially sparking elation …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s government scrambled Monday to convince Brexit hardliners to give in at last and back Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU divorce deal, though key opponents were refusing to blink. With less than two weeks to go until a potentially chaotic departure on March 29 …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis met Monday with Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, France’s highest-ranking Catholic official, who was expected to tender his resignation after receiving a six-month suspended jail sentence for failing to report sex abuse by a priest under his authority. The Vatican confirmed the meeting …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | China’s foreign minister lashed out Monday at “abnormal, immoral” attacks on Huawei amid growing concern, led by the US, that the telecom giant poses a security risk to the West. Wang Yi demanded a “fair and just competition environment” for Chinese firms as he met EU foreign ministers and officials …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | For breast cancer survivors, the risk of tumours returning casts a long shadow, with recurrence possible up to two decades after a diagnosis. But new research could help identify and treat those most in danger. Doctors have traditionally relied on factors such as the size …

Washington, United States | AFP |  A new drug cocktail reduces the length of treatment for multi drug-resistant tuberculosis from nearly two years to nine to 11 months with a similar effectiveness, according to a large clinical trial whose results were published in a US journal Wednesday. Nearly 600,000 people …

Here’s what experts know now |The Independent | On March 10 an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while enroute to Nairobi, Kenya. As many as 155 people were killed in the crash. There we no survivors. It was the second 737 MAX …

Health Monitoring Unit responsible but experts say it could be a problem | Heather Marquette, Caryn Peiffer and Rosita Armytage | In September 2017 Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr Sarah Opendi, disguised herself in a hijab and travelled by boda boda (motorbike taxi) to Naguru Hospital in Kampala. The minister …