Richmond, United States | AFP |  Barack Obama is returning to the political arena for the first time in months after keeping a low profile and avoiding direct confrontation with his White House successor. The 56-year-old former president is scheduled to attend campaign rallies in New Jersey and Virginia on …

Paris, France | AFP |  Olivier Giroud scored a fantastic late winner as Arsenal edged to their third straight Europa League win by beating 10-man Red Star Belgrade 1-0 in Serbia on Thursday. Arsene Wenger’s men rode their luck at times in an uninspiring performance, before Giroud struck in the …

Kenya’s Odinga says still possible to ‘reconsider’ vote pullout Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said Thursday he could “reconsider” his decision to quit the country’s troubled election race, provided there was “proper” headway on electoral reform. “If proper consultations are done and if proper reforms …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine on Thursday rushed to the Civil Division of the Kampala High Court to challenge a ban imposed on his musical shows by the Uganda Police. He says he has lost sh300 million as a result of …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP & THE INDEPENDENT |  Two people have died from the Marburg virus in Kween District , eastern Uganda, in the country’s first outbreak of the deadly Ebola-like pathogen in three years, the health ministry said Thursday. “Blood samples were taken from two people who have since …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  The top stories in this week’s THE Independent. COVER STORY Behind Massacre in Somalia: Trump’s strategy and 5 factors around Mogadishu killing of 300. THE LAST WORD Uganda’s Donald Trump: How frustration with Museveni has led us to abandon reality and embrace demagoguery. MINING …

  Montreal, Canada | AFP |  Canada’s Quebec province Wednesday prohibited government workers and anyone receiving government services from covering their face, in a move critics say unfairly targets Muslim women who wear a niqab veil. The legislation applies to bureaucrats, police officers, teachers, and bus drivers, as well as …

Beijing, China | AFP |  As Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered his three-plus-hour speech at the Communist Party congress, delegates ranging from men in suits to military officers and former presidents dutifully turned every page as they read and listened to his words. On the internet, government bureaus peppered social …

Beijing, China | AFP |  President Xi Jinping declared China has embarked on a “new era” of challenges and opportunities on Wednesday as he opened a Communist Party congress expected to enhance his already formidable power. Xi told some 2,300 delegates at the imposing Great Hall of the People that …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP |  Paris Saint-Germain’s front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani all scored as the French side romped to a third straight Champions League win by thrashing Anderlecht 4-0 in Brussels on Wednesday. Mbappe put PSG ahead inside three minutes and Cavani grabbed his fourth …