Explosion reported in Uganda

KAMPALA: An explosion killed two suspected rebels including a female suicide bomber near a Roman Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital Kampala on Tuesday morning, but no other people were reported hurt, authorities said.
The two assailants were thought to be linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Congo-based rebel group allied to IS which claimed responsibility for multiple bombings in 2021, Ugandan army spokesman Chris Magezi said. Magezi wrote on X that a "counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb." One of the individuals was a female suicide bomber "laden with powerful explosives," Magezi said.
"Two people were on a motorcycle and an explosion occurred," Ugandan police chief Abas Byakagaba told NBS in a video posted on X. Byakagaba did not say what happened to the two people on the motorbike but added: "The good thing though is that there were no people nearby who were injured." — Reuters

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Muscat Daily

5 days ago

• Muscat Daily

Is Bangladesh ready for a ‘credible' election?

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, recently met the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is expected to be the frontrunner in elections next year. Tarique Rahman, who has lived in exile in the United Kingdom for over 15 years, is the acting chairman of the BNP, a major party which his mother, ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, led for decades. The meeting in the UK capital London was held amid rising tensions in Bangladesh, which has been locked in a tense political limbo since an uprising culminated in former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation in August 2024. Reforms needed before elections The BNP wanted an election by December 2025, while the interim government had been aiming for April 2026, saying it needs time to implement a host of reforms. Yunus and Rahman have now agreed that polls could be held in February – if sufficient progress on reforms is made. These include constitutional reforms, changes to the electoral process and boosting judicial independence and press freedoms. Authorities also need to deliver justice for the victims of last year's mass protests, in which hundreds were killed, mostly by the security forces loyal to Hasina and her Awami League. Tasnim Jara, a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), newly formed by the student leaders of last year's protests, thinks that while the government has taken initial steps for an election, 'institutional readiness remains uneven'. 'Key election infrastructure, such as an impartial election commission, a neutral civil administration, and an independent judiciary, requires urgent reform. A credible election will depend on whether the political parties can agree on a reform package soon and whether that package is visibly implemented in time,' she told DW. 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Observer

6 days ago

• Observer

Israel's war with Iran may last weeks, not days

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Observer

7 days ago

• Observer

Two Iranian drones shot down in Iraq

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