NEWS ANALYSIS

Transparency International’s CPI 2018 tracks link between corruption and lack of citizen engagement Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | When Transparency International released its 2018 global corruption perceptions index on Jan.29, it found one damning indictment: corruption is flourishing more in countries where democratic foundations are weak. While releasing the …

Washington, United States | AFP | With Britain deadlocked on negotiating its divorce from the European Union, an unexpected side-front is emerging — the US Congress. Conservatives who pushed the June 2016 referendum that ended in the shock decision to leave the 28-member bloc dangled the prospect of a free trade agreement with the United …

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | A man is set to sue convicted Australian Cardinal George Pell over child sex abuse allegations, reports said Monday, days after state prosecutors dropped his criminal case against the disgraced cleric. Pell — the most senior Catholic clergyman to be found guilty of child sex abuse — is currently in …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled £1.6 billion ($2.12 billion, 1.87 billion euros) in regional development funds Monday in what opposition MPs dismissed as a “desperate bribe” to persuade them to back her Brexit deal. The money for new jobs and training is mostly directed at northern English areas …

Beni, DR Congo | AFP | An Ebola treatment centre in  eastern DR Congo has reopened after an attack by gunmen last Wednesday forced its closure, the health ministry announced. The centre, located in Butembo in the troubled province of North Kivu, reopened on Saturday, the health ministry said in a bulletin. Repairs were also …

Dortmund, Germany | AFP | Borussia Dortmund must overturn a 3-0 first-leg defeat when they host Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday in their Champions League last 16, second leg. Only three teams — Barcelona, Roma and Deportivo La Coruna — have managed to overturn a deficit of three goals or more in a knockout-phase tie in …

New Delhi, India | AFP | As tempers cool after an alarming confrontation between India and Pakistan, analysts say their leaders have emerged stronger — with Narendra Modi burnishing his nationalist credentials and Imran Khan cast as a peacemaker. Some 400,000 people have signed petitions for Khan, the former playboy …

Can Kasekende, Mutebile, Ssekabira, Bagyenda escape?   Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | Fire. Prosecute. Jail. These appear to be some of the recommendations many expected to be in the report that Abdul Katuntu, the Bugweri County legislator and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on a wave of hope that he could defeat Boko Haram Islamists and turn around a country blighted by decades of corruption and poor governance. But while he will go down in history as Nigeria’s first opposition …

  Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Telemedicine has gone way beyond conference calls: new technologies allow doctors to monitor blood pressure and other vital signs — take x-rays even — and assist with operations from miles away. Wireless technology is moving “healthcare outside of clinics and hospitals”, said Pamela Spence, …