When Kenyan nursing graduate Ruth Apondi Omondi created Smart Mama as a simple telemedicine platform in 2024, she knew she was bridging a critical gap in maternal care. The 24-year-old launched the m-Health service in Nairobi to give pregnant women the reliable information they need to make better health decisions …
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COMMENT | VANESSA BADRE | Like the air we breathe, peace does not typically command our attention until we lose it. That is why the study of peace is inextricably linked to that of war: it seeks to understand the root causes of conflict and illuminate ways to end or …
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COMMENT | IAN BURUMA | Last November, US President Donald Trump’s administration declared in its National Security Strategy that Europe stands on the brink of “civilizational erasure.” It was an odd claim to make in an official strategy document. Even stranger was the overarching argument that Europe, not China or Russia, is …
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COMMENT | JANINE R. WEDEL | Corruption may simply be a way of life for US President Donald Trump, but it is the defining issue of his presidency. From doling out pardons and policies in exchange for cash donations or favors to encouraging foreign governments and non-state actors to invest in his family’s crypto product, Trump’s corruption …
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COMMENT | ANA PALACIO | US President Donald Trump’s designation by various publications as one of the most influential people of 2025 is not surprising. But it is nonetheless striking: rather than being honored for his leadership – for, say, resolving crises or consolidating institutions – Trump is being recognized for shattering norms, upending …
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COMMENT | BRAHMA CHELLANEY | At a time when US policy toward India has become distinctly punitive, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warm reception of Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi recently could not have been more pointed. Modi’s message was clear: India is a sovereign power that will not be …
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Burundi, Egypt and Fiji eliminated trachoma; Guinea and Kenya eliminated sleeping sickness; and Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Even as funding cuts, conflict and climate shocks strained health systems worldwide – disrupting essential services in many countries – governments and …
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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Communications Commission executive director Nyombi Thembo will at a special press conference Tuesday evening officially confirm a directive to all licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to temporarily suspend several telecommunications services, citing security concerns ahead of Thursday’s …
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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s gold sector has moved to the centre of the country’s export economy, with earnings hitting a record US$5.8 billion (about Shs21.1 trillion) in the year to November 2025, according to Bank of Uganda data. The surge has cemented gold as Uganda’s leading export …
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Pressure to deliver economic improvement for young people – and questions over his succession – will define the president’s seventh term if he wins as expected NEWS ANALYSIS | FERGUS KELL | Ugandans will go to the polls on Jan.15. Two weeks after election day will mark the 40th anniversary …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
