Mbale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Construction of the surgical complex at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital has stalled for 2 years because of the failure by government to release money as per the signed contract.    Construction of the Shillings 22 billion complex started in 2016 and was supposed to run for …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | When Robel Wolde bought a beat-up 1967 Volkswagen Beetle from a friend for 50,000 Ethiopian birr (about 1,540 euros, $1,700), it marked the start of an extensive restoration he’d plotted for years. The 25-year-old Ethiopian painter quickly went to work. He installed new grey leather …

Luxembourg, Luxembourg | AFP | Six weeks after he took office and six weeks before he is due to lead Britain out of the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to meet Jean-Claude Junker. On Monday, after comparing himself to berserk comic book super-smasher Hulk, the British leader will enjoy …

Kigezi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  There is a dispute between HIV/Aids activists and religious leaders in Kigezi sub-region on the promotion of condom use as one of the major ways of containing the spread of HIV.  According to the 2017 Uganda Population HIV Impact Assessment and Uganda AIDS Commission, the …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Two anti-establishment candidates in Tunisia’s divisive election claimed Sunday to have won through to a runoff, hours after polling closed in the country’s second free presidential poll since the 2011 Arab Spring. In a sign of voter apathy, especially among the young, turnout was reported by …

Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |   At least five people sustained injuries on Sunday evening during an explosion at Marco Gym and Spa next to Quality Supermarket in Kyaliwajjala, Wakiso District. Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman Patrick Onyango says that preliminary investigations show that the explosion was caused by excessive heating of …

Kabarole, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  A whistleblower has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga to probe the unending livestock thefts in the Tooro region.  In the past months livestock which include cows, pigs, sheep and goats have been stolen from Kichwamba and Rwebisengo Sub Counties in Kabarole and Ntoroko …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain’s Pedro Sanchez has just nine days left to resolve a political crisis that could drag the country to its fourth elections in as many years. Everything hinges on him securing support from the far-left Podemos. He has until September 23 to be confirmed as premier …

Bouaké, Ivory Coast | AFP |  Every time Catherine Coulibaly’s 19-year-old son had to make a routine appointment with the cardiologist for his heart condition, she gritted her teeth as she silently counted the financial cost. It wasn’t just the hospital fee — there was the transport, food and accommodation, too, …

Paris, France | AFP | As a member of the South Africa team that won the 1995 World Cup and was later immortalised in the Clint Eastwood film “Invictus”, Mark Andrews is already assured of a place in rugby history. “We were just out of isolation, Mandela was the new president, …