Estonia’s digital state didn’t happen by accident and its lessons could help Uganda build smarter public services SPECIAL REPORT | RONALD MUSOKE | On a mild morning in late May 2023 in Tallinn, the medieval capital of Estonia perched along the Baltic Sea, nearly 600 policymakers, digital experts and government …
Read More »Huge impact of U.S.-Israel-Iran war on global food security
CAIRO | Xinhua | The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran is sending shockwaves across the globe and affecting multiple sectors. As attacks between the warring sides continue, shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital global transport chokepoint, has been heavily disrupted. Beyond the energy …
Read More »Uganda’s NGOs at a crossroads as funding and regulation tighten
The NGO Bureau chief says about 7,000 NGOs operate in Uganda, though many have closed or downsized due to funding and compliance challenges Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The future of Uganda’s non-governmental organisation sector is increasingly uncertain, as a combination of donor withdrawal, regulatory scrutiny and operational …
Read More »African telescopes are driving frontier space discoveries
After years of investments, African telescopes are emerging as global leaders in frontier astronomy. From South Africa’s MeerKAT capturing the universe’s most distant gigamaser to Ghana’s radio observatory joining precision networks, the continent is proving it can drive discoveries once dominated by traditional northern-hemisphere facilities. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY …
Read More »Africa’s one-dose cure brings sleeping sickness elimination within reach
A single-dose oral treatment for sleeping sickness is pushing Africa closer to eliminating one of its most persistent tropical diseases. After decades of complex and often dangerous therapies, a three-tablet, one-day cure could allow health workers to diagnose and treat patients in a single visit. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY …
Read More »Foreign envoys, journalists closely watch China’s ‘two sessions’ for policy signals amid global uncertainty
BEIJING | Xinhua | With China’s annual legislative and political consultative sessions, known as the “two sessions,” underway in Beijing, foreign envoys and international journalists are closely watching the event for signals on the world’s second-largest economy’s development trajectory and its global implications. They describe the gathering, during which the …
Read More »Israel and U.S. trumpet their collaboration in war against Iran
U.S. and Israeli military officials are talking as often as 4,000 to 5,000 times a day, divvying up targets across Iran NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | For the U.S. military, going into combat alongside allies is nothing new. For Israel, it’s a novelty. But military leaders in both countries are …
Read More »The Chessboard of Contest – Africa in the age of multipolarity
COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | War, we know, is rarely the product of a single cause. More often, it is born of a convergence of political, economic, social, and ideological pressures. At its core, every war is an expression of what scholars call geopolitical contestation. It is a …
Read More »Uganda’s digital payments test
As Uganda accelerates its cashless ambitions, there is debate about whether it can truly leave cash behind Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Uganda’s financial ecosystem has made a tremendous shift towards mobile money transactions — led by platforms like MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda — which now move trillions …
Read More »Charting a course for China’s growth with new quality productive forces
BEIJING | Xinhua | As China’s annual “two sessions” get underway, “new quality productive forces,” a signature concept proposed by President Xi Jinping, has emerged as a key theme set to shape the nation’s future economic development. While taking part in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the Jiangsu …
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