Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ranks among the world’s youngest heads of state, but has some of its most powerful weapons at his disposal. Sunday’s test of what appeared to be a powerful, full-fledged thermonuclear bomb, marked yet another watershed in Kim’s relentless drive as …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Europe’s biggest electronics show IFA is in full swing in Berlin, and alongside the familiar televisions and smartphones its aisles are bursting with gadgets on the stranger side. Here’s a look at some of the most eye-catching inventions: – DIY cyborg – Long the province of …

Washington, United States | AFP | A record-shattering NASA astronaut touched down to Earth on Sunday, finishing a 288-day mission that put her over the top as the American who has spent the most cumulative amount of time in space. Peggy Whitson, 57, is also the oldest female astronaut in the …

Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | At least 60,000 people were forced to leave their homes in central Frankfurt on Sunday as Germany begins an operation to defuse a huge unexploded World War II bomb dubbed “blockbuster”. The operation is the biggest evacuation of its kind in post-war Germany, Frankfurt’s …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia on Sunday demanded the US rethink its shuttering of Moscow’s diplomatic premises, insisting Washington bore sole responsibility for worsening ties after the “hostile act”. “We consider what has happened as an openly hostile act and a gross violation of international law by Washington,” the foreign …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis visits Colombia next week on the latest in a series of emotionally charged trips to his home region of Latin America. Here are five key challenges that the Argentine pope has confronted in a continent stricken by poverty and crime: – Colombian …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Fourteen people have died of cholera in northeast Nigeria, with most of the victims living in a camp for people displaced by Boko Haram violence, the health ministry said Saturday. “Up to September 1, 14 deaths have been reported,” the health ministry said in a statement, …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | More than 10 soldiers died on Sunday and several others were wounded when Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militants stormed a base in southern Somalia, security sources said. The militants drove a truck loaded with explosives to the main entrance of the base in Bulogadud, about 70 kilometres (40 …

THIS WEEK: Mudslides claim lives in Sironko The mudslides that ravaged the mountainous district of Sironko in Eastern Uganda on Aug.28 is said to have left about four dead yet others were still missing by press time. According to Aid Organisation Red Cross, the mudslides destroyed villages of Marobo and …

THIS WEEK: Cabinet issues tough rules on travels The number of civil servants frequently and unnecessarily going abroad might reduce after an Aug 25 resolution by the cabinet setting tough guidelines for anyone to travel, a move intended to cut down on public expenditure and also reduce the prime minister’s …