Prince Harry and Meghan did not inform the Queen or any other royal before their announcement on Wednesday, said BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond.

Buckingham Palace was “blindsided”, he said, as talks about their future had begun but were in very early stages.

The Palace said there were “complicated issues” to work through.

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt told BBC Newsnight: “I’m always very wary of using the word ‘unprecedented’ but I cannot think of a previous example where they [the Royal Family] have washed their dirty linen in public.”

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In their statement, Harry and Meghan said they made the decision “after many months of reflection and internal discussions”.

They plan to split their time between the UK and North America, while “continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages”.

“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter,” the couple said.

Prince Harry and Meghan

Former press secretary to the Queen Dickie Arbiter said exactly how they will execute their plan “remains to be seen”.

“It’s is a logistical nightmare,” he told Newsnight. “There’s a question of security: who provides the security?

“Is it Scotland Yard, as it does provide royalty protection. Is it the Canadians that’s going to be asked to provide it? Who is going to pay for it?”

A staging post to leaving the Royal Family?

Analysis

This is clearly a major rift between Harry and Meghan on one part, and the rest of the Royal Family on the other.

There are far more questions than answers; what will their new role be? Where will they live, and who will pay for it? What relationship will they have with the rest of the Royal Family?

And there’s the institutional question. What does this mean for the Royal Family?

It comes just months after Prince Andrew stepped back from his duties after a BBC interview about his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Some might see this as the slimmed-down monarchy that the 21st Century needs.

But Harry and Meghan reached people that other royals didn’t. They were part of the reinvention and refreshing of the institution.

We’re now in wait-and-see mode as to whether this new model of being a royal can work – or if this is really a staging post for them to leave the Royal Family.

Signs the couple were unhappy with their royal life have been apparent for some months, said BBC royal editor Nicholas Witchell.

In October last year, the Duchess of Sussex began legal action against the Mail on Sunday over a claim that it unlawfully published one of her private letters. The paper stands by its story.

At the time, Prince Harry said his wife had “become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press” after a “ruthless campaign” of “relentless propaganda”.

“Though we have continued to put on a brave face… I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been,” he said.

In an ITV documentary last year, Meghan described motherhood as a “struggle” due to intense interest from newspapers. “Not many people have asked if I’m OK,” she said.

On Wednesday the royal couple announced they would be adopting a “revised media approach” from the spring.

As part of the new strategy, published on their website, they will “engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists”.

They will also pull out of the so-called royal rota system, where journalists and media representatives are given exclusive access to cover royal engagements on the understanding they share the material they gather.

“The current system predates the dramatic transformation of news reporting in the digital age,” the couple said.

Harry is sixth in line to the throne – behind Prince Charles, Prince William and his three children.

Source: BBC

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Juventus‘ new £99million star appears to be without a care in the world as he jokes around with his stunning other half on a yacht.

Cristiano Ronaldo play-fights with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez on a yacht in Ibiza

Cristiano Ronaldo gets the better of Georgina Rodriguez on the yacht

The love-sick couple can be seen play-fighting on the edge of the boat before Ronaldo hurls Georgina into the water.

Juventus will be hoping Ronaldo – who has since returned from the Spanish party island – jumps straight in at the deep end when he makes his expected debut on August 18 against Chievo.

Georgina Rodriguez frantically swims back to the boat after being thrown in the water

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The Italian giants know they will get the best out of the 33-year-old after he revealed joining Juventus is “not a holiday”.

He said: “Usually players of my age go to Qatar or China, with all due respect, so coming to such an important and outstanding club at this point of my career makes me very happy.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez look loved up during their holiday in Ibiza

“I’m very well physically, mentally and emotionally so that’s why I’m so proud of being here and of the way I came here,” he said. “It gives me so much motivation for the future.

“I’m different from all the other players that think their career is over at my age.

Ronaldo is now in Italy training with his new team-mates at Juventus

“I really want to show I’m not like the others, I’m different, it’s a very emotional moment for me and the club because I’m not 23, I’m 33.”

Ronaldo returned to Juventus at the end of July to meet his new team-mates and begin training. He had been given a bit of extra time off to recover after his World Cup campaign with Portugal, where they were beaten by Uruguay in the last-16.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was yesterday pictured shopping with Georgina, 24, in Milan as the pair get used to life in Italy. Ronaldo seems to have no regrets about leaving Real Madrid – after unfollowing the club on Instagram.

