NEWS ANALYSIS

With president Buhari on medical leave again, ambitious figures are positioning themselves favourably for what might happen next. Lagos, Nigeria| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS|  Secrecy creates suspicion. In the cutthroat arena of Nigerian politics, it can also reveal ambition. The ongoing silence around of the health of Nigeria’s president has done just …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP |  The Japanese government on Friday approved a one-off bill allowing ageing Emperor Akihito to step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne, in the first such abdication in two centuries. The bill will now be sent to parliament for debate and likely receive swift final approval, Chief …

New York, United States | AFP |  Roger Ailes, the US media mogul who co-founded Fox News and helped redraw conservative American politics, died Thursday less than a year after he was forced out by a sexual harassment scandal. He was 77. Ailes died of complications from bleeding on the …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Special counsels like the one named Wednesday to oversee the probe into Russia’s alleged election interference are rare super sleuths with more power and independence than regular American investigators. This time it is former FBI director Robert Mueller who will take over the probe …

Paris, France | AFP |  French President Emmanuel Macron appointed his first cabinet on Wednesday mixing Socialists, centrists and rightwingers with newcomers to politics as he pressed ahead with plans to create a broad governing coalition. The new cabinet of 22 people meets campaign pledges of being smaller than its …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  Two decades after Kinshasa gave itself up willingly to rebel commander Laurent-Desire Kabila, his son Joseph remains at the helm of this vast, conflict-ravaged nation although his rule is mired in political crisis. Back in 1997, the country then known as Zaire was struggling …

Washington, United States | AFP |  President Donald Trump plans to hold a press conference with Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday, officials said, as his administration battles multiple crises. The event will be the first time Donald Trump answers questions from the White House press corps since the …

Trump putting US intelligence ties at risk: experts Washington, United States | AFP |  With his shoot-from-the-hip tweets targeting US spies and alleged Oval Office leak of secrets to the Russians, President Donald Trump has damaged White House relations with American and allied intelligence agencies and put national security at …

Tax waiver on brown rice is meant to reduce its price from Shs 4,500 to Shs 3,000 per kilogramme The good news for rice consumers in Uganda is that if the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development sticks to its guns to have unprocessed rice commonly known as “brown …

Kenya’s history of election violence is threatening to repeat itself By Sekou Toure Otondi In April Kenya saw an increase in intra-party political violence following the start of its political party primaries that began on April 13 and run for two weeks. The primaries are “mini-polls” held by political parties …