Uganda

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Olympic Runner Dies After Ex's 'Cowardly, Senseless' Attack

Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei was doused in gasoline, set on fire

(Newser) - Less than a month ago, Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics. On Thursday, she died in a hospital in Kenya with burns over 80% of her body, days after police said her ex-boyfriend doused her in gasoline and set her on fire . "We...

Chimps' Chewing of Medicinal Plants Is No Fluke
Chimpanzee, Heal Thyself
NEW STUDY

Chimpanzee, Heal Thyself

Researchers describe evidence of self-medication in Uganda

(Newser) - Sick or wounded chimpanzees can't go to the doctor, per se, but they can and apparently do serve as their own. In a new study, researchers describe the medicinal properties of various plants eaten by poorly chimps in the wild, "providing some of the strongest evidence yet that...

Uganda Hospital Celebrates 'Africa's Oldest Mother'

Safina Namukwaya has twins at age 70

(Newser) - It may not be the record for the oldest woman to give birth, but it's in the conversation. A 70-year-old woman in Uganda gave birth to twins after having IVF treatment, reports the BBC . "We've achieved the extraordinary—delivering twins to Africa's oldest mother aged 70!...

US Couple to Pay $28K for Mistreating Foster Child

Some Ugandan activists are angered by the outcome

(Newser) - The US couple charged in Uganda with child trafficking and torture of their 10-year-old foster son has instead pleaded guilty to child cruelty and "inhumane treatment," reports the BBC . Whereas Mackenzie Leing Mathias Spencer and Nicholas Spencer faced life in prison if convicted of the original counts, they'...

Outside This Ugandan Park, a Rare 'Heinous Act'

Uganda officials say 2 tourists, guide were killed in attack near Queen Elizabeth National Park

(Newser) - Two foreign tourists and their Ugandan guide were killed when assailants attacked their vehicle near a national park in southwestern Uganda, a wildlife official said Tuesday. Bashir Hangi, spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, said the attackers set on fire the vehicle in which the group was traveling just outside...

Dozens of Students Killed in Rebel Attack on High School

Ugandan authorities recover more than 40 bodies, mostly kids, after suspected rebels invade

(Newser) - Ugandan authorities recovered the bodies of 41 people, including 38 students, who were burned, shot, or hacked to death after suspected rebels attacked a secondary school near the border with Congo, the local mayor said Saturday. At least six people were abducted by the rebels, who fled across the porous...

This Country Now Has One of the Toughest Anti-LGBTQ Laws

Despite outcry over bill passed nearly unanimously in March, Uganda's president signs it into law

(Newser) - Uganda just became a decidedly hostile place for the LGBTQ+ community: As Reuters reports, President Yoweri Museveni just signed into law one of the globe's harshest anti-gay measures, and it includes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," serial offenders of the law, and those who transmit diseases...

Uganda Has Harsh LGBTQ News
Uganda Has
Harsh LGBTQ News

Uganda Has Harsh LGBTQ News

Gay offenses could result in prison time if bill is signed by president

(Newser) - Ugandan lawmakers passed a bill prescribing prison terms for offenses related to same-sex relations, responding to popular sentiment but piling more pressure on the East African country's LGBTQ community. The bill was passed late Tuesday inside a packed parliamentary chamber after a roll call ordered by the House speaker,...

Former Child Soldier Learns His Fate

Uganda's Dominic Ongwen is convicted of war crimes, but says he was a victim, too

(Newser) - This war crimes conviction came with a unique defense. Former warlord Dominic Ongwen says he should be considered a victim, too, because he was abducted as a boy and turned into a child soldier, reports the Guardian . However, the argument didn't wash with the International Criminal Court at the...

Poacher Gets 11 Years for Killing Rare Gorilla
'Rafiki Has Received Justice'

'Rafiki Has Received Justice'

Ugandan poacher sentenced to 11 years

(Newser) - There are only around 1,000 or so mountain gorillas left on the planet—and that number went down by one last month when a poacher in Uganda killed Rafiki , a silverback popular with tourists. The poacher, Felix Byamukama, had been part a group hunting illegally for bush meat in...

