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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Time to choose: continuity or change COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT & AGENCIES | When Ugandans go to the polls on Thursday, they will be voting under the watchful presence of the government, with army boots already visible on the streets of the capital, Kampala, a deployment security chiefs say …

 Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | South African actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Thapelo Mokoena will visit Uganda from 12th to 16th February 2026. The five-day visit, organised by Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) and the Ikon Film and Television Awards, is a part of the 2026 Ikon Film and Television Awards roadmap, …

COMMENT | CRISPIN KAHERU | Uganda is, without doubt, the Pearl of Africa. But Ugandans also have a strange habit. We complain and lament about our politics, then boom; we speak in whispers on Election Day by staying home. We write passionate essays in WhatsApp groups about governance, then fail the …

MOSCOW | Xinhua |  More than 1,000 types of new and upgraded military equipment were deployed by Russia for frontline testing in 2025, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov told President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Manturov said Russia planned to showcase a broader range of military hardware in the …

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  President Yoweri Museveni on Monday campaigned in Bukonzo East, Kasese District, where he called on residents to embrace commercial agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing as key drivers of wealth creation and job growth. Addressing supporters, President Museveni said peace and stability had laid a strong …