Washington, United States | AFP | The United States hopes to make “significant progress” during high-stakes trade talks with Chinese officials this week, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday. Beijing and Washington have a month remaining in a 90-day truce declared in December before US tariffs on hundreds of billions in Chinese exports are …

Paris, France | AFP | World powers are vying to develop so-called “hypersonic” weapons that travel several times the speed of sound, with France the latest to join a field led so far by Russia and China. Hypersonics are like missiles that travel at over five times the speed of …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buganda Kingdom Premier Charles Peter Mayiga has criticized opinions comparing the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) regime to previous regimes led by Apollo Milton Obote and Gen Idi Amin Dada. The comments come a day after the 33rd anniversary of the NRM Liberation, commemorating the day …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia on Monday launched an ambitious programme which it hopes will attract $427 billion in investments in the industrial and logistics sectors, as the OPEC kingpin bids to reduce dependence on oil. To kickstart the 12-year programme, the Gulf state announced the signing …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the Forum for Democratic Change-FDC Secretary General has tasked Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) to explain its alliance with the ruling National Resistance Movement-NRM party. Mafabi questioned UPC’s link to NRM during the launch of Political Parties Capacity Support Project, which is supported …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s main opposition said Tuesday a violent crackdown on civilians by the new government was worse than anything in recent years under ousted leader Robert Mugabe, accusing Harare of escalating “terrorism”. Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Nelson Chamisa said state repression had reached new levels following scenes of “terror” …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Superstar Dutch winger Arjen Robben is lining up a move to J-League outfit FC Tokyo after he leaves Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, local media reported on Tuesday. The 35-year-old has already confirmed he is leaving Bayern at the end of the season after a glittering career that saw him win …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Andy Murray has undergone hip resurfacing surgery in London, the British tennis great told his Instagram followers on Tuesday. The two-time Wimbledon champion had been weighing up the pros and cons of the operation, which involves putting a metal plate into the joint, in one last bid to prolong …

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | More than 30,000 people have fled the northeast Nigerian town of Rann and across the border to Cameroon in recent days because of fears of renewed Boko Haram attacks, the UN, civilian militia and residents said on Tuesday. The latest mass movement comes as the world body voiced renewed concern …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Police in Spain said Monday they have smashed a drug smuggling ring which used drones to “monitor” police and ensure the coast was clear when they unloaded shipments of hashish on the country’s southern coast. Officers arrested 12 suspected members of the gang in the southern …