NEWS ANALYSIS

The racket stretches from officers at the export declaration point at Entebbe Airport all the way to the highest echelons at URA   Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Thaba Investments Limited, a major refiner and exporter of gold in Uganda, is under scrutiny for allegedly evading millions of dollars in …

Each day spent fetching water steals time, education, and opportunity, highlighting inequalities that persist worldwide   NEWS FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | In the vast, sun-scorched plains of Uganda’s northeastern region of Karamoja, the search for water begins before the day has properly broken. In scattered homesteads across this semi-arid region, …

China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) focuses on high-quality development, technological self-reliance, green transition, and national security, with goals for modernization and global engagement by 2035. NEWS ANALYSIS | ROBERT LAWRENCE KUHN | With the 2026 “two sessions” concluded and the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) now underway, China has reached a …

  U.S. sanctions have targeted Ugandan leaders over rights abuses, corruption, and opposition repression COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | Last week, a retired U.S. general drew widespread attention in Kampala with a rare, high-profile visit, moving with unusual access through Uganda’s senior political and military circles. During his stay, …

Governments in Africa are pushing for local processing in a bid to turn their vast critical mineral reserves into factories, skills and long-term jobs. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Across Africa, governments are tightening export rules and changing mining laws to make sure they keep more value within their …

NEWS ANALYSIS | AHMED SALLAM | When discussing the escalation currently taking place in the Middle East as a result of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, we must return to the period following the end of World War II. At that time, Washington presented itself to the region as the …

  Pentagon officials revealed that the initial six-day surge of the Iran campaign carried a price tag exceeding 11.3 billion dollars, reigniting debate not just over Washington’s fiscal priorities, but the war’s necessity itself BEIJING, CHINA | Xinhua | What might 11.3 billion U.S. dollars have achieved? It could have …

  Millions in low- and middle-income countries could miss out on lifesaving drugs   NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Antibiotic production from big pharmaceutical companies has slowed significantly in the last five years, leaving children in low- and middle-income countries particularly exposed to hard-to-treat infections, according to new analysis. The …

  TikTokers and X users bore the brunt of the Computer Misuse Act   Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Uganda’s long-running battle over digital freedom registered a significant victory on March 17 when the Constitutional Court swept the Computer Misuse Act — one of the country’s most controversial speech …

    Currently, drug-resistant infections are responsible for over one million direct deaths per year, with AMR contributing indirectly to more than four million additional fatalities annually NEWS ANALYSIS | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to expose deep structural weaknesses in global pharmaceutical markets, with …