Author: Citizen Editor

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi says he expects Inter Miami to be the club where he closes his legendary playing career, but he is not intending to depart right away. Messi, who has a contract with the MLS squad until the end of the 2025 campaign, made his comments to ESPN in an interview to be broadcast on Wednesday. “Yes, as of today, I think it’s going to be my last club,” Messi told ESPN. But Messi, who turns 37 on June 24, also added, “I’m not ready to leave football either.” The record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became a legend…

One of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings officially begins on Friday, and Saudi officials are trying to keep the focus on prayers. The Gulf kingdom’s minister in charge of religious pilgrimages, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, warned last week that “no political activity” will be tolerated. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. As of late Monday around 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia from abroad, most of them by air, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. “It’s magnificent,” Mariam Comate, a 48-year-old from Ivory Coast,…

Three Samyang Foods noodle products were assessed to have dangerous levels of capsaicin, the active component of chilli peppers, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said in a statement on Tuesday. The three products from Samyang instant ramen line — Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken, and Hot Chicken Stew — were being withdrawn from sale in Denmark. The level in a single packet of the noodles was “so high that they pose a risk of the consumer developing acute poisoning”, the Danish body said. “If you have the products, you should discard them or…

Stanbic Bank has joined hands with Vumbula Uganda to enhance environmental sustainability and contribute to the conservation of River Nile’s natural ecosystem through a tree planting drive. One thousand trees were planted under the theme, ‘Greening the Nile’. This is part of the broader mission to plant one million trees by the end of the year. According to Saulo Nabende, the Stanbic Bank Jinja Branch Manager, the move is not only a shared commitment to environmental stewardship, community engagement, but also aligns with the bank’s purpose; ‘Uganda is home, we drive her growth’. He said beyond promoting local tourism, Stanbic…

By Oweyegha-Afunaduula Like Ignatius Musaazi who formed Uganda National Congress (UNC) and lost control of the Party, with his fellow Baganda at the forefront of overthrowing him in favor of Apollo Milton Obote, Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, launched National Unity Party but fellow Baganda in the Party are determined to ensure that he loses control of the party. Do you know which non-Muganda they want to install in his place as top leader of NUP? Do they want it split into two like did happen to UNC whereby Musaazi clique disappeared and Obote’s clique emerged as Uganda People Congress…

By Oweyegha-Afunaduula Recently the British Government sanctioned certain politicians, including the Speaker of the Parliament, Anita Among, for corruption. However, the Speaker, and many NRM government functionaries interpreted the British government action as a retribution because Uganda enacted a law against homosexuality. The Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda was determined to ensure the law, called Anti-Homosexuality Law 2023, was in place, to constrain the spread of what in Uganda is regarded as a taboo in virtually all of the country’s cultures. Indeed, in May 2023 the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was passed into law and subsequently assented to by the President.…

By Oweyegha-Afunaduula Fraud and Force!  Machiavelli said people rise in politics more through fraud than force. But in Uganda both fraud and force have been combined effectively for the Movement to retain power for decades. This is despite the fact that Movement leaders promised Ugandans that there would be no more stealing of elections. Unfortunately fraud and force have made elections in Uganda  a farce. Ugandan do not really choose their leaders. Others choose for them. Many have decided never to be involved in the electoral processes because they have been made to perceive that their choices do not matter.…

Madagascar’s ruling party fell short of retaining its parliamentary majority after a strong showing by independents in the recently concluded legislative elections. President Andry Rajoelina’s Tanora Malagasy Vonona party only managed to win 80 seats out of 163, according to figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). Independent candidates won 52 seats, with 25 going to the opposition. The electoral commission put voter turnout at just over 48% Following the announcement, opposition leader and former President Marc Ravalomanana accused the ruling party of violations and fraud. President Rajoelina himself controversially won re-election last November. The vote was marred…

The Malawi government said Wednesday that Vice President Saulos Chilima will be honored with a state funeral after he died in a plane crash along with eight other people. President Lazarus Chakwera had already announced 21 days of national mourning on Tuesday, when the wreckage of the small military plane carrying Chilima and a former first lady was discovered in a mountainous area in the country’s north. Flags will fly at half-staff across the southern African nation during the period of mourning. Chakwera has appointed a ministerial committee to oversee preparations for Chilima’s state funeral, the government said in a…

Munich. Fans at Euro 2024 will be given more detailed information on video assisted refereeing decisions than before, organisers UEFA said Wednesday. The head of UEFA’s refereeing committee Roberto Rosetti said screens at stadiums across Germany will provide “technical explanations” of VAR calls in order to improve spectator understanding. One of various criticisms of VAR technology since its widespread introduction has been the difficulty match-going fans have in understanding why certain decisions are made. “After the video assistance, the technical explanation of the decision will be shown on the giant screens in the stadiums,” explained Rosetti at a press briefing at…