Ivory Coast’s remarkable surge in rubber production has the country poised to secure its place among the world’s top three producers. With the country’s farmers cashing in, international buyers are climbing in too. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Côte d’Ivoire is on a roll with its rubber production, with …

A landmark project in Uganda empowering 108,000 farmers signals of a sea-change in the use of irrigation in Africa. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | With irrigation-fed farming the norm in much of north Africa as well as parts of southern Africa, there have long been calls for more irrigation …

Kizito’s 6-year-old heart surgery set for Thursday, August 17 Mukono, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT |  The Keddi Foundation has reiterated its commitment to stand with the vulnerable as it committed billions of Shillings to support and care for patients with cancer and heart-related complications. Steven Eric Keddi, the head of the …

Newcastle   vs Villa 7.30pm London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | Aston Villa’s 2023/24 Premier League season begins against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday. A trip to Tyneside comes on the back of a promising pre-season that delivered three wins and three draws, including a 3-3 thriller versus …

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest – 2.30pm Friday Burnley 0 Man City 3 London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | For Arsenal’s first Premier League game of the season, Mikel Arteta has opted to make one change to his side that won last weekend’s Community Shield, with Eddie Nketiah coming into the …

 Kenya leads other countries in ending visa requirements, as Ghana, Benin and Egypt revamp archaeological and memorial sites to attract more tourists. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s tourism is having a moment, two years after the sector was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries are pushing …

Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | Constant delays in the implementation of key electoral and constitutional benchmarks by South Sudan parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement cast doubts on the possibility of holding elections in 2024, the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Thursday. Guang Cong, the deputy …

Vladivostok, Russia | Xinhua | Russia successfully launched the Luna-25 lunar station early Friday, embarking on a historic mission to explore the south pole of the Moon. The station, which does not have a return capsule, was launched by a Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage from the Vostochny …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority is drafting new guidelines to regulate digital lending. Digital money lenders are emerging as the latest innovation to small loans extended through online platforms or digitally but there have been concerns that they are not regulated. But the emergence of …

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buganda Kingdom has commissioned the construction of a private Health Centre in Buddu County to improve health services. The construction is being undertaken next to the former headquarters of Mukungwe sub-county in Masaka city, where the Kingdom will operate the facility at the level of …