Death of Popular Rare Gorilla Could Be Devastating for Others

Gorilla group left behind after Rafiki allegedly killed by poacher in Uganda may be left 'unstable'

(Newser) - About half of the world's mountain gorillas can be found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. That number has just fallen by one, after local wildlife authorities say a male gorilla popular with tourists was killed by a poacher, per Reuters and the BBC . The Uganda Wildlife Authority...

Lightning Strikes Rare Mountain Gorillas

4 dead in Uganda in 'big loss for species'

(Newser) - There are about 1,000 mountain gorillas left on planet Earth, and there are four fewer after a lightning strike felled the rare creatures in Uganda, reports the BBC . The three adult females, including a pregnant female, and infant male were discovered in Mgahinga National Park with "gross lesions"...

Nation's Law Would Bring Death Penalty for Gay Sex

Critics say revived bill in Uganda will 'fire up more hatred'

(Newser) - Africa is known for having some of the most rigid laws against homosexuality in the world, with Uganda now vying for one of the top spots on that front. Reuters reports a bill is in the works there that would resurrect a long-dormant one, with a dire punishment for gay...

Untrained Missionary Defends Care of Children Who Died

Uganda nonprofit cared for the malnourished

(Newser) - An American missionary is defending herself against allegations that she ran an unlicensed medical organization in Uganda that was responsible for the deaths of more than 100 children. The two women suing Renee Bach said they didn't realize she had no medical training until their children died. "Mistakes...

They'd Hoped to Contain Ebola in the Congo. That Plan Failed

2 have died in Uganda, and there are more suspected cases

(Newser) - The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting Friday over an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has now made its way into Uganda. Citing Ugandan Health Ministry information, the New York Times reports that two people—a 5-year-old Congolese boy and his 50-year-old grandmother—died...

Kidnapped American: 'How Do I Get Them to Shoot Me?'

California woman Gayle Endicott appears on CBS This Morning

(Newser) - An American kidnapped in Uganda says she felt a human connection with her captors but also contemplated how to get herself killed. Appearing on CBS This Morning, Gayle Endicott went into detail about her 5-day April ordeal and described a moment when she, her guide, and four captors were crossing...

Kidnapped American Tourist Is Freed

Kimberly Sue Endicott was held in Uganda for 5 days

(Newser) - A kidnapped American tourist is safe and sound after an unexpectedly dramatic vacation. In Uganda for a safari, Kimberly Sue Endicott and her local guide were abducted at gunpoint from Queen Elizabeth National Park on Tuesday night and held for $500,000. The Guardian says it's unclear whether money...

After 3 Days, California Woman Still Captive in Uganda

Kimberly Sue Endicott was kidnapped on vacation

(Newser) - Ugandan officials are negotiating for the release of a California woman and a local tour driver who were kidnapped at gunpoint in a wildlife park on Tuesday. The search has widened as well, CBS reports. Kimberly Sue Endicott and Jean-Paul Mirgene Remezo were taken by four men in Queen Elizabeth...

A US Tourist Was on Safari. Now, a $500K Ransom

Kimberley Sue Endecott, her driver were abducted in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park: police

(Newser) - An American woman was kidnapped at gunpoint from Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park Tuesday night, Reuters reports. Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, and her Ugandan driver were on a game drive in the safari park when four gunmen ambushed the vehicle and took them both. An elderly couple at the...

Kanye in Uganda: Recording in a Tent, Giving Yeezys

West and family are visiting Africa until Friday

(Newser) - Kanye West has met with Uganda's president during a visit to the East African nation and given the 74-year-old leader a pair of white sneakers. President Yoweri Museveni said he and the American rapper held "fruitful discussions" on Monday about promoting tourism and arts, reports the AP . Uganda'...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>