United Nations, United States | AFP | Women’s rights are under fresh assault worldwide, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday as a two-week conference kicked off at the United Nations to take stock of the fight for gender equality. President Donald Trump’s “global gag rule” cutting US funding to groups that …

New York, United States | AFP |  The MTV Movie Awards, an annual celebration of youth pop culture, will expand this year to include television in a recognition of the power of the small screen. The network announced Monday that the gala will be rechristened the MTV Movie and TV …

Fine Spinners (Uganda) Limited has taken over management and assets of Phoenix Logistics in a move government says will revamp the operations of the factory. The State Minister for Micro Finance Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo  said garments company Phoenix Logistics has been running at a sub optimal level and needs to improve …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigeria’s government has ordered the head of the country’s football association to back current CAF president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon in his re-election bid, a senior official said Monday. The decree from on high came despite Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick having publicly …

Paris, France | AFP |  Carlos the Jackal, the world’s most wanted fugitive in the 1970s and early 1980s, went on trial in France on Monday for the deadly bombing of a Paris shop more than 40 years ago. The 67-year-old convict cut a grizzled, thinner figure as he was …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | US giant Intel announced Monday it would buy Israeli car tech firm Mobileye for more than $15 billion (14 billion euros), the largest cross-border tech deal in the Jewish state’s history. Mobileye makes advanced driver assistance for car manufacturers, and has already collaborated with Intel and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Commonwealth Games chiefs said Monday they were looking for a new venue for the 2022 edition after announcing scheduled hosts Durban had failed to meet “key obligations”. Last month, South Africa sports minister Fikile Mbalula indicated the government might withdraw its financial support because …

Edinburgh, United Kingdom | AFP |  Scotland’s announcement on Monday that it will begin preparations for a new independence bid raised the spectre of one of Brexit’s most feared consequences — the break-up of the United Kingdom. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would seek the semi-autonomous Scottish parliament’s authority …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | The release of Egypt’s ex-president Hosni Mubarak approved on Monday ends “talk of the Arab Spring” uprising that toppled him in 2011 after 30 years in power, an analyst said. An Egyptian prosecutor approved a request by Mubarak’s lawyer for his release after a top …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Electric light railway tracks soar over Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, a rare example of mass transit infrastructure on a continent ruled by ramshackle, diesel-spewing buses. But despite government promises, the roads below are still clogged with traffic 14 months after the light rail system’s opening, …