NEWS ANALYSIS

IS denies suffering casualties from huge US bomb in Afghanistan: Amaq Cairo, Egypt | AFP | The Islamic State group denied on Friday it had suffered casualties from the US military’s largest non-nuclear bomb which hit its mountain hideouts in Afghanistan, in a statement on its propaganda agency Amaq. “Security source …

Beijing, China | AFP |  From Twitter threats to Tomahawk missiles, US president Donald Trump’s unorthodox and seemingly impulsive approach to foreign policy has unsettled China, piling new pressure on its hands-off North Korea policy. As tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, Beijing appears alarmed by Trump’s strident pronouncements as …

Xalapa, Mexico | AFP | Mexican reporter Noe Zavaleta has mourned murdered colleagues and received death threats himself, but he refuses to stop working despite the fear. His is the deadliest country for journalists outside of war zones — but with all the corruption and violence, there is just too much …

Paris, France | AFP | Three bombs hidden in a hedge that exploded when the Borussia Dortmund Champions League team passed by proved that no sporting event is now safe from a militant attack, experts said. With the Boston marathon looming on Monday — four years after it was the …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Dramatic improvements are needed in ensuring access to clean water and sanitation worldwide, the World Health Organization said Thursday, warning that nearly two billion people currently use faecal-contaminated water. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year because they are forced to drink contaminated water, …

Chicago, United States | AFP | The chief executive of embattled United Airlines unequivocally apologized Tuesday for an incident in which a passenger was dragged off a plane, and promised a thorough review of the airline’s practices. The apology came after a torrent of criticism of the carrier’s action on …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The rejection Tuesday of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s proposal for extra sanctions on Russia and Syria is the latest setback for a former Brexit campaigner struggling for political relevance. The decision by the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Italy came after Johnson …

Government gets rid of loss-making company, but can new investor avoid its jinx? The government of Uganda has leased Phenix Logistics Uganda Ltd, a garment manufacturer based in Kampala, to a Kenyan-based garment manufacturer – Fine Spinners. The deal which is at un-disclosed amount of money and a 15-year period …

Population survey reveals most sexually active, violent at home and HIV illiterate Ugandans  Do you know that girls from Teso have the earliest sex debut in Uganda? Did you know that the Bagisu and Karimojong do not know that using condoms and limiting sexual intercourse to one uninfected partner are …

But analysts caution it’s too early to celebrate Uganda’s banking industry seems to be recovering from the hard economic times experienced in the previous year as commercial banks start to record a surge in profits amid drops  in Non-Performing Loans (NPLs). Available data from commercial banks that have announced their …