NEWS ANALYSIS

  Sanlam moves to take-over Lion Assurance: Industry regulator says merger is major boost to local industry Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | South Africa-based financial services firm, Sanlam, controls just 2% of Uganda’s insurance business but it has shown its determination to upgrade its market share with the planned …

Kasoma’s beautiful, environmental friendly alternative to metallic bicycles  Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW S. KAGGWA | Jesus Christ on a wooden bicycle! That is an expression often used to show surprise, shock and disbelief. It could easily come to mind, for example, once someone tells you that there are bicycles made …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libya’s coastguard has rescued over 3,000 migrants aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in the past week, while Italy picked up another 2,000 in recent days, official and reports said Sunday. Though the numbers attempting the dangerous journey have dropped off significantly in recent months, …

What police is doing wrong Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The woman’s body was lying in the bush near a popular boat docking site not far from a barracks. Her skirt was covered in blood. Parts of her hands and on leg were missing. Her husband was in the …

After mayor released quietly, 21 victims accuse security Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | The ping pong being played by security authorities in handling the case involving over 20 suspects charged with the murder of AIGP Felix Kaweesi, his body guard and driver, has renewed concerns of human rights observers. …

Ostseebad Binz, Germany | AFP | Chancellor Angela Merkel may appear to be cruising to a victory in next week’s elections, but her campaign rallies across Germany have been plagued by rowdy protesters who jeer, boo and even throw tomatoes at her. From the western university town of Heidelberg to the …

Tel Aviv, Israel | AFP |  Tens of thousands of Africans who fled misery at home for safety in Israel are living in limbo, fearing deportation though some have lived in the country for more than a decade. Recognising a rising tide of discontent among Israelis over the migrants’ presence …

Fear, confusion as Uganda ‘serial killer’ murders pile up Entebbe, Uganda | Michael O’HAGAN |  AFP | “We keep finding bodies. It was once a month then once every two or three weeks then every week,” said Rose Nakasinge, a middle-aged farmer. “We had to do something.” In a gruesome spate …

Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | A military campaign to wipe out Rohingya insurgents has rained violence down on Myanmar’s Rakhine state, sending nearly 390,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees fleeing for sanctuary in Bangladesh. Around 30,000 Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus have also been displaced, as ethnic and religious hatreds carve through the state. …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | His family has ruled Togo for more than 50 years but President Faure Gnassingbe has in the last week faced unprecedented public pressure to step down. He and his country stand alone in West Africa in resisting calls for constitutional reform, even as parliament begins …