London, United Kingdom | AFP | The Economist named France as its country of the year on Thursday, saying new President Emmanuel Macron had upset the odds to strike a victory for open societies and reform. The London-based weekly news magazine said the battle between open and closed visions of society …
Read More »Red Pepper editors out on bail
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Detained since November 21, editors and directors of one of Uganda’s most popular tabloid newspaper groups Red Pepper were finally granted bail today in a case in which they face charges of offensive communication, libel and publication of information prejudicial to security. Charles Yeteise, senior principal …
Read More »65 journalists and media workers killed globally in 2017: RSF
Paris, France | AFP | Sixty-five journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2017, according to annual figures published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Tuesday. Among them were 50 professional reporters, the lowest toll in 14 years. However, the downward trend is due at least in part to journalists …
Read More »THE INDEPENDENT: Why BOU bosses’ fight isn’t helpful
COVER Saving Bank of Uganda: Why Kasekende, Bagyenda, Mutebile fight isn’t helpful THE LAST WORD Why our nations remain poor: African elites are victims of their own delusions about distorted history of developed countries. POLITICS Justice Kasule’s decent proposal on elections: Why not have regional Supreme Court to decide petitions? …
Read More »Net giants ‘must pay for news’ from which they make billions
Paris, France | AFP | Nine European press agencies, including AFP, called Wednesday on internet giants to be forced to pay copyright for using news content on which they make vast profits. The call comes as the EU is debating a directive to make Facebook, Google, Twitter and other major …
Read More »Donald Trump bungles, again
Kampala, Uganda |THE INDEPENDENT | Just hours after British Prime Minister Theresa May had said it was “wrong” of the U.S. President Donald Trump to re-tweet three anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-Right group, Trump duly fired off his response on Twitter. In his haste to tweet his testy riposte, …
Read More »Time names sexual abuse ‘Silence Breakers’ as Person of the Year
New York, United States | AFP | Time magazine named as Person of the Year Wednesday “the silence breakers” who triggered a national reckoning by revealing the pervasiveness of sexual harassment, assault and abuse in US life. President Donald Trump was runner-up in the prestigious ranking, ahead of his Chinese …
Read More »No bail yet for Red Pepper editors
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The editors and directors of one of Uganda’s most popular tabloid newspaper groups Red Pepper will remain remanded until December 19 when Buganda Road Court will consider their bail appeal. The editors and directors were detained on November 21 over what authorities called a fake …
Read More »Trump’s war on CNN takes on new significance in merger debate
New York, United States | AFP | The war between Donald Trump and CNN has taken a new turn with the government’s challenge to a tie-up between AT&T and the cable news channel’s parent firm Time Warner. Even as his Justice Department moved to block the deal, the president has stepped …
Read More »Brazzaville: Journalists attacked meeting opposition lawyers
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A group of plainclothes men attacked journalists in the Republic of the Congo on Thursday as they tried to attend a press conference held by the legal team of a jailed opposition figure, an AFP correspondent said. The assault took place outside the offices of …
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