ANALYSIS: Museveni criticised, Kagame unveils fancy party headquarters Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | On June 17, President Paul Kagame unveiled the complex of buildings comprising the headquarters of his party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in Nyagahinga Cell in the Rosoro sector of Gasabo District. The centerpiece of the US$10 …
Read More »G20 summit: The highlights
Hamburg, Germany | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s first G20 summit wrapped up Saturday in Germany, marked by violent clashes outside and political discord inside. Here follows a summary of the main news from the two-day meeting of the leaders of the world’s 19 top economies and the European …
Read More »Putin eyes new era of cooperation under Trump
Hamburg, Germany | AFP | President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that he expects Russian-US cooperation will improve under Donald Trump and that the American president is “very different” in real life compared to on TV. The comments came a day after the pair held their first face-to-face meeting, an encounter eagerly …
Read More »HANDSHAKE: ‘Look at Putin’s thumb, he is controlling the situation, setting its tone’
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 …
Read More »Togo purges its violent past with voodoo ceremonies
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 …
Read More »South Sudan’s independence: nothing to celebrate in 2017
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 …
Read More »Modi, Netanyahu seek to deepen ties on first visit by an Indian PM
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 …
Read More »Diabetes taking growing toll on Africa
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 …
Read More »Calls for clarity over Nigeria’s absent president
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 …
Read More »BUDGET: Will gamble on new betting tax fail?
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 …
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