Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | The death toll from a double car-bomb attack near the presidential palace in Somalia rose to 20 on Sunday, police said. Police on Saturday had said seven people were killed following the two blasts in Mogadishu, which were claimed by the jihadist Shabaab group. “The …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Inmates in Luzira Prisons have pleaded with the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga seeking pardon for their elderly colleagues struggling to survive in Prisons. It came when Kadaga visited at Luzira prisons to deliver gifts to inmates including sugar, salt, clothing, soap, sandals, flour, basins …

Beni, DR Congo | AFP | At least five people, including four civilians, were killed in an attack by suspected Ugandan rebels in DR Congo, an AFP correspondent and witnesses said on Sunday. The attack by Uganda-based Allied Democratic Forces targeted the locality of Masiani in the Beni region of …

Chinamhora, Zimbabwe | AFP | At Solomon Chakauya’s grocery store in Zimbabwe’s Chinamhora district outside Harare, there’s no sign of the seasonal Christmas rush that he needs to keep his business afloat. Even in the country’s toughest times, sales rocketed in the days before Christmas, but this year few people …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Shilling has strengthened against the dollar and other currencies as the festive season sets in. The Shilling has been trading in the range of 3,650/90 throughout the week, a marked gain compared to previous weeks. Money market watchers attribute the strengthening of the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Makerere University has sacked 45 senior academic staff, according to a statement by the University Human Resources Director, Andrew Abunyang. The decision to sack the lecturers was reached in five consecutive meetings by the University Appointments Board chaired by Bruce Balaba Kabaasa held between November and …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | More than 27,500 Eritreans have filed for refugee status in Ethiopia since the two countries reopened their joint border in September, according to EU documents seen by AFP on Friday. More than 24,000 people from northern Eritrea have applied for refugee status at Endabaguna, …

Paris, France | AFP | A French court on Friday fined oil giant Total 500,000 euros ($575,000) for corruption over bribes it paid to secure a huge gas concession in Iran in 1997. The French company was accused of paying $30 million in bribes in return for help in securing …

New York, United States | AFP | Ford is recalling 874,000 of its best-selling F-series pickup trucks due to fire risk from the engine block heater system, the company announced Friday. The problem occurs when there is corrosion in a connector in the engine block heater, which is used in …

United Nations, United States | AFP | United Nations member states failed to come up with a deal Friday to make up for a $220 million budget black hole left by the United States downsizing its contribution to peacekeeping operations, diplomats said. The United States had paid around 28 percent …