Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Ivory Coast ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, the first former head of state to go on trial before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, was ordered freed by the court on Friday. The court agreed to his release following his acquittal last month on charges of …

Washington, United States | AFP | In a move that could harden Washington’s posture toward Beijing for years, the US intelligence community has characterized relations with China as a global ideological showdown that will not be doused by trade deals or commercial theft crackdowns. US spy chiefs abruptly shifted their view …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Uganda needs to up to USD 20 billion (7.4 trillion Shillings) to achieve its first oil by 2021, according to the Energy Ministry Permanent Secretary Robert Kasande. The money according to Kasande will cater for upstream developments which include Central Processing Facilities (CPFs) and pipelines …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League clubs were reluctant to plunge into the inflated January marketplace this season — in stark contrast to last year, when they splashed out a record £430 million on transfer fees. Just £180 million ($235 million) was spent last month, according to finance experts …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In an effort to expand its clinic network and footprint in the country, International Medical Centre (IMC) on Friday launched a new branch in Wandegeya as a way of responding to the overwhelming community demands for a quality healthcare service and bridge the service provision …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Friday she would close her Facebook account, taking another step in a long farewell from politics in her final term in office. In a short video, Merkel thanked her more than 2.5 million followers on the social media site and asked …

  Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima and former president Joyce Banda have formed an alliance to take on the ruling party in May elections, a joint statement said Friday. The opposition alliance does not include the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which came second to the ruling …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | In the weeks leading up to Democratic Republic of Congo’s controversial election, those leaving power quietly passed two decrees guaranteeing themselves money and benefits that would ensure their financial security for decades to come. Ministers in the outgoing government of now ex-president Joseph Kabila awarded …

Paris, France | AFP | Nuclear waste is piling up around the world even as countries struggle to dispose of spent fuel that will remain highly toxic for many thousands of years, Greenpeace detailed in a report Wednesday. An analysis of waste storage facilities in seven countries with nuclear power revealed …

Tampa, United States | AFP | An Arctic-like deep freeze gripping much of the United States with double-digit subzero temperatures is the coldest of its kind in two decades, but is it linked to climate change? Experts say it could be, but whether global warming plays a role in this …