Franceville, Gabon | AFP | The sky turns from indigo to ebony as the tropical night falls, and the train patiently thrusts through the jungle towards its destination, still hundreds of kilometres (miles) away. The trek has the hallmarks of one of the world’s Great Forgotten Train Journeys — a …
Read More »Blame game as wheels come off India’s auto sector
New Delhi, India | AFP | When India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claimed that a preference by millennials for ride-hailing apps was contributing to a painful slump in car sales, it sparked an online backlash from furious youngsters. They started a campaign using ironic hashtags such as #BoycottMillennials and #SayItLikeNirmalaTai …
Read More »Beyond tooth decay
Why good dental hygiene is important Kampala, Uganda | DAVID MCNAMEE | Most of us are aware that poor dental hygiene can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath – but not brushing your teeth could also have consequences for more serious illnesses. In 2010, researchers from New …
Read More »Why drone operators are considering insurance
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Christopher Darlington is a drone pilot and mechanic. He shoots music videos, ceremonies and documentaries for his clients. He charges between Shillings 300,000 and 500,000 and is glad business is available. Darlington looks forward to the first and last two months of the year because …
Read More »Stanbic Bank, GIZ to upscale SME skilling in Uganda
Small businesses are plagued with numerous challenges including limited financial support, inadequate entrepreneurial skills and low corporate governance Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stanbic Bank in partnership with the GIZ Employment and Skills for Eastern Africa Programme (E4D/SOGA) will support Small and Medium Enterprises trainings ahead of oil and …
Read More »South Africa struggles with unidentified bodies, many undocumented migrants
Searching for lost lives: S.Africa’s unidentified corpses Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | At Olifantsvlei cemetery on the outskirts of southern Johannesburg, undertakers clad in white plastic overalls, boots and face masks take on a grim task: mass pauper burials. They are burying 46 bodies that have been lying in …
Read More »Studies find baby foods high in sugar, inappropriately marketed
Brussels, Belgium | THE INDEPENDENT | Two new studies from WHO/Europe show that a high proportion of baby foods are incorrectly marketed as suitable for infants under the age of 6 months, and that many of those foods contain inappropriately high levels of sugar. WHO’s long-standing recommendation states that children …
Read More »Falling in love with Uganda’s fading glory
How an EU project is creating interest in nation’s history and heritage Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Imagine working in an office which has a very rich history; one where important national agreements were possibly discussed, drafted or signed, in a well preserved building that is over 100 years …
Read More »Najjemba Mbabali: On Museveni’s letter that took four years to reach her
`Serving as a minister was a struggle because many ministers clash for visibility and work’ Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Rosemary Mariam Najjemba Mbabali is a former politician, turned fashion designer and owner of Celebrity Styles; a boutique. She was Minister of Urban Planning between 2012 and 2016. …
Read More »Here we go again: Earth’s major ‘mass extinctions’
Paris, France | AFP | Most scientists agree that a “mass extinction” event is underway on Earth, with species disappearing hundreds of time quicker under the influence of human activity. But this is not the first: over the last half-billion years there have been five major wipeouts in which well …
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