Seville, Spain | AFP | Antoine Griezmann preserved Atletico Madrid’s status as chief challengers to Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday after his stunning free-kick earned them a 1-1 draw at Sevilla. Sevilla would have leapfrogged Atletico into second with a win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and were favourites …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | While UMEME recently boasted that they are innovating to reduce operation costs, President Yoweri Museveni has in his New Year’s message said the leading power distributor in the country accounts for 34% of the power distribution cost. Museveni said UMEME is a key “distorter” in the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A disastrous mistake by Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Virgil Vries gifted Mamelodi Sundowns a 2-1 victory this weekend in a high-profile South African Premiership showdown. Namibian Vries came too far off his line and a seemingly aimless 81st-minute long pass from Lyle Lakay bounced over …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A week after crucial elections to replace long-term president Joseph Kabila, the DR Congo was on tenterhooks Sunday with no date for the announcement of delayed results and just over half of ballots counted. On Saturday, just hours before the scheduled announcement of the …

Washington, United States | AFP | The newly installed US Congress is expected to see a fresh effort to develop new regulations for big technology firms, with a focus on tougher enforcement of privacy and data protection. The wave of data scandals that have hit Facebook and other online platforms …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Saturday expressed regret after Somalia expelled a UN envoy but added that it expected “full cooperation” between Somalia and the United Nations. The council released the unanimous statement after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday agreed to …

Paris, France | AFP | “Yellow vest” protesters returned in force to the streets of France this weekend, clashing with police in several cities and smashing their way into a government ministry in Paris with the help of a forklift truck. The interior ministry put the number of protesters who …

Kunduz, Afghanistan | AFP | At least 30 people were killed when a gold mine collapsed in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said, in the latest tragedy to strike the war-torn country. Another seven were injured in the incident in Kohistan district of Badakhshan province, district governor Mohammad Rustam Raghi …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | A policeman was killed while trying to dismantle an explosive device outside a Coptic church in Egypt on Saturday, a security source said. Two other officers were also wounded in the explosion as security personnel attempted to defuse the device in Nasr City on the …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday urged EU leaders to show “concrete solidarity” with 49 migrants stranded on NGO ships off the coast of Malta who have been refused permission to land. “Forty nine migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by two NGO ships have been onboard …