Paris, France | AFP | An asteroid as big as the Rock of Gibraltar will streak past Earth on April 18 at a safe but uncomfortably close distance, according to astronomers. “Although there is no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet, this will be a very close approach …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Gunmen have ambushed and killed eight police officers in eastern Tanzania, the presidency said Friday, the latest in a string of killings targeting politicians and security officers in the country. “President John Pombe Magufuli is surprised and very sorry to learn of the news of the …

North Korea army vows ‘merciless’ response to US provocation Seoul, South Korea | AFP |  North Korea’s army on Friday vowed a ‘merciless’ response to any US provocation, as tensions soar over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme and speculation mounts that it is preparing a fresh weapons test. Pyongyang’s rogue atomic ambitions …

Beijing, China | AFP |  From Twitter threats to Tomahawk missiles, US president Donald Trump’s unorthodox and seemingly impulsive approach to foreign policy has unsettled China, piling new pressure on its hands-off North Korea policy. As tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, Beijing appears alarmed by Trump’s strident pronouncements as …

Prominent female academic and activist Stella Nyanzi is “doing very well” at Luzira prison and is already involved in teaching English to inmates, her lawyer Nicholas Opiyo has said. Opiyo told BBC today that Nyanzi is teaching English in her spare time at Uganda’s Luzira Prison where she is in custody …

Washington, United States | AFP | The United States is assessing military options in response to North Korea’s weapons programs, a White House foreign policy advisor confirmed Friday, saying another provocative test was a question of “when” rather than “if.” As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US military on Thursday dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat, targeting an Islamic State complex in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — better known by its nickname, the “Mother Of All Bombs” — hit …

A few hours after Uganda’s ICT experts said that a new directive for subscribers to re-register their SIM-cards using national ID cards in seven days is not practical, the country’s lawyers have questioned the legality of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) exercise. “Our considered view is that the manner in which the directive …

Pope washes feet of mafia snitches in Easter ritual Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis washed the feet of former mafiosi on Thursday in a prison known for housing inmates who have informed on old mobster allies. The closed-door visit to Paliano prison outside Rome saw the …

Canadian ‘giant’ of HIV research drowns Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Canadian scientist Mark Wainberg — described as a “giant” of HIV science and who had recently been working on finding a cure for the condition — has died at the age of 71, UNAIDS said on Thursday. The internationally renowned …