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Inganzo Ngari, Rwanda’s most acclaimed traditional dance group

On a night of high drama in host city, Kigali, the Land of a Thousand Hills, East African countries were recognized and Rwanda ranked Africa’s Leading Destination by World Travel Awards that serve to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.

The glittering event took place at the five star Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre – one of the most recognized modern structures in Africa – alongside the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) and AviaDev Africa, with hospitality leaders from across the region, in attendance.

Speaking during the ceremony Founder and President, Graham E Cooke, said: “It has been an honour to visit Rwanda for the very first time.

“We have recognized the leading lights of African tourism tonight and I wish to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all of our winners. Rwanda has proved a wonderful host for our Africa Gala Ceremony, cementing the country’s reputation as Africa’s rising star.”

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Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa were also celebrating after scooping the award for Africa’s Leading Hotel Suite and South Africa’s Leading Hotel Suite.

The ceremony – part of World Travel Awards Grand Tour 2017 – was compered by CNBC Africa presenter and producer, George Ndirangu, and passionate DJ and media personality, Makeda Mahadeo. Entertainment was provided by Inganzo Ngari, Rwanda’s most acclaimed traditional dance group, and the Neptunez band.

Guests at the awards

Winners from the event will go forward to complete in the World Travel Awards Grand Final, this year taking place at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa in Vietnam on the evening of 10th December.

In the aviation sector, Kenya Airways was selected by voters as Africa’s Leading Airline and Africa’s Leading Airline – Business Class, while Cape Town International Airport walked away with the trophy for Africa’s Leading International Airport.

The travel industry’s leading awards programme also unveiled the host of the 2018 World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony as the Durban International Convention Centre. Conveniently situated in the heart of South Africa’s third largest city, this world-class facility was opened by former president Nelson Mandela in 1997 and has successfully staged some of the world’s most prestigious and complex events.

ALSO READ:Comedian Mariachi introduced by fiancée

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Traders and buyers in Kaja market

I managed to talk to a few people who vendor in kaja who expressed their hardships and what they have to go through. “It was 7pm  in the evening, the pick-up for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) pulled up near kaja. We started gathering our things trying to escape, but my things were many. So they caught me, put me on the pick up along with some of the shoes I was selling. They don’t give you time to gather all you things, they pull you like a thief and put you in the back of their pickup,” John Matovu , one of the vendors in kaja. He adds that, the day KCCA caught him, he lost at least 10pairs of shoes. A terrible experience he reminisces.

Kaja is a small space so most vendors end up having to put their merchandise in the road and battle for space with taxis and other vehicles. While it might not be your usual shopping mall, kaja attracts many vendors and buyers alike. When asked, a buyer who declined to mention their name said, kaja is the best in terms of savings. “Here things are cheap and there is a variety, instead of having to go to Grand Corner (a shopping mall in Kampala) looking for clothes and shoes, I just come to kaja and am sorted,” he says with a visibly beaming smile.

Woman trying on shoes in ‘kaja’ downtown Kampala

Kaja is indeed a cheap place to shop. I have managed to shop a few things there myself. But it is not all rainbows and sunshine. Due to pedestrian traffic and tight space, people are always pushing shoving one another.Beside in an attempt to get customers, the vendors will pull your hand until it feels like it might just fall off.

However, this not the only mishap. Like John said, there is a problem of KCCA. One the particular night when i decided to also buy myself a pair of good second hand clothes, KCCA officials drove up on a pick up and vendors started running, some buyers got knocked down in the process. KCCA officials ran after some vendors who had their merchandise in the road, cuffed them by their shirt necks and threw them on the pick-up truck, picked up some of their merchandise and threw it on a waiting pick-up truck. They then drove off with at least five vendors whose faces were drowning in worry. To me this was a terrible sight.

According to Nixon Segawa, he says such treatment to vendors by KCCA officials has been triggered by Betty Kamya, the Minister for Kampala whom he says ordered that, ‘an illegal street vending activity will not be allowed and that the government therefore has directed all street vendors to vacate streets.’ Last year police and KCCA councilors started the practice of man handling illegal street vendors.

KCCA officials vacating vendor

But while KCCA chasing them off the streets is the biggest problem, it is not the only problem for vendors. Semanga, a vendor in ‘kaja’ also says it is difficult  sometimes when the sun is too hot and also during rainy seasons. He notes that sometimes customers only come to window shop but don’t actually buy anything.

