Paris, France | AFP | China’s investment strategy of throwing money at developing countries appears to have hit a snag in the Republic of Congo as the central African nation is seeking an IMF bailout. While the funding it provided to Congo wasn’t part of the Belt and Road Initiative …
Read More »US military spending up for first time in 7 years: Sipri
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | US military spending has risen for the first time in seven years, reflecting Trump administration policy, according to a new report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Worldwide military spending also rose by 2.6 percent to $1.8 trillion overall last year, …
Read More »Gov’t turns to China for Akii Bua stadium funding
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has resorted to seeking financial assistance from China for the construction of Akii Bua Olympic Stadium. This was revealed on Thursday as officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports led by the Minister Janet Museveni appeared before parliament’s Education Committee to …
Read More »Japanese versus European colonialism
How Japanese colonialism in East Asia was transformative compared to its European counterpart in Africa Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW M. MWENDA | I spent about ten days between late February and early March in Japan; talking to government officials, academics in universities, policy wonks in think tanks, tasting Japanese cuisine, …
Read More »Battle for space more stealth than Star Wars
Colorado Springs, United States | AFP | At tens of thousands of kilometers above the Earth, a Russian satellite slowly approached the French-Italian satellite Athena-Fidus in October 2017, a move France later denounced as “an act of espionage.” What is less widely known is that just a few days before …
Read More »How US is pushing Maduro’s envoys off international bodies
Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being squeezed internationally as the United States pressures key multilateral bodies to boot out his “illegitimate” representatives. To publicly underline America’s position and its support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim leader, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed …
Read More »China’s Xi insists new Silk Road runs both ways as Italy signs up
Rome, Italy | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping sought Friday to allay Western unease over his new Silk Road initiative by emphasising the vast infrastructure project’s two-way nature as he kicked off a whistlestop European tour in Rome. Italy has rolled out the red carpet for Xi, who …
Read More »Museveni hails China for funding Isimba dam construction
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President, Yoweri Museveni commissioned Isimba dam in Kayunga district. Museveni switched on four turbines of the 183MWs dam amidst cheers from high profile dignitaries who accompanied him. Construction of the dam took 47 months and cost US$ 566 million. 85% of the money was …
Read More »China, Japan and the next world war
Why Trump and XI policies in the South China Sea could lead Japan to rearm ANALYSIS | Andrew M. Mwenda | As Uganda and Rwanda were preparing themselves for a possible military confrontation, I was in Japan talking to public officials, intellectuals and academics on the situation in the Sea …
Read More »Macron visits E.Africa in effort to counter China expansion
Lalibela, Ethiopia | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron visited Djibouti and Ethiopia on Tuesday, promising “respectful” partnerships in the face of growing regional indebtedness to China, which is fast expanding its foothold in the continent. Looking to strengthen economic, military and cultural ties in East Africa, Macron announced a new defence …
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