Two explosions rocked Uganda's capital Kampala on Tuesday, injuring a number of people in what police called an attack on the city, the latest in a string of blasts in the country.
The explosions took place in the central business district of Kampala near the main police station and the entrance to the Ugandan Parliament, police said.
"What we can say [is] this was an attack but who is responsible is a matter that is under investigation," Uganda's assistant inspector general of police Edward Ochom told AFP.
Health Ministry spokesman Ainebyoona Emmanuel said on Twitter that the city's Mulago Hospital was treating 24 people, four of whom were in a critical condition.
"Following the unfortunate and cowardly act of terrorism, our health workers are working around the clock to save the lives of those injured," he said.
The explosion near the police station shattered windows while the one near the parliament building sparked flames that burned near parked cars, Mr Ochom said.
"We have dispatched a team," Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita told AFP.
The twin attack came after two blasts last month – a bus explosion near Kampala that wounded many people and a bombing at a roadside restaurant in the capital that killed one woman.
Police say those attacks were connected and were carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group that the US in March linked to ISIS.
Kyle Spencer, the executive director of Uganda's Internet Exchange Point, told AFP that Tuesday's explosions had sparked panic among many people nearby.
"The road to parliament is closed off, there are people just crying. Everyone else is just trying to get away from these areas," he said.
"Everybody is evacuating office buildings and the buildings are locking up and not letting anybody inside."
Parliament cancelled its Tuesday session after the attacks, asking members to avoid the area "as security forces are working hard to restore order".
The premises were placed under tight security, with heavily armed soldiers securing the area as forensics officers in white overalls inspected the blast site.
The US embassy in Kampala warned its citizens to steer clear of the area and monitor local news.
Ugandan police last month arrested a number of ADF operatives and issued a warning that extremists were believed to be plotting an attack on "major installations".
The ADF, historically a Ugandan rebel group, has been accused of killing thousands of civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is considered by experts to be the most dangerous of more than 120 armed groups that roam eastern DRC, many of them a legacy of two regional wars a quarter of a century ago.
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Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
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MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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