Uganda: Scores feared drowned after party boat capsizes on Lake Victoria

At least eleven students died, and six others were in critical condition after a fire in a school for the blind in central Uganda, police said on Tuesday.

A small plane owned by Tanzanian airline Precision Air jet plunged into Lake Victoria as it attempted to land at Bukoba Airport in the north west of the country. The cause of the plane crash is unknown, and rescue efforts are under way for the 49 passengers who were believed to be on board.

With no vaccine or treatment available for a strain of Ebola that is circulating in Uganda, the country's latest outbreak is shaping up to be the third largest on record.

In eastern DR Congo, fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army has already forced 400,000 people to flee. Since March, more than 100,000 civilians have found refuge in Uganda. Hundreds of families arrive every week in the country, which is already home to 1.5 million refugees.

After two months of restrictions, 142 cases of the virus and 56 related deaths, Uganda is now lifting its Ebola lockdown while continuing to stay on high alert.

A scientist is now producing organic fertilizer in a bid to create a cheaper and more viable alternative to imports.

A four-month Ebola outbreak has been successfully controlled, Ugandan officials said on Wednesday, despite the lack of a vaccine against the strain in question.

Kampala is abandoning its Chinese partners and turning to Turkey to build a standard gauge railway that will connect to neighboring Kenya. East Africa is keen on improving its railway network as part of integration.

Uganda on Tuesday commissioned the first of its four planned oil rigs and the start of drilling the first production well, a key milestone as the country races to meet its target of first oil output in 2025 after a long delay.

Africa's Lake Victoria is a source of joy and livelihood for those living along its shores, but the waterway is being overrun by pollution. Kenya's Rahmina Paullete is not just tackling the scourge, but transforming waste particles into furniture, coasters and bags. She's the founder of the "Let Lake Victoria Breathe Again" campaign. The young activist joined us for Perspective.

Eddy Kenzo keeps scaling heights in music. The Ugandan who won admiration at home for winning attention at the Grammys is unrivaled among east African singers. Fans say he embodies hope that even the poorest can triumph.

The UN human rights office in Uganda may close soon. The authorities have decided not to renew its mandate, which expires this year. Kampala believes it can do without it. This is a cause for concern for NGOs. Attacks on journalists, imprisonment of lawyers and opposition leaders were the order of the day during the last presidential election. FRANCE 24's Carolyn Lamboley explains.