Twenty-two civilians killed in DR Congo bloodbath: official Goma, DR Congo | AFP | At least 22 civilians were killed in a massacre in Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive North Kivu province over the weekend, an official said Sunday. The bloodshed occurred in Eringeti, a town 55 kilometres (35 miles) …
Read More »Year 2016: Heroes and zeros of 2016
Paris, France | AFP | AFP Sport looks back at a selection of ‘heroes’ and ‘zeros’ from 2016: THE Heroes Leicester City Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City pulled off one of the greatest shocks in English football history by defying title odds of 5,000-1 to lift the Premier League trophy. Having …
Read More »VIDEO: Lake Victoria pollution threatens lives
VIDEO: A rise in pollution levels at Murchison bay in Luzira, Kampala is threatening the life of millions of Ugandans – with little hope that the situation is set to improve soon. The National Environment Management Authority blames the pollution on the destruction of the Nakivubo wetland, a natural filter of …
Read More »The secret world of Japan’s hidden Christians
Ikitsuki, Japan | AFP | Japanese rice farmer Masatsugu Tanimoto doesn’t think of himself as a Christian, and you’d almost never find him in a church. But every so often, he and others meet to recite prayers drawn from another time and place. The group, dressed in sober kimonos and …
Read More »Christmas brings some relief for Kabila and DRC
DR Congo crisis talks suspended, hopes for deal by year end Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Talks to end DR Congo’s dangerous political crisis were suspended on Saturday until after Christmas after a fruitless 48 hours of negotiations over President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to quit power. Kabila’s second and …
Read More »Pope Francis urges compassion for children at Christmas
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis urged the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to feel compassion for children, notably victims of war, migration and homelessness in his Christmas Eve mass but also those “not allowed to be born”. Addressing a 10,000-strong crowd late Saturday, the pontiff urged worshippers …
Read More »Nigerian army ‘crushes’ Boko Haram in key stronghold
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday claimed the military had routed Boko Haram in a key northeastern stronghold, a year after saying the Islamist militants had been “technically” defeated. A campaign lasting for months in the 1,300 square-kilometre (500 square-mile) forest in northeastern Borno state …
Read More »Berlin truck attack: the investigation so far
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Tunisia said Saturday it had arrested three men linked to the suspected Berlin Christmas market attacker, including his nephew. Here is what we know about the case so far. – Shot dead in Italy – German authorities launched a Europe-wide manhunt for 24-year-old Tunisian Anis …
Read More »Website charts Santa’s journey around the globe
Washington, United States | AFP | An online Santa tracker run by a Canadian and American defense agency mapped the jolly old gift-giver’s path around the globe Saturday, in what has become a Yuletide tradition. Every Christmas Eve since 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been tracking …
Read More »Syria’s war in numbers: 310,000 dead, 4.8m refugees
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | Syria’s conflict has killed more than 310,000 people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted almost six years ago. Here are some key statistics: – Huge death toll – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price