Like most of us, these vendors have families, some of which they support. This means they depend on the sales they make in kaja to be able to sustain their families.

When asked why he chose to sell his merchandise in kaja, Abdul Musoke, a vendor said, “I don’t have money to start a shop, I know my pocket and I cannot afford a shop,”he argues. He says kaja is the only place where he can manage to make some few pennies.

He however, says KCCA officials need to be lenient and considerate with them. “We would like them to give us good time when we can sell our merchandise on the street. We also need to make money, while we would like to operate in the law, these times are hard, we need to make money, and if they take the money then we are left with going back to the village where life is not good,” Abdul explains.

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Lion expert Dr Luke Hunter told the BBC the images are a once-in-a-lifetime sight

These beautiful pictures are the first ever taken of a wild lioness nursing a cub from a different species – an extremely rare event.

The pair were spotted by Joop Van Der Linde, a guest at Ndutu Safari Lodge in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The scene is the Serengeti; the attentive mother, five-year-old Nosikitok.

The lioness has a GPS collar fitted by Kope Lion, a conservation NGO, and three young cubs of her own – born around the 27-28 June.

The lioness Nosikitok recently had her second litter of cubs

Dr Luke Hunter, President and Chief Conservation Officer for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organisation which supports Kope Lion, told the BBC the incident was “truly unique”.

“It’s not something that I’m aware has ever happened before between large cats like this,” he said.

“We know there are cases where lionesses will adopt other lion cubs… But this is unprecedented.

“I know of no other case – between any large cat, for that matter – where the species has adopted or nursed the cub of another species.”

Most lionesses would normally kill a baby leopard if they found one, seeing just another predator in a competitive food-chain.

The little cub is lucky it wasn’t killed on sight, Dr Hunter says

Dr Hunter says Nosikitok has cubs the same age as the young leopard – two to three weeks.

She was around a kilometre from her den, where her own cubs are hidden, when she found the spotted substitute.

“She’s encountered this little cub, and she’s treated it as her own. She’s awash with maternal hormones, and this fierce, protective drive that all lionesses have – they’re formidable mums,” the lion expert notes.

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It is not clear yet where the baby leopard’s mother is, or if the lioness will try to adopt it full-time.

The local safari lodge say there is a resident female leopard there who almost certainly has cubs. And as Nosikitok’s pride are unlikely to prove as indulgent as she is, the best outcome for the leopard would be a safe return to mum.

Dr Hunter says his team are on tenterhooks to see what comes next.

“It’s a unique thing, it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds. Nature is unpredictable. Up until earlier this week, we would have said ‘Nah, that never happens’ – and now it happens!”

With luck, the tiny leopard will soon be back with its natural mother

Story Credit:BBC Africa

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As a way of drumming up support for the event, the Uganda Tourism Board late last week organised the Uganda international cultural fair Schools’ cultural quiz media briefing that saw schools participating in showing case diverse cultures. The school included, the Turkish light academy,Gallaxy international school  and Kitante Primary School.

The Uganda International Cultural Fair is being organized by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development together with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities in conjunction with Perfect Events aims at establishing a platform where both Ugandan and International communities celebrate their diverse cultural heritage and allow visitors an opportunity to display their cultures local and international, corporate and informal as well as historical/traditional cultures.

Under the theme: “Appreciating who we are: Celebrating Cultural Diversity”, this fair will also help to establish relationships with people from different cultural heritages across the globe and support creating an enabling environment in which people can work together to build strong socio economic base of Uganda hence feeding into the vision 2040 of prosperous nation, according to the organisers.

They say Uganda is composed of a diverse and rich cultural heritage expressed in arts and performances, social norms, languages, marriage ceremonies, indigenous knowledge systems of nature and environment, music and dances. The cultural heritage comprises of both tangible and intangible that are enshrined in our lives, inherited, recreated that has evolved over time.

A poster advertising the event.

 “Culture is a strong part of people’s lives, it influences their views, values, humor, hopes, loyalties. Culture provides a sense of identity, social cohesion, self-esteem and continuity of humanity. The diverse cultural heritages are interconnected to one another and therefore the boundaries of ethnic cultures are fluid, they are not pure,” adding that,   “We celebrate the diverse cultures for promoting unified nation in order to build strong pillars of foundation for our young generation and enhancing relationships with one another in order to have an understanding of their cultures for wealth creation and unity,” the notice reads in part.

