United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday abstained for the first time in 25 years from a vote at the United Nations calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba. The UN General Assembly adopted the annual resolution by an overwhelming vote of …
Read More »US rapper Coolio avoids jail in firearms case
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | US rapper Coolio was given community service on Wednesday after admitting carrying a handgun in a backpack at Los Angeles International Airport. The weapon was discovered in the bag as a member of the 53-year-old’s entourage went through a security screening checkpoint on …
Read More »US’ Patient Zero and the origins of the AIDS epidemic
Paris, France | AFP | A labelling error and reckless media hype in the 1980s led to unjustly branding a gay airline employee as “Patient Zero” in the US AIDS epidemic, scientific and historical sleuthing detailed Wednesday. The deadly virus, which has claimed more than 650,000 lives in the United …
Read More »ANALYSIS: US 9/11 law an international legal Pandora’s Box
Washington, United States | AFP | It’s a hard scene to imagine, a Saudi Arabian king answering before a New York court for the 9/11 attacks, but a new US law threatens to become a Pandora’s Box of diplomatic crises. Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, overcoming …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Russia, the uninvited guest in US election
New York, United States | AFP | Many unorthodox things have taken place in the 2016 race for the White House, but Russia is perhaps the most unlikely guest at the US political dinner table. From US accusations that Moscow hacked emails of Democratic Party leaders to hurt Hillary Clinton, …
Read More »Trump vows to scrap Obamacare as costs to jump 25 percent
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to overturn President Barack Obama’s signature health insurance program after the government announced Americans will see costs jump an average of 25 percent next year. “Obamacare has to be repealed and replaced and it has to be replaced with something …
Read More »Trump backers arrested outside US embassy in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Two Ugandans were arrested outside the US Embassy in Kampala on Tuesday morning while taking part in a demonstration of support for US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Carrying placards, one emblazoned with the slogan “A vote for Trump is a vote against African dictatorship!”, the …
Read More »Lengthy drug tunnel found under US-Mexico border
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Authorities have discovered 2.3 tons of marijuana in a lengthy illicit tunnel connecting the Mexican city Tijuana to San Diego in the United States, the Mexican Attorney General said Monday. The 1847-foot (563-meter) long passage was found after agents of the attorney general requested …
Read More »US warns Philippines’ Duterte over rhetoric, crime war
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiery rhetoric and deadly crime war are becoming a growing concern around the world, the top US envoy for Asia warned on Monday in Manila. US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel met the Philippines’ …
Read More »Drake plans new release and takes shot at rival
New York, United States | AFP | Drake, the rapper who has dominated the charts with his latest album, celebrated his 30th birthday Monday by announcing a new release that includes a song dissing a critic. The Toronto rapper said he would release “More Life” in December and described it …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price