NAIROBI (PSCU) – Direct flights between Mogadishu and Nairobi resumed Wednesday with the first commercial plane carrying 49 passengers from the Somali capital landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) shortly after 1.00 p.m. The re-launch of direct flights between Nairobi and Mogadishu was agreed upon at bilateral talks between …
Read More »Chinese player’s wife raises red card after match gaffe
Beijing, China | AFP | The wife of a Chinese player gave her husband a red card Wednesday for playing away, claiming that spending too much time with his mistress led to his embarrassing gaffe in a crucial World Cup qualifier. Jiang Zhipeng, a Guangzhou R&F club left-back, had a …
Read More »Spanish woman sentenced for Twitter jokes about Franco-era assassination
Madrid, Spain | AFP | A Spanish court on Wednesday sentenced a young woman to jail for posting jokes on Twitter about the 1973 assassination of a senior figure in the Franco dictatorship. The National Audience, Spain’s top criminal court, found Cassandra Vera, 21, guilty of glorifying terrorism and humiliating victims …
Read More »Uganda hails surrender of senior LRA commander
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Uganda’s army on Wednesday hailed the surrender of a senior commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army who was in charge of communication for leader Joseph Kony. Major Michael Omona returned to his hometown of Gulu in northern Uganda on Monday, 23 years after he was kidnapped …
Read More »Ugandan telecoms to deactivate all unregistered SIM-cards tonight
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has ordered telecommunication companies to deactivate all unregistered or partially registered phone SIM-cards by midnight tonight. The order will also affect all pre-activated SIM-cards being sold on the streets. Registration for a SIM-card will from midnight tonight be open only to customers with either a …
Read More »Ghana seeks new dawn for struggling power sector
Accra, Ghana | AFP | Ghana’s new government is looking to fix a crippling power crisis with a complete overhaul of its deficit-ridden energy sector including a boost for solar energy. Intermittent power supply issues have dogged the west African nation since the 1980s and became particularly acute in the …
Read More »Britain delivers letter launching Brexit process
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain formally launched the process to leave the EU on Wednesday, handing a letter to EU president Donald Tusk formally notifying the bloc, an AFP journalist said. Tim Barrow, Britain’s ambassador to the European Union, personally delivered the letter signed by British Prime Minister Theresa May …
Read More »COMMENT: Where has all the water gone?
COMMENT: Surface water resources, such as desalinated seawater or recycled wastewater, will not close the global gap between supply and demand By Yasmin Siddiqi We live on a parched planet. Farmers till arid pastureland, and policymakers fret over empty reservoirs, dry rivers, and thirsty cities. And that only scratches the …
Read More »Zuma asked to stay away from funeral of South Africa anti-apartheid icon Kathrada
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | President Jacob Zuma will not attend the funeral on Wednesday of celebrated South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, who in recent years had become fiercely critical of the government. While most of the country’s leadership will be present, Kathrada’s family asked Zuma to skip the …
Read More »Natasha Karugire, Esteri Akandwanaho launch Isaiah60 Productions
Isaiah60 Productions Announces First Project at Launch Natasha Karugire and Esteri Akandwanaho have partnered to form a film production company Isaiah60 Productions to take part in the unfolding African narrative, by telling a unique perspective of, and from, the continent. The new Ugandan production house Isaiah60 Productions launched its brand …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price