The ministry of gender together with the other partners have hence called on the public to support the event in big numbers. The say the fair shall offer a sandwich of formal sessions and dialogues on culture, social exhibition of culture. The exhibition will include physical display of what different groups identify themselves with ranging from dressing (Fashion), art and craft, music, dance, drama, poetry, diverse cuisine, wine testing, local brew, historical traditional tales and legends, acrobatics, magic shows among other things in their individual exhibition booths. National Kingdoms, cultural clusters and the international community will be invited to showcase their cultures.

Schools are invited to offer an opportunity to the young generation to learn about the different cultures both local and international and be inspired. Schools will also be a major focus for creating a tourism culture amongst the Ugandan community since behavioral change is more effective amongst the very young as compared to adults.

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Kadaga says that it is very disappointing to see in Uganda people do not get a chance to explore the different sites that the country is blessed with and she gave an example of a person who is born in Jinja but has never bothered to visit the source of the Nile citing that this trend can not boost tourism as there will be no basis to attract foreigners to visit our sites.

The government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo urged parliamnet to pass guidelines restricting schools from making  children take trips to outside countries citing schools ask parents to part with over 800,000 shillings to go and visit countries like Kenya yet they have never been to any tourist site in the country which he says must stop if our children are to learn their heritage and country.

The executive director of Uganda tourism board Stephen Asiimwe says that the board is going to put more money into sport tourism as they have realised sport attracts many people which helps people in the area to benefit.

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Among the amazing places is Ggaba landing site in Gaba, Kampala, on the shores of lake victoria. The landing site is often a beehive of activity from it is  residents and the communities in the surrounding islands who both have a mutual benefit doing business among themselves.

Ggaba is also a home to the pumping station of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).The station houses the intake pumps that supply water to Kampala, Kira Municipality and Mukono district. It’s hear that the water is treated and ensure it is safe for consumption by the public.

There are 5 islands that overlook Ggaba landing site including; Bule, Chagwe, Sowe, Buzindele and Mawoto.

It is these islands that are a food basket for most of the surrounding areas around the lake. Indeed farmers have made good use of Mondays and Thursdays which are reserved as market days. This is a time that traders and farmers converge at the lake shore to sell their produce. Boats loaded with mostly agricultural produce roar towards the landing sites sending a chill breeze to traders waiting patiently for items for the market day. Items sold include; tomatoes, cabbages, onions, carrots, avocadoes among other food items. All these items are usually in plenty thanks to the water resource that farmers use to water their gardens and enable a harvest of especially vegetables throughout the year.

It is here that you find especially women buying groceries that they take to their small kiosks mostly built next to their homes around Kampala.

For those who enjoy rides,boats are available at the lake.

A stone’s throw away from the lake sits Ggaba fish market. This is a favorite hangout for especially weekenders from Kampala who flock the place to enjoy the cool breeze from the lake shore as they down a delicious deep fried fresh fish. The fish is mostly served with salads and can be accompanied by an ‘escort’ of one’s choice including cassava, posho, chips or deep fried potatoes.

According to reports, Uganda produces about 90 metric tons of fish. Added to the about 450 metric tons of wild catch, the country produces about 530 metric tons of fish annually. However, consumption of it domestically is still low partly because some people consider it expensive.

Nevertheless, while here one also gets to have a clear view of the lake and the islands that surround it.It often a spectacular view especially during the sunrise and sunset. Worth mentioning is the maintenance efforts of the beach management committees in ensuring that the environment especially the water is not polluted. A few years back, lake victoria was awash with many pollutants from industrial wastes to mineral water bottles careless disposed by beach goers.There is also a significant number of trees felled from the islands for firewood and charcoal making.

Men offload firewood from a boat that has docked.

The site is supervised by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) which has brought some order especially in terms of waste management.However,critics say the body is not doing enough is ensuring that the areas around the lake are clean.

During weekends, Ggaba like many other hangouts in Uganda has slowly grown into a popular destination for especially the youth who travels from around Kampala and beyond to celebrate their birthdays. Their funfair is occasioned with boat rides and taking selfies with friends and family.

Despite its slow growth in structural development, with dominant low income structures, Ggaba is no doubt an active place both during the day and the night. From heaps of mined sand and the various piles of fire wood, the landsite is full of energetic youths throwing piles of sand to waiting trucks. Others are seen collecting firewood from the boats and transfer to the mainland where they are packed in rows. It’s here that customers with various cars come to buy for home consumption.

