United Nations, United States | AFP | Burundi is not ready to hold credible elections because the ruling party and its allies remain firmly in control of political life and tensions remain high, a UN envoy said Monday. In power since 2005, Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza is leading a push for …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African state prosecutors on Monday said they would next month release their decision on whether or not to prosecute former president Jacob Zuma for corruption. Zuma faces the risk of jail over 18 criminal charges linked to 783 payments totalling four million rands …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Experts gathered in Nigeria’s capital on Monday to discuss ways to stop Africa’s Lake Chad from drying up, after years of environmental decline that has hit livelihoods and security. The two-day conference, organised by the government in Abuja and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, aims …

  Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court on Monday ordered immigration authorities to allow an outspoken member of the opposition alliance to return to the country, after his deportation earlier this month. Miguna Miguna, a firebrand member of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, was forced onto an …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Nearly half of the population in war-torn South Sudan is experiencing extreme hunger, with many more set to run out of food as famine looms, government and UN agencies said Monday. A year after South Sudan became the first country in six years to …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Monday threw his support behind the #MeToo campaign spreading across the country, urging measures to combat the widespread abuse of women and punish offenders. The remarks came as a growing number of South Korean women accused prominent figures …

Barcelona, Spain | AFP | From headsets that help you lose weight without dieting to a smart meat thermometer, here are five eye-catching devices on display at the Mobile World Congress, wireless industry’s biggest conference which got underway Monday in Barcelona: Smart bike lock Tired of bending down to lock …

How many Messiahs can one country take? Kampala, Uganda | DAVID EVERATT | Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa – forgive me, President Ramaphosa – is self-evidently a private and reserved human being. Since his decision to contest the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been the subject of an endless …

Fund’s customer satisfaction rate has grown from 49% seven years ago to 92% as at the end of last December Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Once again, Uganda’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) held its Annual Customer Connect Week with a number of activities including financial literacy trainings, investments and …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Disney’s “Black Panther” sunk its claws into the top spot once again this weekend at the North American box office, taking an estimated $108 million, industry estimates showed Sunday. Following a record-shattering opening weekend — raking in $242.2 million — the frenzy to see …