A recent report shows Africa alone accounted for 70% of global mobile money transactions, making it the undisputed global leader in mobile-led financial inclusion. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa is shifting from cash handling in business to digital finance—an upgrade in the quest for financial inclusion, with mobile …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dozens of players at the Uganda Golf Club (UGC) ended Saturday all smiles, as Absa Bank Uganda rewarded winners in various categories after five days of intense golf. The 7th edition of the Absa Bank Uganda Captain’s Bell Tournament climaxed with a colorful prize-giving …

CAIRO | Xinhua |  Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday called for reaching an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave during a meeting with a visiting U.S. official. Sisi made the appeal in Cairo when meeting with Massad Boulos, …

MOSCOW | TASS | Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected on May 19 to hold his third conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump since the beginning of the year. The US president announced the conversation himself on his Truth Social page, writing that he plans to speak with Putin …

GOMA, DR Congo | Xinhua | In Goma, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where war has redrawn borders and scattered families, a hospital has emerged as a beacon of resilience amid the ruins. Now under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, …

BUCHAREST | Xinhua |  Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and an independent candidate, has won Romania’s presidential runoff election, defeating his rival George Simion, according to near-complete official results published Sunday night by the country’s Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP). Dan secured 54.17 percent of the vote, while Simion, leader …

Buvuma Island, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The judiciary, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has held its first-ever Court Open Day on Buvuma Island to engage court users and gather public feedback on access to justice in the area. Presided over by Deputy Chief Justice Dr. …

Government’s misguided plan to turn Uganda into a country of prosperous peasants THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda |  The government of Uganda has been promoting the “Parish Development Model” (PDM). The program seeks to draw farmers from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture and thereby make them rich. It gives each individual …

CAIRO | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump departed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday afternoon, concluding a lucrative four-day Gulf tour, which had also taken him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Despite expectations that Trump’s visit could help calm the conflict in Gaza and ease regional tensions, the …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | THE STAR KENYA | People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has announced that she is on her way back to Kenya after almost six hours of detention at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Tanzania. In a statement on her X account on Sunday, Karua …