Paris, France | AFP | Lionel Messi won a record sixth men’s Ballon d’Or award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Liverpool duo Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane to take the honours. Now aged 32, it is Messi’s first Ballon d’Or since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | The oil-rich central African state of Gabon has carried out a string of top-level arrests and reassignments as it ramps up a drive against corruption. Nearly two dozen people, some of them in the inner circle of power, have been ousted from office, arrested or …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |  Heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr said Monday that all the pressure will be on dethroned champion Anthony Joshua in their contentious showdown in Saudi Arabia. Ruiz, who was born in the United States but fights as a Mexican, caused one of boxing’s biggest upsets …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa’s competition regulatory authority on Monday revealed that mobile operators have been overcharging for internet connectivity, ordering top operators to drop prices within two months or face prosecution. The high cost of data has in the past stirred public outrage prompting protests under …

Latest in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi firepower Kampala, Uganda | INDEPENDENT TEAM | Countries in the East African region continue to spend more on strengthening their armed forces, according to latest data. Although Kenya and Tanzania are the biggest spenders because of their relatively big budgets, most attention is on Uganda, …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima has emphasized the need for communities to take part in the fight against HIV. This is carried in her press statement issued as the World today commemorates the World AIDs Day under the …

  Mbarara, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | One hundred and fifty people have received the two doses of the Jansen ZEBOVAC Ebola vaccine during trials that are currently ongoing at EpiCenter Health Research at the Mbarara University Science and Research in Mbarara. The vaccine is currently being used by health workers …

  Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Soroti Fruit Factory has restricted its purchase of oranges to farmer groups and associations. The fruit processing plant that commenced the production of orange and mango juice in April this year is overwhelmed by the high production of oranges. This has forced management …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Details have emerged on why the first meeting called by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Major Gen. Stephen Sabiiti Muzeyi as chairman of the Police Exodus SACCO was abruptly postponed on Friday. The Annual General Meeting was called off in a communication issued …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom is up in arms against the proposed construction of a hydro power dam at Murchison falls. Early this year, the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) published a notice in newspapers indicating that it had received an application from Bonang Power and Energy …