Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi is to become a father for the third time, the Barcelona star’s wife Antonella Rocuzzo confirmed on Sunday. “Family of 5 #Blessed,” Rocuzzo posted on Instagram alongside a picture of Messi and the couple’s two sons Thiago …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  George Weah, 51, emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among young people in his second run for the presidency. Now Weah has a confirmed place in the runoff round against …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  The death toll from a massive weekend truck bomb in a busy shopping district of Mogadishu surged to at least 137, police said Sunday, warning it could rise further after one of the worst-ever attacks to hit war-torn Somalia. The figure was a huge jump …

Weah and Boakai edge towards Liberia presidential run-off Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Former football star George Weah and incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai on Saturday edged closer to competing in a run-off vote for Liberia’s presidency, with three quarters of polling stations counted. Weah now commands 39.2 percent of votes …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  More partial figures released by Liberia’s electoral commission Friday showed former footballer George Weah ahead of incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai as they battle for the presidency. With 33.71 percent of polling stations counted, Weah has taken the lead with 39.7 percent (205,218 votes), while Boakai …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  Somalia’s defence minister and army chief have both resigned, without explaining why, in a potential blow to the government’s fight against Shabaab Islamist militants. The resignations come as Somali security forces struggle to contain attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked group. Defence Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi confirmed his …

S.Africa court clears way for Zuma graft prosecution Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that President Jacob Zuma can face prosecution on almost 800 charges of corruption relating to a 1990s arms deal. Zuma had lodged a challenge at the court …

Nairobi, Kenya | PSCU |  Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed into law the Supplementary budget that allocates  ($116 million) for the October 26 fresh presidential poll and Kshs 25 billion ($242 million) for free secondary education that kicks off in January next year.  The Supplementary Appropriation (No. 3) Act, 2017, also allocates Kshs 6.7 billion …

The Independent ISSUE 491 by The Independent Magazine on Scribd The Independent ISSUE 491 October 13-19, 2017 Share on: WhatsApp

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT| These are the top stories in this week’s The Independent. COVER STORY Has Museveni become Uganda’s problem?: Experts reveal sectors suffering because of President. THE LAST WORD Africa’s real intellectual crisis: Why Museveni is not the cause of the problems of Uganda but rather their …