Author: Agencies

As governments across the world have promised to stop polluting carbon emissions by 2050, scores of European cities have pledged to get there by 2030 — just seven years from now. The European Union wants 100 cities — including capitals Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam — to be carbon neutral by the end of the decade. Berlin, which is not on the list, held a referendum in March on moving its target forward to 2030. Despite a slim majority in favor of the plans, too few people voted overall for the law to pass. Cities aiming to meet the target by 2030…

Hundreds of anti-riot police who had been mobilized ahead of Monday’s mass protests were Sunday ordered to stand down and go back to their stations. This was after Azimio La Umoja Coalition called off a planned mass protest in the city on Monday, April 3. President William Ruto had earlier on asked the leaders of the coalition who were planning the protests to call it off and give dialogue a chance. Hundreds of security officials had been mobilized from some regions and police colleges in readiness for confrontations in the city. The protests were called to denounce among others, the…

Events often seem inevitable in hindsight. The indictment of former US President Donald Trump on criminal charges has been a possibility since the start of his presidency – arguably, since close to the beginning of his career in New York real estate. But until now, the potential consequences of such a cataclysmic development in American politics have been purely theoretical. Today, after much build-up in the media, The New York Times reported that a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Trump and the Manhattan district attorney will now likely attempt to negotiate Trump’s surrender. The indictment stems from a criminal investigation…

The New York hush money payment investigation is not the only probe former President Donald Trump is facing. Here’s an updated list of additional notable investigations, lawsuits and controversies: Mar-a-Lago documents: Did Trump mishandle classified material? Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing the Justice Department’s criminal investigations into the retention of national defense information at Trump’s resort and into parts of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. The Justice Department investigation continues into whether documents from the Trump White House were illegally mishandled when they were taken to Mar-a-Lago in Florida after he left office. A federal grand jury has interviewed potential witnesses regarding how Trump handled the…

Taiwan’s relationship with the United States has “never been closer,” its President Tsai Ing-wen said after arriving in New York City Wednesday, as Beijing warned her visit could lead to “serious confrontation” between China and the US. Taiwan faced “tremendous challenges,” Tsai said from the city, where she is making the first of two planned stopovers in the United States on either side of an official visit to Central America. “We know that we are stronger when we stand together in solidarity with fellow democracies. Taiwan cannot be isolated and we do not take friendship for granted,” Tsai said at a banquet with members…

By Crispin Kugiza Kaheru The presentation during the event held in Beijing, China, on March 22-23, 2023, below was titled: Reframing Democracy in the Context of a Diverse Human Civilization Distinguished guests, please allow me to share my profound gratitude with the organisers of the Second International Forum on Democracy; the Shared Human Values. I come here from Uganda and by extension Africa to share my perspective on how democracy can be reframed in the context of a diverse human civilisation. Governments that organise communities, have existed for at least 5,000 years. And there have been many experiments to running…

Monday’s Azimio mass demonstrations were dotted with several ugly incidents including the invasion of Northlands City, a multi-billion private property owned by founding father Jomo Kenyatta’s family. Unknown people stormed into the estate in Ruiru and made away with sheep. Several miles away in Industrial Area along Mombasa Road, goons also vandalised East Africa Spectre Limited premises linked to Azimio leader Raila Odinga and broke window glasses. The twin criminal acts amount to malicious damage to property by law established. But until and after the twin incidents, many still have little knowledge about the two establishments. Northlands City is a Sh500 billion-shilling…

Development projects can have profound impacts on their societies. There are many benefits that flow from building new roads and power plants, and from modernising agricultural practices. But they can also have permanent negative consequences. For example, communities may be involuntarily relocated to make way for roads or power plants. These projects can change the way natural resources are used in a particular area, making it difficult or impossible for communities to continue their traditional agricultural practices. The job opportunities that they create can challenge traditional values and ways of living. Historically, many of these projects have been owned or…

In Africa, of the three million people who develop TB disease every year, nearly 160,000 are children 0-4 years old, and another 160,000 are 5-14 years old. Every year, about 500,000 people in Africa die because of TB. Children make up 15% (75,000) of these deaths. Less than half of the children aged 0-14 who have TB are diagnosed – so they never even start treatment. What are some of the drivers? TB is transmitted between people through the air. When a person with TB coughs or breathes out, some of the TB bugs are expelled to float in the air. If someone else…

As the holy month of Ramadan kicks off this week, millions of Muslims around the world are feeling the pinch of inflation. Food and energy prices have been soaring around the world as Russia’s war in Ukraine, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change-related events weigh on the global economy. Countries of the Global South – especially in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, where the vast majority of the world’s Muslims live – are also among the worst hit by price surges and shortages of key supplies. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 349 million people across…