The night comes with its share of business with cheap meals of chapatti mushed with beans (Kikomado as its popularly known) in road side kiosks that dot most of the sideways in Ggaba trading center.

The kikomado meal is a resort for many who can’t afford a full meal as it is considered too expensive for them to afford.Kikomado hence offers that alternative for them to push on through the difficult times in life, says Muhammad Kasozi a jobless graduate of Development Studies at Kampala  University (KU).

Kasozi says he rents a small room in the neighborhood which he shares with a friend as he figures out how to sustain himself. His roommate owns a kiosk where he makes kikomado and rolex (chapatti rolled with eggs) another favorite meal in the area.Kasozi is considering joining the business to earn a living as white color jobs are becoming more elusive nowdays,he says.Top of Form

Sand mining

Kampala is a City that is constantly being built on a daily basis. From posh mushrooming residential houses to that sprouting shopping mall in down town, Kampala’s demand for building materials is certainly raising by day.

Sand mining is a major activity at the shores employing a sizable number of youths.

Now considering that a number of youths (18-30 years) are unemployed due to a scarcity of white color jobs, statistics show that a number have turned to informal jobs to earning a leaving. Reports indicate that a total of 400,000 youth are realized to the job market after graduating in a country where there is only about 90,000 jobs available. This has total unemployed persons in the country (Uganda Bureau of Statistics 2012) was 64 percent, youths in Ggaba are utilizing their semi skills to make a living with such opportunities that employ them.

Harvesting sand is a process that also requires one to have enough physical and mental energy! The sand is collected from mostly Bulebi village an offshore village in Mukono district about 3 kilometers from the landing site in Ggaba.On arrival, men with spades scope it and wheel it to the mainland. Another group keeps pushing it away from the shore line to create space for the incoming sand. It is at this point that it’s loaded on trucks ready for delivery to the various mushrooming sites in the capital city of Kampala. This type of lake sand is classified as grade ‘A’ as it is efficient in plastering during construction works, says Julius Serwadda, the chairman of sand collectors at Ggaba landing site.

As the sunsets, the boats slowly snake through the calm waters towards the islands and you realise it’s an end to another busy day for a people who derive their livelihoods from the lake in one way or another.

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Mrs Pauline Mazrui while meeting the Clerk of Parliament

The Family  of late  Prof Ali Mazrui  who was a renowned author and scholar has pledged to contribute to the furnishing of Prof. Mazrui  resource centre in Uganda with an objective of making Ugandans and all people in world  to continue cherishing the work of late Mazrui. This was disclosed by the  Mrs Pauline Mazrui while meeting the clerk of parliament  Jane Kibirige and other parliament staff.

Mrs Pauline Mazrui says that Uganda was close to the late Mazrui’s heart and thanks parliament for creating Mazrui’s  corner in parliament’s library where some of his books will be found. She reveals that since Prof . Mazrui’s death four books have been released and at a right time will be in Mazrui’s resource centers. She said that most of the Mazrui’s projects will focus on working with women to see how they can bring universal peace in the society.

The clerk to parliament Jane Kibirige says that as parliament they resolved to continue recognizing late Mazuri by creating a corner in the library where his books and some research work will be read from.

Late Prof Ali Mazrui  passed on 13th October 2014 at  81 years; Prof Mazui was one of the world’s most prolific writers on Africa, its people, history and future, and has profoundly influenced ideas about Africa among scholars and members of the general public alike. Mazrui who was born in Kenya, in 1963 moved to Kampala, Uganda to teach political science at Makerere University.

In addition to his work for the BBC, he did some writing and broadcasting for Radio Uganda and Radio Tanzania over the next couple of years. In 1965, Mazrui was named Head of Makerere’s Political Science Department.

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UMOJA cultural flying carpet is once again back to Kampala. The cultural event (UMOJA) will land in Kampala on Saturday 12th October 2013.

This year’s show will be held at Theatre La Bonita in Kampala.  The audience will witness performances created in collaboration between artists from Uganda, Norway, Kenya, Tanzania and the Republic of Ethiopia.

The show is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Collaboration with Makerere University Department of Performing Arts and Film.

According to the organizers of the event, the UMOJA Cultural Flying Carpet (CFC) is a program working for peace and development of the society through international cultural collaboration. The program brings together artists from eight different countries in the spirit of “growing through creating together.”

The UMOJA last took place in Kampala in September 2011 and since then it has become an annual event that showcases magnificent talents and filled with spectacular dance- and music- performances.

Ends

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