Cairo, Egypt | AFP | President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday denied taunting overweight Egyptians after drawing criticism over comments he made about the country’s bulging waistlines. While inaugurating new health projects on December 15, Sisi called on Egyptians to lose weight and exercise more in a televised speech that …
Read More »Sex abuse claims brought against 700 Catholic clergy in Illinois
Chicago, United States | AFP | Almost 700 clergymen in Illinois have been accused of child sexual assault, a far greater number than the Catholic Church had previously disclosed, the Midwestern US state’s top prosecutor revealed Wednesday. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the Church’s revelations that 185 clergy members …
Read More »Lyon reach Champions League last 16, Bayern top group
Paris, France | AFP | Lyon clinched the final Champions League last-16 place as Nabil Fekir’s second-half strike grabbed a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in a snowy Kiev on Wednesday, while Bayern Munich pipped Ajax to top spot in Group E. Bruno Genesio’s Lyon needed to avoid defeat against …
Read More »Colonel Edith Nakalema new face of Uganda’s anti-corruption drive
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lt.Col Edith Nakalema will be the new face of Uganda’s anti-corruption drive. President Yoweri Museveni on Monday confirmed she will head a new unit in his office dedicated to fighting corruption. Museveni introduced Lt.Col Nakalema at Kololo where Uganda celebrated this year’s world anti-corruption day …
Read More »FDC threatens to skip IPOD Summit
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) National Chairperson, Wasswa Birigwa has said the party is considering boycotting next week’s Inter party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) summit. He argued that IPOD summit is “not serious” and “premature.” The IPOD will be the first ever summit of …
Read More »Israel top court grants Netanyahu government more time to pass key law
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel’s supreme court on Sunday extended a deadline for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to pass a law related to military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, a measure that could potentially provoke early elections. The court agreed to extend the deadline, which was on Sunday, until January …
Read More »Two sons of former Panama president Martinelli arrested in US
Panama City, Panama | AFP | Two sons of former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli, who is accused of collecting bribes worth millions in the wide-ranging Odebrecht scandal, were arrested in the United States, officials said Wednesday. “US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested unlawfully present Panamanian nationals Luis Martinelli-Linares and …
Read More »C. Africa’s forest rangers in rebels’ line of fire
Bamingui, Central African Republic | AFP | The forest rangers of Central Africa’s Bamingui Bangoran park cannot focus only on saving the region’s dwindling wildlife: they have themselves to protect too. Often armed with little more than Kalashnikov assault rifles, these men must contend with rebel groups who can be …
Read More »Canada will not extend Mali peacekeeping mission: minister
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Canada will not extend its peacekeeping mission in Mali beyond July 2019, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in an interview that aired Saturday. Sajjan, interviewed by CBC Radio on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum, said that UN officials were “working with other …
Read More »All Flying Squad operatives fired
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Police have terminated the services of all Flying Squad operatives from different parts of the county. The more than 80 operatives, working as Special Police Constables on contract, will stop working with with immediate effect, Uganda Police says. This is the second time …
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