THIS WEEK: 30 coffee factories closed over unripe coffee Hundreds of coffee farmers in districts of Lwengo, Sembabule, Masaka were left counting their losses after the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) shut down thirty coffee factories last week over alleged unripe coffee. The action has rendered almost 80 staff and …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP |  Nearly a year after coming to power in a contested election, Zambian President Edgar Lungu is facing a growing chorus of criticism over his government’s moves to clamp down on dissent. “Zambia eminently qualifies to be branded a dictatorship,” the country’s religious leaders said in …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  Pop diva Beyonce and her rap mogul husband Jay-Z have welcomed twins, according to multiple US media reports, with two new members joining music’s royal family that already includes five-year-old Blue Ivy. News that the songstress had given birth, which was first reported …

Kigali, Rwanda | PK MEDIA|  President Paul Kagame has been elected as the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) Presidential flag bearer for the Presidential elections scheduled for August this year. The RPF national congress members elected Kagame unanimously, at meeting held at the new RPF Headquarters in Rusororo which the President, who is …

A man who was arrested with SIM-cards he was using to intercept  international calls and receiving them as local calls, has been sentenced to one year in Luzira Prison for electronic fraud. Geoffrey Kasule was on Friday arraigned before the newly created  Standards, Utilities and Wildlife  court,  and he pleaded guilty …

  Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Only two of five Kenyan stadiums earmarked to host the African Nations Championships (CHAN) in January 2018 are ready, a visiting CAF delegation said on Saturday. But the delegation led by CAF vice-president Constant Selemani brushed aside concerns that the 16-team championship, reserved for …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Gabon authorities said Saturday that they were investigating threats by a critic of President Ali Bongo, including an ultimatum to step down before the arrival of an International Criminal Court team next week. The threats included a warning that government buildings had been set with …

Saint Petersburg, Russia | AFP |  Hosts Russia got off to a winning start at the Confederations Cup on Saturday, Fedor Smolov’s second-half goal sealing a 2-0 win over New Zealand in Saint Petersburg in the tournament opener. Russia went ahead in the first half of the Group A encounter …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  The presumed death toll from the London tower block inferno jumped to 58 on Saturday as embattled Prime Minister Theresa May, accused of misreading the growing anger over the tragedy, pledged action after meeting survivors desperately seeking answers. Dozens of people were still missing …

US judge declares mistrial in Cosby sex assault case Norristown, United States | AFP | A US judge declared a mistrial Saturday in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case with the jury deadlocked on whether the disgraced star drugged and molested a woman in 2004, as prosecutors vowed to seek a retrial. …