Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Cuba’s sensual rumba dance and Belgium’s thriving beer culture brought a new exuberance to UNESCO’s prestigious list of “intangible” heritage on Wednesday. The UN body gave the nod to the rumba, which it said evokes “grace, sensuality and joy”, while it said “making and …

Emma Okwi and Brian Umony were the two prominent faces missing as Uganda named their preliminary squad to start preparations for the Gabon 2017 African Cup of Nations finals. The two stars have struggled with injury and not had enough playing time in the past year with their clubs. Uganda Cranes head …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British scientists on Wednesday approved the use of so-called “three-parent baby” fertility treatments, paving the way for the country to become the first in the world to officially introduce the procedures. An independent panel of experts tasked with reviewing the safety of mitochondrial gene …

New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump tried Wednesday to head off criticism that his vast business empire poses an unprecedented conflict of interest for an incoming US president, even as he comes under attack for packing his cabinet with fellow billionaires. In one of his trademark pre-dawn …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  Russia’s HIV infection rate is growing 10 percent a year and over one million Russian have been diagnosed with the disease in nearly three decades, the country’s top AIDS expert said Tuesday. The number of registered cases reached 1,087,339 on September 30, Vadim Pokrovsky, head …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP |  Pope Francis on Wednesday issued a call for “responsible behaviour” to prevent the spread of AIDS without specifying whether that included wearing condoms. The pontiff also issued a fresh call for every sufferer, no matter how poor, to have access to treatment. In …

Rabat, Morocco | AFP |  Morocco on Wednesday accused the African Union commission’s chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa, of blocking Rabat’s efforts to rejoin the AU and lacking neutrality. The foreign ministry, in a strongly worded statement, charged that she was “trying to thwart Morocco’s decision to regain its …

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde has explained that the decision to call off the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) elections was agreed with all stakeholders after a recent meeting. “I have received a number of concerns from different stakeholders on operations of Uganda National …

New York, United States | AFP | Steven Mnuchin is hardly a household name, but US President-elect Donald Trump’s new pick for Treasury secretary has close ties to Wall Street that could prove a double-edged sword in the current populist era. A former Democratic Party donor, the 53-year-old surprised his …

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed with costs a petition filed against the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) by nine people being tried in the case of the slain Muslic clerics before the International Crimes Division Court. The nine led by Amir Ummar Shiekh Mohammed Yunus Kamoga had sought  contempt of  court …