China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) focuses on high-quality development, technological self-reliance, green transition, and national security, with goals for modernization and global engagement by 2035. NEWS ANALYSIS | ROBERT LAWRENCE KUHN | With the 2026 “two sessions” concluded and the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) now underway, China has reached a …
Read More »Museveni, Muhoozi court US General to mend Kla-Washington ties
U.S. sanctions have targeted Ugandan leaders over rights abuses, corruption, and opposition repression COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | Last week, a retired U.S. general drew widespread attention in Kampala with a rare, high-profile visit, moving with unusual access through Uganda’s senior political and military circles. During his stay, …
Read More »African leaders call for job creation in mining sectors
Governments in Africa are pushing for local processing in a bid to turn their vast critical mineral reserves into factories, skills and long-term jobs. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Across Africa, governments are tightening export rules and changing mining laws to make sure they keep more value within their …
Read More »Middle East is caught in U.S. manufactured conflicts amid security illusion
NEWS ANALYSIS | AHMED SALLAM | When discussing the escalation currently taking place in the Middle East as a result of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, we must return to the period following the end of World War II. At that time, Washington presented itself to the region as the …
Read More »Bombs or butter, why U.S. Operation Epic Fury ignites public fury?
Pentagon officials revealed that the initial six-day surge of the Iran campaign carried a price tag exceeding 11.3 billion dollars, reigniting debate not just over Washington’s fiscal priorities, but the war’s necessity itself BEIJING, CHINA | Xinhua | What might 11.3 billion U.S. dollars have achieved? It could have …
Read More »Few new antibiotics for children, report warns
Millions in low- and middle-income countries could miss out on lifesaving drugs NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Antibiotic production from big pharmaceutical companies has slowed significantly in the last five years, leaving children in low- and middle-income countries particularly exposed to hard-to-treat infections, according to new analysis. The …
Read More »Unmuted: Court strikes down Uganda’s speech law
TikTokers and X users bore the brunt of the Computer Misuse Act Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Uganda’s long-running battle over digital freedom registered a significant victory on March 17 when the Constitutional Court swept the Computer Misuse Act — one of the country’s most controversial speech …
Read More »Pharma pulls back as antimicrobial resistance threat grows
Currently, drug-resistant infections are responsible for over one million direct deaths per year, with AMR contributing indirectly to more than four million additional fatalities annually NEWS ANALYSIS | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to expose deep structural weaknesses in global pharmaceutical markets, with …
Read More »How tourists are bankrolling Island States’ conservation efforts
Island economies need about US$12 billion a year for climate adaptation but receive just over US$2 billion in international public finance SPECIAL FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | Across the turquoise lagoons and coral-fringed shores of the world’s small island nations, nature is both a lifeline and a vulnerability. From the …
Read More »Why is U.S. struggling to form a coalition in Hormuz?
WASHINGTON, the United States | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has “demanded” several countries heavily reliant on Middle East oil join a coalition to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. A …
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