6666, United States | AFP | The Western air strikes against Syria probably won’t slow Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s campaign and they certainly don’t amount to a strategy to kick start the failing peace process. They were never meant to. But, by re-focusing Washington’s attention however briefly on Syria’s seven-year-old …
Read More »Trump, allies praise Syria strikes as Moscow seethes
6666, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump and his allies in Britain and France on Saturday hailed their joint surgical strikes in Syria over the regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons, and warned Damascus that another such attack would be met with renewed firepower. Hours later, the allies …
Read More »Left-handers less likely to believe in God
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In a study published in the journal `Evolutionary Psychological Science’, scientists have discovered an interesting connection between atheism and certain genetic traits, including left-handedness, schizophrenia, and autism. It all comes down to the DNA and something they refer to as “mutational load”. Essentially, people …
Read More »Fears grow Zambia hiding debt like Mozambique
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | International lenders and markets are growing increasingly concerned about “hidden debt” in Zambia, a situation similar to the one that plunged neighbouring Mozambique into a deep financial crisis. For several weeks financiers have demanded answers about the level of the country’s true external borrowing — …
Read More »‘Mission Accomplished!’: Trump praises Syria strikes
6666, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump triumphantly declared “Mission Accomplished!” on Saturday following a US-led missile assault on the Syrian regime, and warned another attack could follow if Damascus were to unleash more chemical weapons. The narrowly targeted pre-dawn US-French-British operation, which took aim at three chemical …
Read More »Prof Kiiza to Journalists: Stop being ‘Useful Idiots’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Makerere University political economist, Prof Julius Kiiza, has challenged Ugandan journalists to resist being “useful idiots who parrot the narratives of forces who have formed an alliance of betrayal against the country”. In political jargon, a “useful idiot” is a derogatory term for a person …
Read More »Arab states aim to block Israeli Security Council bid: Palestinian FM
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | A campaign by Arab states to block Israel’s bid for a Security Council seat has gained support weeks ahead of a scheduled UN vote, the Palestinian foreign minister said Thursday. “We are doing everything possible to convince as many countries as possible to block …
Read More »Children wasting away in gold mines in Eastern Uganda
Moroto, Uganda | URN | More than 1000 children in the mining sites of Moroto district are at risk of developing chronic health complications unless proper measures are put in place to stop child labor at mining sites. A report from a study conducted by Platform for Labor Action in …
Read More »CSOs demand update on 2016 Supreme Court recommendations
Kampala, Uganda | URN | A number of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have demanded a report from the Attorney General on implementation of the recommendations of the Supreme Court in the 2016 presidential election petition. The Supreme Court on March 31, 2016 dismissed a petition by former prime minister Amama …
Read More »How do Ugandans remember Idi Amin Dada?
Age differences are a factor in how Ugandans perceive the presidency of Idi Amin Dada, 39 years after the flamboyant military general was overthrown Kampala, Uganda | URN | Ugandans who witnessed President Idi Amin Dada’s reign from 1971-1979 have described the former president as a cruel dictator, while youthful …
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