NEWS ANALYSIS

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has explained results of recent Uganda by-elections, saying the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has done well despite several weaknesses in the party. He however is unhappy with the political behavour he witnessed in some constituencies, where opponents are tuanted and inimidation rampant. “The NRM, …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  From racquet-smashing enfant terrible with a bad attitude and ill-advised ponytail to universally respected sporting role model and modern icon, Roger Federer has come a long, long way. Fourteen years after winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, Federer clinched an historic eighth …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  A whites-only enclave in South Africa has resisted the country’s multi-racial reality for more than two decades, even adopting its own paper money in its bid to promote self-sufficiency. Now Orania, a town of 1,400 established during the dying years of apartheid and protected …

Çukurkuyu, Turkey | AFP | People have come from far and wide to this sleepy Anatolian village in central Turkey to recite prayers, take selfies or just think quietly. The purpose of their visit is simple — to pay their respects at the grave of Sergeant Omer Halisdemir, probably the most …

Kamwenje, Kenya | AFP | Footsteps came first, then unfamiliar voices, the smell of cow dung and the kicking in of the front door. Suddenly awake, John Mbogo wrapped his 11-year-old daughter Tabitha in his arms and rolled under the bed. His wife, Anne, crawled next to them, eyes wide. Torchlight …

Paris, France | AFP | France and Germany agreed Thursday to begin work on a joint fighter jet, a major advance in their relations designed to underline their united front in the face of fracturing Western relations. Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The bombshell revelation that President Donald Trump’s oldest son Don Jr. met with a Kremlin-tied Russian lawyer hawking damaging material on Hillary Clinton has taken suspicions of election collusion with Moscow to a new level. There are several probes into whether the Trump team …

Experts say the interest rates are very high Kampala, Uganda |Isaac Khisa| Micro-credit is fast becoming a darling to millions of Uganda’s population following the rollout of new credit windows between financial institutions and telecom firms. But financial experts are worried that the new products may not create as much …

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP |The consequences of the failed July 15 coup in Turkey increased Ankara’s international isolation, exposing shortcomings in the government’s sometimes overambitious foreign policy, analysts say. NATO member and EU membership hopeful Turkey had expected an outpouring of solidarity after the coup attempt one year ago aimed …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP |  Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of collapsed Bitcoin exchange MtGox, went on trial in Tokyo on charges stemming from the disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency from its digital vaults. Here are some key facts about the world’s most …