Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Pope Francis and a top Muslim cleric Monday issued a joint call for freedom of belief during the first visit by the head of the Catholic church to the birthplace of Islam — the Arabian Peninsula. Francis, who has made outreach to Muslim communities a cornerstone of …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The pound dropped Monday following weak UK construction data and as Prime Minister Theresa May seeks to try and finally unlock the Brexit stalemate. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index, featuring large multinationals earning in dollars and euros, climbed to a two-month high above 7,000 points thanks to the weaker …

New York, United States | AFP | Rapper 21 Savage, who has long said he is from the US state of Georgia, was detained on Sunday by US immigration officers who say he is actually British and overstayed his visa. The news sent shockwaves through social media as the Grammy-nominated 26-year-old …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Economists have called for a review of the different social welfare programmes designed by the government to ensure that they transform the targeted beneficiaries. Some of the programmes highlighted for a possible review include the Youth Livelihood Program, Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment and the …

Paris, France | AFP | A sharp increase in the rate of obesity-linked cancers among young adults in the United States could foreshadow a reversal in the overall decline in cancer mortality, researchers warned Monday. In a sweeping study covering two-thirds of the US population, they showed that half a dozen …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Emirates has introduced an innovative new function on its app to allow every Ugandan to create bespoke playlists ahead of their flight and sync it to their seats once on board. All customers can plan their trip more effectively, and maximize their onboard experience by …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dozens of number plates have been recovered in a raid led by Police at Old Kampala to a garage located in Kisenyi Parish in Old Kampala division. According to police, suspected stolen motor vehicles were being vandalized and sold as scrap and spare parts in …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four years ago, Sandra Nakayenze set out to change the lives of women coffee farmers in the hills of Sironko district. The social, economic, religious and cultural hardships encountered by both young rural women and the girl child in her village compelled Nakayenze to form …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian lawmakers on Sunday tabled proposed constitutional changes that would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to extend his rule beyond 2022, legislators said. The bill submitted to speaker Ali Abdel Aal calls for several amendments to the constitution, including on the duration of presidential mandates currently …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Natural Resources committee of parliament has recommended an extra Shillings 334 billion for electricity transmission, generation and distribution projects to utilize excess power. In its report to Parliament, the committee recommends that government allocates an additional Shillings 60 billion to the Rural Electrification Agency …