London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City brushed aside struggling Cardiff to leapfrog Liverpool at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday as Tottenham opened their glittering stadium in style. City’s 2-0 victory over Cardiff took Pep Guardiola’s quadruple-chasers to 80 points — one clear of Jurgen …
Read More »Facts about Sharia law around the world
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Brunei on Wednesday introduced harsh new sharia laws — including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex — despite a storm of global criticism from rights groups. Although most Muslim nations incorporate elements of sharia law in their legal systems, very few carry …
Read More »S.Sudan holds breath as fragile peace faces crucial test
Udier, South Sudan | AFP | Chol Deng, her husband and five children sit, exhausted, under a tree, having journeyed back to South Sudan five years after fleeing their corpse-strewn hometown Malakal. Encouraged by a six-month lull in fighting as a peace deal holds for the first time since 2015, …
Read More »American tourist kidnapped at Queen Elizabeth, Police in hot pursuit
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police and UPDF have dispatched teams to Queen Elizabeth National Park where a search in on for an American tourist and Ugandan guide are reported kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a $500,000 ransom, Police has confirmed. The two were grabbed, after armed men put …
Read More »E-cigarettes haven’t made teen smoking cool again: study
Paris, France | AFP | The rapid spread of e-cigarette use among young teenagers has not slowed the decline in smoking in the same age group, much less reversed it, according to a new study. Nor has vaping caused 13-to-15 year olds canvassed in Britain to see tobacco use in …
Read More »US, China leading race for 5G wireless: survey
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States and China are in a virtual deadlock in the race for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks expected to unlock new services, an industry survey showed Tuesday. The report shows the United States has closed the gap with China in “readiness” for …
Read More »Streaming helps boost 2018 music industry sales
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Worldwide music sales rose by nearly 10 percent in 2018, a fourth consecutive year of growth fuelled by online streaming, according to figures released on Tuesday by an industry body. Revenues reached $19.1 billion last year, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which …
Read More »Seeking justice: the long hunt for Rwanda’s killers
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | The houses along the quiet tree-lined street look just like the normal homes found all across the Rwandan capital. But behind the walls of the three adjoining villas in Kigali are the headquarters of a global operation involving investigators and prosecutors who are working …
Read More »Algeria: from mass protests to Bouteflika resignation
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday, nearly six weeks after the start of unprecedented protests sparked by his bid for a fifth term. His resignation, announced by state television, came shortly after the army demanded the start of impeachment against him. Here is …
Read More »No-one sought justice for Kim Jong Nam: analysts
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The spectacular assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother — smeared in the face with a banned nerve agent — made headlines around the world but two years later its organisers have escaped accountability, analysts say. Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge Monday against …
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