NEWS ANALYSIS

Russian media cheer over Trump and Putin handshake Moscow, Russia | AFP |  Russia’s pro-Kremlin media reacted triumphantly on Saturday to the first handshake and lengthy talks between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the G20 meeting in Hamburg. The popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda headlined its …

Lome, Togo | AFP | The voodoo follower stood bare-chested with beads around his neck in the centre of the public square in Bè, a working class district of Togo’s capital, Lome. A dozen priests surrounded him as he made incantations, threw soil and water, and gave an offering to …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | BY MERESSA K DESSU | ISS TODAY| For a second time, South Sudan won’t be celebrating its 9 July anniversary of independence. The government announced the cancellation of festivities due to a lack of funding and the country’s ongoing conflict. Indeed, six years after liberation, South Sudan’s humanitarian …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday on the first ever visit by an Indian premier to Israel as they sought to deepen ties beyond high-priced defence deals. The two leaders presented a series of agreements between India and Israel for cooperation on …

Paris, France | AFP |  The costs of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa could double to almost $60 billion annually just 13 years from now, as obesity fuels an explosion of the disease, a report said Thursday. In 2015, the overall diabetes cost in the region was nearly $20 billion (18 …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | The president of Africa’s most populous nation was last seen in public two months ago and since the start of 2017, he’s been outside the country more than in it. Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari left for London on May 7 to receive medical treatment for an undisclosed …

Why government imposed 15% tax on betting winners but cut that of betting houses    Kampala, Uganda |Julius Businge| There is continued debate surrounding the recent move by government to impose 15% withholding tax on winnings from gambling and the reduction in income tax on betting houses by 15% to …

Versailles, France | AFP |  President Emmanuel Macron on Monday promised a “profound transformation” of French politics, proposing to slash by a third the number of MPs, and telling lawmakers he would call a referendum if they do not agree. In his first address to members of the National Assembly …

Why President told world leaders not to undervalue his hospitality Kampala, Uganda |Ronald Musoke| When President Yoweri Museveni successfully convened a meeting of world leaders in Kampala for the first ever UN-backed Refugee Solidarity Summit on June 22-23, his mission was half accomplished. Top on the summit agenda was how …

Doha, Qatar | AFP | A deadline was approaching Sunday for Qatar to accept 13 demands by several Arab states in return for lifting a de facto blockade. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and issued their demands on June …