Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Judge Margaret Oguli Oumo has ordered that the 22 suspects in the murder of former police spokesman AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi each be compensated sh80 million after the High Court in Kampala found that they had been tortured in detention. Judge Oguli ruled on Thursday …
Read More »Erdogan accuses US of ‘sacrificing’ relations with Turkey
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said the US was in danger of “sacrificing” its relations with Turkey, as he blamed the American envoy to Ankara for the crisis in relations between the NATO allies. “It is the ambassador here who caused this,” Erdogan told a …
Read More »After 46 years, S.Africa rules police murdered apartheid opponent
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | An anti-apartheid activist who died in police custody 46 years ago did not commit suicide but was murdered by officers, a South African court said Thursday in a historic ruling for campaigners. The court called for an officer involved in covering up the circumstances of …
Read More »Five questions about Kenya’s election saga
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Two months after Kenyans lined up to vote for a president, the election is still far from over. A dramatic series of twists and turns has seen the first result annulled and a new election scheduled that opposition leader Raila Odinga is now refusing to …
Read More »Bikini power: Japan’s lady bodybuilders smashing stereotypes
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Glistening with sweat, Satoko Yamanouchi’s biceps ripple and the veins in her neck throb as if about to pop as she strikes a fearsome pose at the Japan bodybuilding championships. An hour later, the pint-sized Nagoya housewife is close to tears after narrowly failing to retain …
Read More »Kaspersky in focus as US-Russia cyber-tensions rise
Washington, United States | AFP | The security software firm Kaspersky has become the focal point in an escalating conflict in cyberspace between the United States and Russia. The Russian-based company has been accused of being a vehicle for hackers to steal security secrets from the US National Security Agency, and …
Read More »Beyonce charity song finally dethrones ‘Despacito’
New York, United States | AFP | Beyonce’s Spanish-language remix of “Mi Gente” for hurricane relief opened Wednesday on top of the US Latin song chart, finally dethroning the global mega-hit “Despacito.” “Mi Gente,” which Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin created from the African dance rhythms of French DJ Willy William, …
Read More »Inside Germany’s football factory
Gelsenkirchen, Germany | AFP | Schalke 04 are a sleeping giant in the German league, yet their youth academy is one of Germany’s most successful, producing World Cup winners, Bundesliga stars and Premier League exports. Germany has just qualified for Russia 2018, where they will defend the World Cup title …
Read More »S. Africa court to rule on activist’s death 46 years on
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court will rule Thursday on whether the suspicious 1971 death of an apartheid-era activist in custody was suicide, as police officers claimed, or actually a regime killing. For many, the case — the culmination of a relentless campaign by the activist’s family — …
Read More »Several hurt in protests as Kenya election officials mull next move
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Several people were injured in protests in Kenya on Wednesday, a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga announced he would quit the presidential race, in a move that plunged the country into uncharted waters. Election officials have been locked in crisis meetings since the decision, as …
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