Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | The Rio carnival is a celebration of joyful excess but deep recession in Brazil means that samba schools are thinking about their budgets as much as their dance moves. “Here the key word is austerity,” says Luiz Carlos Magalhaes, president of the Portela …

Primeiro Agosto (ANG) 2 (Bua 30, Geraldo 37) KCCA (UGA) 1 (Sserunkuma 20) Aggregate: 2-2, KCCA win on away goals Ugandan clubs Vipers and KCCA made it to the round of 32 in continental football at the weekend and will face South African opponents next. Godfrey Sserunkuma was the hero …

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Worldwide arms trade has risen to its highest level since the Cold War in the last five years, driven by a demand from the Middle East and Asia, a study said Monday. Between 2012-2016, arms imports in terms of volume by countries in Asia and …

Boston, United States | AFP |  Smartphones are revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, thanks to add-ons and apps that make their ubiquitous small screens into medical devices, researchers say. “If you look at the camera, the flash, the microphone… they all are getting better and better,” said Shwetak …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Global financial support for humanitarian work in conflict-riven Sudan is expected to drop this year despite improved aid access and the easing of US sanctions, the top UN aid official in the country said. “Sudan is taking some very positive steps which are recognised, and… …

Bakau, Gambia | AFP | Thousands celebrated Saturday as new Gambian President Adama Barrow retook his oath of office, a month after he was sworn in across the border in neighbouring Senegal during a tense power struggle. February 18 is also the anniversary of The Gambia’s independence from Britain, but …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | At least 14 people were killed on Sunday when a car packed with explosives blew up near a busy intersection in Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said. “We have counted about 14 people killed and more than 30 others wounded… the area was a busy intersection …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP |  Pope Francis on Sunday urged leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo to act quickly to resolve its political crisis and curb violence, condemning in particular the use of child soldiers. Violence has flared across the country in recent months, including deadly confrontations …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger and Claudio Ranieri who guided Leicester City to the unlikeliest of titles last season are facing rocky futures for different reasons. Wenger — whose side tackle non league Sutton in the FA Cup on Monday — is in the spotlight …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  The mediator in Burundi’s nearly two-year political crisis on Sunday asked regional leaders to call an urgent summit as deep discord and a government boycott hamper peace talks. Former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa wrapped up four days of talks with some 30 Burundian representatives who …