Dakar, Senegal | AFP | West African schoolgirls, some not yet teenagers, have taken a starring role at an engineering competition in Senegal, busting stereotypes with robotics expertise and innovative projects for their communities. The Pan-African Robotics competition (PARC) in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Saturday reflects the growing …
Read More »Uber extends on-demand service to trucking
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Uber is expanding into a new field with a version of its on-demand ride application that lets truckers book cargo hauls with simple taps on smartphones. Uber Freight rolling out in the US was touted by the company as an app that matches …
Read More »CONFIRMED: SIM-card registration deadline stays
The deadline of May 19 set by government for all unregistered SIM-cards to be switched off (voice communication only for a start) will stand, Frank Tumwebaze, Minister of ICT and National Guidance has confirmed. “The deadline of 19th May set by government will be enforced at Midnight,” Tumwebaze told the press on …
Read More »Swedish prosecutor drops rape probe against WikiLeaks’s Assange
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Swedish prosecutors said Friday that they had closed a seven-year rape investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. “Director of Public Prosecution, Marianne Ny, has today decided to discontinue the investigation regarding suspected rape by Julian Assange,” it said in a statement. BREAKING: Sweden has dropped …
Read More »Cyber kid stuns experts by showing toys can be ‘weapons’
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | An 11-year-old “cyber ninja” stunned an audience of security experts Tuesday by hacking into a teddy bear via bluetooth to show how interconnected smart toys “can be weaponised”. American wunderkind Reuben Paul may be still only in 5th grade at his school in Austin, …
Read More »Hero’s welcome in Pyongyang for North’s missile developers
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Thousands of men in their Sunday best and women in colourful traditional dress lined the streets of Pyongyang to give the scientists and workers behind North Korea’s latest missile test a hero’s welcome, state media reported Friday. “People’s enthusiastic welcome for defence science warriors,” …
Read More »Uganda’s Eng. Nabulumba picked as Africa Prize finalist
Uganda’s Hindu Nabulumba, 25, who designed a knowledge-sharing network for teachers and students is now in the last four finalists for the prestigious £25,000 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Nabulumba’s Yaaka Digital Learning Network brings education to those who can’t get to school or university. It is designed as an interactive …
Read More »Parliament resolves to extend SIM-card deadline to next year
Uganda’s Parliament has Thursday passed a motion extending the registration of SIM-cards deadline by not more than one year. Government responded soon after. Frank Tumwebaze, Spokesperson Government of Uganda said on twitter that “Government notes and will address issues of Parliament in regard to the SIM-card verification period, the deadline stands.” …
Read More »Court throws out Jobless Brotherhood application on unregistered SIM-cards
The High Court in Kampala has declined to restrain the Uganda Communications’ Communication (UCC) from deactivating all unregistered SIM-cards tomorrow May 19 2017. Justice Steven Musota on Thursday dismissed an application for a temporary injunction filed by the Jobless Brotherhood that sought to block UCC from switching off unregistered mobile phone users …
Read More »MTN Rwanda fined $8.5million over breach of contract
Rwanda’s telecom regulator has slapped a 7 billion francs ($8.5million, Shs30bn) fine on MTN Rwanda, a subsidiary of the South African-based MTN Group, over breach of contract. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) spokesperson Anthony Kulamba said the telecom firm provided services in contravention of Enforcement Notice and Directives …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price