San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg took the leading social network on a new journey Wednesday, with a live-streamed chat with astronauts on the International Space Station. In a Facebook Live video broadcast shown at the NASA page of the social network, Zuckerberg praised the …
Read More »Professional boxers can compete at Rio Olympics
Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | Professional boxers can compete at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the sport’s governing body ruled in a landmark decision on Wednesday. But it is unlikely to see boxing’s biggest names enter the Olympic ring in Rio — for most professionals, like former …
Read More »More than 2,000 Indians contract HIV after transfusions
More than 2,000 Indians contracted HIV over a 17-month period after receiving blood transfusions, data from the national AIDS body showed Wednesday. In response to a Right to Information request filed by Mumbai-based activist Chetan Kothari, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) said 2,234 people had been infected between October …
Read More »Julius Caesar and Brutus; Tales of Museveni and Besigye
Last week, Andrew Mwenda wrote in his Last Word Column arguing the case for Museveni’s retirement. He further argued that this would be the best way for Ugandans to correctly evaluate his legacy. Not only that, he argued, that should Besigye ascend to power, he will quickly be washed clean …
Read More »Lone voices speak out in Zimbabwe as Mugabe clings on
Dissent is seldom aired publicly in Zimbabwe after Robert Mugabe’s 35 years of authoritarian rule but, against all the odds, individual voices are taking a stand and tapping into anger bubbling below the surface. President Mugabe, now aged 92, oversees a moribund economy, a food shortage crisis and a listless …
Read More »Breakaway Somaliland dreams port will boost independence
Creaking wooden fishing dhows bob alongside each other in the sparkling blue waters of the port of Berbera, a key trade point along one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. But big changes could be coming. While container ships are rare here in the main transport hub of the self-declared …
Read More »Ugandan Cabinet Approves National Fertilizer Policy
The evolution of policy in Uganda is something that continues to tickle many heads. In 2010, Economic Policy Research centre (EPRC) set out to develop a National Fertilizer Policy for Uganda. This was on the backdrop that Ugandans soils were no longer fertile, thus calling for an urgent need of …
Read More »LRA’s Ongwen to go on trial for war crimes in December
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | A top commander of Uganda’s rebel Lord’s Resistance Army will go on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in December charged with keeping sex slaves and recruiting child soldiers, among other crimes. Dominic Ongwen, himself a former child soldier who became one of …
Read More »Habre, African leaders and justice
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | A special court in Senegal sentenced former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre to life in jail Monday for war crimes and crimes against humanity, an unprecedented conviction seen as a warning to repressive rulers worldwide. The verdict brings long-awaited closure for relatives of the up to …
Read More »Why Soroti University Won’t Open This Academic Year?
Soroti University, Uganda’s 9th Public University was scheduled to open in August this year. However, it has come to our attention that the University is behind schedule on most of the requirements for this to happen. Among other issues, are the unfinished facilities none of which has received a certificate …
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