NRM, FDC battled eight by-elections but a young untested legislator became the issue Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | This year, 2018, saw some upsets and changes in the political lay of the land as 36-year-old legislator Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine continued to exert his presence on a …
Read More »Nobel laureate Mukwege gets hero’s welcome in DRCongo
Bukavu, DR Congo | AFP | Thousands of people in DR Congo turned out to welcome Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege, the surgeon who helps women recover from the trauma of rape. “We won! We won!” sang Mamy Magasine as she improvised a celebratory rumba in a rain-soaked courtyard …
Read More »Saudi king orders government reshuffle after Khashoggi fallout
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered a sweeping government reshuffle Thursday, replacing key security and political figures including the foreign minister, as the kingdom grapples with the international fallout over critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The surprise shake up saw the appointment of a new National …
Read More »Trump’s surprise troop visit sparks criticism in Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | President Donald Trump’s lightning Christmas visit with US troops in Iraq has triggered questions and criticism in a country deeply divided over Washington’s influence since the 2003 US invasion. The Wednesday visit, Trump’s first with US troops in a conflict zone since he took office …
Read More »Gabon president to speak publicly for first time since stroke
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo will deliver a speech on New Year’s Day, a source close to his entourage said Wednesday, in what will be the leader’s first public address since he had a stroke in October. The 59-year-old leader has not been back to Gabon …
Read More »Brazil’s new government under Bolsonaro
Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazil’s new government under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro includes a star anti-corruption judge as justice minister and a free-market economy minister with broad powers, and sees a third of the slots going to ex-military men. The foreign ministry is to come under a mid-level public …
Read More »Hajji Hussein Kyanjo on politics of honesty and openness
Kampala, Uganda | AGNES NANTABA | Hajji Hussein Kyanjo is a former MP of Makindye East constituency in Kampala district. He was one of the most candid opposition figures in the eighth and part of the ninth parliament, a position enhanced by his moderate approach to legislative issues generally, yet very …
Read More »Trump declares end to US ‘policeman’ role in surprise Iraq visit
Al-Asad Air Base , Iraq | AFP | President Donald Trump used a lightning visit to Iraq — his first with US troops in a conflict zone since being elected — to defend the withdrawal from Syria and to declare an end to America’s role as the global “policeman.” Trump …
Read More »US President Donald Trump visits Iraq
Al-Asad Air Base , Iraq | AFP | President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Iraq on Wednesday, his first trip to US troops deployed in a war zone since being elected two years ago. Trump landed at 7:16 pm local time at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, …
Read More »Early elections in Israel: What you need to know
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel’s government decided this week to dissolve parliament and hold early elections on April 9, seven months before their November due date. Here are questions and answers on where things stand as polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to win despite corruption allegations …
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