Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The US presidential election is only a few days away, but for most Americans worn out by the vicious campaign, the vote can’t come soon enough. “People are always somewhat stressed during elections but I’ve never seen it this extreme,” said Judi Bloom, …
Read More »Obama’s consequential presidency draws to a close
Washington, United States | AFP | History will remember Barack Obama as America’s first black president. But his eight years in office have throroughly shaken up America’s role in the world and the political spectrum at home. “How’s that hopey-changey stuff working out for ya?” sneered Sarah Palin, the defeated …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Nambooze’s alcohol law
ALCOHOL LAW: Do we need laws to sort behavior change issues? Talk to Betty Nambooze Bakireke, the Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament about the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2016 which she on Oct. 05 introduced as a Private Members’ Bill to parliament and you will be struck by how animated …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How Crane Bank fell
ANALYSIS: Why President Yoweri Museveni’s behind- the-scenes-maneuvers to save Sudhir’s bank hit a snag On Oct.10, President Yoweri Museveni directed the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda to find an immediate solution to Crane Bank’s problems with the Bank of Uganda (BoU). Apparently, this was expected to mark an end a …
Read More »Kampala city vendors versus minister Kamya
Kampala city vendors vow to defy minister. Should we support them in fight against politicians, traders? Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) councilors meeting at City Hall on Oct. 24 resolved to allow evening hawker markets on some city streets. The move was a triumph for embattled city Lord Mayor and …
Read More »Angolan state oil company mirrors nation’s troubles
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol rode the commodities boom that drove the country’s extraordinary growth after civil war ended in 2002, but today it symbolises a national economic crisis. The Luanda-based company has increasingly been in focus since Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of …
Read More »SPAIN: 300 days later, the boring plasma PM knocks out 3 young leaders
Rajoy, the under-estimated survivor who wore his rivals down Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain’s conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy won back power Saturday, at the age of 61, after a war of attrition against younger rivals who under-estimated his resistance after 35 years in politics. Just like in 2005 …
Read More »October 31, 1517: What is a Protestant?
Paris, France | AFP | Protestants form a branch of the Christian faith that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation 500 years ago. Pope Francis has nonetheless strengthened ties with several Protestant denominations, and his trip to Sweden to take part in events marking the anniversary …
Read More »Sex, drugs and death: what’s at stake in California polls
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Sex, drugs and death are the star attractions of the November 8 elections in California, there being little doubt that Hillary Clinton will carry the heavily Democratic state. Should actors in porno movies be required to wear condoms? Abolish the death penalty or …
Read More »ANALYSIS: As Xi’s star rises, experts ask if the centre can hold
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese Communist chief Xi Jinping’s ascension to the highest title in the party hierarchy formalises his position as its pre-eminent figure, analysts said, making him the country’s most powerful leader in a generation and inviting comparisons with Mao Zedong. The ruling party’s declaration that Xi …
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