Just as 16th century Europe needed African gold, 21st century Europe needs African migrants COMMENT | IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI | In October, the European Union announced a plan to invest €40 billion ($47.6 billion) in Africa, a “Marshall Plan” for the continent that would boost economic growth, create jobs, and, ultimately, …
Read More »White House blames North Korea for cyberattack
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Tuesday publicly accused North Korea of launching a massive cyberattack that hit 150 countries last May — hobbling networks from Britain’s public health system to FedEx. “After careful investigation, the United States is publicly attributing the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to …
Read More »RWANDA: Report corruption, PM Ngirente urges
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda is renowned world-over for its tough and successful anti-corruption management. But to mark this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day on December 08, the government renewed its call to itizens to break the silence on the still lingering pockets of graft in the country. Speaking at …
Read More »COMMENT: Burundi peace talks
Why it would be a miracle if the recent round of talks yielded the inclusive, sustainable peace the country needs COMMENT | CARINE N. KANEZA | Burundi has been gripped by unrest since April 2015; triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s pursuit of a third term. The crisis has led to protests, …
Read More »Austria’s Sebastian Kurz, the world’s youngest leader at 31
Vienna, Austria | AFP | “Whizz-kid”, “Basti Fantasti” and “Messiah” are just some of the monikers given to new Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, 31, as of Monday the world’s youngest leader. His conservative People’s Party (OeVP), revamped by Kurz as a more hardline “movement”, agreed late on Friday a coalition …
Read More »Why not have an East African Supreme Court to decide?
Justice Kasule’s decent proposal on presidential election petitions Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Two weeks after Kenya’s repeat election held on Oct.26, Justice Remmy Kasule of Uganda’s Constitution Court, bounced a novel idea off another distinguished legal brain in the region— Dr. Willy Mutunga, former chief justice of Kenya. Justice …
Read More »Why our nations remain poor
African elites are victims of their own delusions about distorted history of developed countries THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Dec.01, I attended the Joseph Mubiru Memorial Lecture hosted by Bank of Uganda and featuring Prof. Ha Joon Chang of the University of Cambridge. A brilliant economist lecturer, …
Read More »Could the ANC lose power in S.Africa?
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s ANC party, the celebrated political force that led the struggle against apartheid rule and ushered in democracy, has begun electing a new leader — but it faces a perilous future. The risk of losing power at the 2019 general elections has loomed …
Read More »S.Africa’s ANC elects new chief – who else is in the race?
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Seven candidates are battling to succeed President Jacob Zuma as the leader of the African National Congress at the party’s conference starting Saturday. Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa and ex-African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma are the frontrunners in a divisive race. Here are portraits of five …
Read More »‘Enigmatic’ ex-wife of S.Africa’s Zuma vies for power
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a front-runner in the race for South Africa’s ruling party leadership, faces difficulty distancing herself from her tarnished ex-husband President Jacob Zuma. Dlamini-Zuma is an African National Congress (ANC) veteran and an experienced technocrat who has served as a minister under every …
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