Udier, South Sudan | AFP | Chol Deng, her husband and five children sit, exhausted, under a tree, having journeyed back to South Sudan five years after fleeing their corpse-strewn hometown Malakal. Encouraged by a six-month lull in fighting as a peace deal holds for the first time since 2015, …
Read More »American tourist kidnapped at Queen Elizabeth, Police in hot pursuit
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police and UPDF have dispatched teams to Queen Elizabeth National Park where a search in on for an American tourist and Ugandan guide are reported kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a $500,000 ransom, Police has confirmed. The two were grabbed, after armed men put …
Read More »E-cigarettes haven’t made teen smoking cool again: study
Paris, France | AFP | The rapid spread of e-cigarette use among young teenagers has not slowed the decline in smoking in the same age group, much less reversed it, according to a new study. Nor has vaping caused 13-to-15 year olds canvassed in Britain to see tobacco use in …
Read More »US, China leading race for 5G wireless: survey
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States and China are in a virtual deadlock in the race for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks expected to unlock new services, an industry survey showed Tuesday. The report shows the United States has closed the gap with China in “readiness” for …
Read More »Streaming helps boost 2018 music industry sales
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Worldwide music sales rose by nearly 10 percent in 2018, a fourth consecutive year of growth fuelled by online streaming, according to figures released on Tuesday by an industry body. Revenues reached $19.1 billion last year, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which …
Read More »Seeking justice: the long hunt for Rwanda’s killers
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | The houses along the quiet tree-lined street look just like the normal homes found all across the Rwandan capital. But behind the walls of the three adjoining villas in Kigali are the headquarters of a global operation involving investigators and prosecutors who are working …
Read More »Algeria: from mass protests to Bouteflika resignation
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday, nearly six weeks after the start of unprecedented protests sparked by his bid for a fifth term. His resignation, announced by state television, came shortly after the army demanded the start of impeachment against him. Here is …
Read More »No-one sought justice for Kim Jong Nam: analysts
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The spectacular assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother — smeared in the face with a banned nerve agent — made headlines around the world but two years later its organisers have escaped accountability, analysts say. Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge Monday against …
Read More »Ailing Bouteflika: Algeria’s longest serving president
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Abdelaziz Bouteflika is Algeria’s longest-serving president and a veteran of the independence struggle who has held on to power for some 20 years despite ill health. The 82-year-old survived the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled other leaders in the region. But after weeks of demonstrations …
Read More »Facebook’s call for global internet regulation sparks debate
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg’s call for “globally harmonized” online regulation raises questions about how internet platforms can deal with concerns about misinformation and abusive content while remaining open to free speech. Here are key questions about the latest proposal from Facebook: What is Facebook …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price