The 136th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly chaired by Uganda’s Rebecca Kadaga, ended on Wednesday with the adoption of the Dhaka Declaration calling for urgent international action to save millions of people from famine and drought in parts of Africa and Yemen. The five-day assembly in Dhaka also took a resolution on …

Montevideo, Uruguay | AFP | Uruguay will become the first country in the world to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in pharmacies, starting in July, the president’s office said Thursday. The South American country adopted a revolutionary law in 2013 that fully legalized the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. …

Entebbe’s popular quick-casual and coffee-themed restaurant Café Javas at Victoria Mall will be closed for repairs after part of the ceiling board collapsed late on Wednesday night. No one was injured and the management of the chain issued a statement re-assuring customers. KnightFrank Uganda, the managers of Victoria Mall, also …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | A minibus hit a landmine in Somalia on Thursday, killing 19 people just hours after the new president of the troubled nation declared fresh war against Al-Shabaab militants. The minibus was travelling in the southern Lower Shebelle region when it hit the landmine near the …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A judge in Lagos on Thursday ordered Nigeria’s anti-graft agency to release one of several bank accounts frozen as part of an inquiry into the wife of former president Goodluck Jonathan. Patience Jonathan had filed a complaint against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Polls closed on Thursday evening in The Gambia with voters expected to usher in a new generation of lawmakers to scrutinise a raft of reforms promised by President Adama Barrow, in the first election since longtime leader Yahya Jammeh left power. Turnout was low when …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigerian airline pilot Ademola Odujinrin, known as “Lola”, has become the first African to fly solo around the world, his foundation Transcend said in a statement Thursday. The 38-year-old Nigerian left Washington in September last year abord a Cirrus SR22, a small, single engine airplane, …

Palm Beach, United States | AFP | The United States Thursday threatened Syria with military action as President Donald Trump warned “something should happen” following a suspected chemical attack that left at least 86 dead and provoked global outrage. An American decision to strike the regime in Damascus could hinge on …

Washington, United States | AFP | US Republicans ditched decades of tradition Thursday by changing Senate rules to ensure Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, bypassing the first-ever successful opposition blockade of a high-court nominee. President Donald Trump’s pick, embraced by conservatives but opposed by most Democrats, failed to …

Strasbourg, France | AFP | The EU will abolish mobile phone roaming charges from June 15 following a vote in the European Parliament on Thursday. MEPs backed a deal between operators and European Union member states that will mean the end of extra charges when people use their phones abroad in …