Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliamentary commissioners will have to be elected, by secret ballot, at the end of the tenure of the current position holders, the Speaker of Parliament has ruled. The Parliamentary Commission, which is established by the Administration of Parliament Act, is the top most administrative body …

Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook defended its data sharing practices Wednesday after a report revealing that certain partners of the social network had access to a range of personal information about users and their friends. The New York Times late Tuesday reported that some 150 companies — including …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has directed the Ministry of Water and Environment to rein in on encroachers of water bodies in the country. Kadaga reiterated the President’s remarks about people living around water bodies, who cultivate land up to 50 metres into the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Wakiso Grade One Magistrate Martin Kirya has rejected an application seeking investigations into the alleged torture of Abubaker Kalungi, the key suspect in the murder of former Buyende District Police Commander Muhammad Kirumira. Kalungi who had also used the same application to seek permission to …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Gareth Bale hit an 11-minute hat-trick on Wednesday as Real Madrid strolled into the Club World Cup final by beating Kashima Antlers 3-1 in Abu Dhabi. Bale scored in the 44th, 53rd and 55th minutes at the Zayed Sports City Stadium to put Madrid within …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Elections in Democratic Republic of Congo — due to take place on Sunday — may be postponed for a week, a senior electoral official has told AFP, after electronic voting machines were destroyed in a suspected arson attack on a warehouse last week. The …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | At least 80 people have been killed in ethnic violence since Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s west, according to witnesses. “There a 82 confirmed dead,” said Georges Kapiamba, head of the Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ), citing witness statements. His …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday he is “immensely proud” of his time at Manchester United but refused to delve into the issues that played a part in his Old Trafford exit. Club bosses sacked the Portuguese manager on Tuesday following a 3-1 defeat at …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas cannot just be about swapping presents and indulging in a massive consumer binge, urging the faithful to remember its original purpose to mark Christ’s birth. “The advertising machine tells us we have to exchange more and more …

New Delhi, India | AFP | An Indian journalist has been jailed for a year after he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook, in the latest example of what critics claim is a clampdown on free speech. Kishorechandra Wangkhem was arrested last month in the remote northeastern state of …