In Uganda, a professor is challenging the belief that organ donation conflicts with cultural and spiritual values by advocating a law that lets people donate their bodies to science in the event of their death. Some have already signed up, hoping to train doctors and advance medical research.

Kampala

In Uganda, medical students have traditionally relied on unclaimed bodies for anatomical study due to the absence of a formal body donation program. Unlike countries with established legal frameworks for body donation, Uganda has yet to enact legislation allowing individuals to willingly donate their bodies to science. Advocates such as Professor Erisa Mwaka from Makerere University are working on policy guidelines to introduce a bill that would legalize and regulate body donation, emphasizing the importance of consent and altruism in advancing medical education and research.

Despite cultural reservations and the lack of legal provisions, some Ugandans, like Ronald Seema, are expressing willingness to donate their bodies for scientific purposes. The proposed legislation aims to shift attitudes and provide a structured, ethical pathway for body donation, potentially benefiting medical training and research in Uganda.

Donate or decay? Legalizing organ transplants in Uganda

So what happens when we die? Science says the system shuts down, the body stops working and now there is a twist. Did you know that science has its own version of life after death? Not for your soul but at least for your body. They call him the silent teacher. So this vertebral corum is going to run from here. To have a feeling of a human being we need to work within a feature of a human being and that can be a cadaver. Mordecai Waziu leads the Uganda Anatomy Society. This morning he guides medical students through lessons on life taught by the remains of the dead. That's why you have the time to experiment, to learn different things, to make mistakes. I can't dissect a mannequin and actually get to the real nitty-gritties and the details of the tissues, the nerves, the veins as they are in a human body. But where do these silent teachers come from? Unlike in places like South Africa, Europe or the United States where formal body donation programs are well established, in Uganda medical students have mostly learned from unclaimed bodies, turning them into their teachers with reverence and dignity. We're advancing, things are changing in the world. Professor Erisa Mwaka heads the Department of Anatomy at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala. It is Uganda's oldest medical school and one of Africa's most respected, known among others for its groundbreaking research in infectious diseases like malaria, TB, HIV AIDS and contributions to Ebola response. Mwaka has a special passion for medical ethics. He believes it is better for individuals to pledge their bodies to science willingly and with consent rather than relying on bodies that never consented. There is what we call altruism whereby actually for the good, I mean for the greater good of humanity, you know, people volunteer, for example, to donate blood, you know, to participate in research. Of course, not everyone agrees. Many say, when I die, do not touch my body. Others say, leave the matter to the ancestors. But there are those who say, well, I could be gone, but I could still be relevant and help the living. One Ugandan who is ready to answer that call is Ronald Seema, a father of two in his 40s. I recently heard they were advertising onto the news and they're calling people to go and be volunteers for the HIV AIDS vaccine. Those are heroes. This body just sitting there, yet if it belongs to a science fraternity somewhere, it would be adding value to the world. In Uganda, death is generally sacred. The idea of giving your body to science remains almost unthinkable. Uganda has no formal law on body donation yet. But Professor Mwaka is working on policy guidelines, the first step towards legislation. We are proposing a bill that will go, you know, that we hope will go to parliament, then to cabinet and if successful, it will be enacted into law. Seema, however, is not waiting for the law. He believes that every change begins with someone and that someone is him. Maybe the diseases that we're suffering from today will be eradicated because of this body not being wasted and decomposing to infinity in the ground. And back in the classroom, the silent teacher continues to speak through every bone and every lesson. Thanks to people like Seema, perhaps one day he will not stand silent and alone, but among many others who choose to teach and advance science through their final gift. So what would be your choice?

U.S. President Donald Trump was the final speaker at a politically charged memorial service for conservative activist and MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk that also included words of forgiveness from Kirk’s widow as well as remarks from the vice-president and one of Trump’s sons.

Glendale

Trump closes out Charlie Kirk memorial

Media mogul Lachlan Murdoch and business leaders Larry Ellison and Michael Dell would be involved as U.S. investors in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States, according to President Donald Trump speaking to Fox News channel.

Washington

Trump says Murdochs would be involved in TikTok deal

Portugal, the UK, Australia and Canada joined over 150 countries that now recognise a Palestinian state. The announcements come ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in the week ahead.

Lisbon

Portugal formally recognises Palestinian state

Police say a 23-year-old was arrested and charged Sunday night with second-degree murder after one person was killed and several others were injured in a shooting at a New Hampshire country club. Witnesses say the shooter said “free Palestine” and before opening fire.

Nashua

Suspect yelled 'free Palestine' before country club shooting

President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department go after his political rivals following a shakeup in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Eastern Virginia. Willie James Inman reports.

Trump pressuring Justice Department to pursue his political foes

President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several others remembered Charlie Kirk at a memorial service in Arizona that was attended by thousands.

Phoenix

Trump, others remember Charlie Kirk at memorial service

The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia officially recognized Palestine as a state Sunday, a move that has long been opposed by the U.S. and Israel. More countries are expected to do the same this week as world leaders gather in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

Israel continuing assault on Gaza after countries recognize Palestinian statehood

A group of US Republicans has sent a letter to France, Canada, the UK and Australia, urging them to re-consider their decision to recognise a Palestinian state.  It's warning there may be consequences if the countries move ahead with plan at the upcoming UN General Assembly.

US Republicans warn allies over decision to recognise Palestinian state

Britain, Canada and Australia all recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday (September 21) in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, but which is also bound to anger Israel and its main ally, the U.S.

Britain, Canada and Australia all recognize Palestinian state

The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will address the UN on Monday, after the General Assembly voted to allow him to join remotely. The U.S. has refused to issue him a visa to attend in person.

New York

UN approves video address by Palestine’s Abbas after U.S. visa refusal

Sixty nations have agreed to a new treaty aimed at protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. But the strength of the deal governing the high seas is uncertain as some of the world’s biggest players - including China, the U.S., Russia and Japan - have yet to ratify.

Nations ratify world's first treaty to protect international waters

A cyberattack on a provider of check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London's Heathrow, the continent's busiest, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday (September 20).

London

Travelers stranded as cyberattack disrupts major European airports

The high seas will soon have their own Conference of the Parties (COP). This new body will oversee the implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is scheduled to enter into force in early 2026 after the legally required 120-day period.

Manhattan

Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom carrier, promised on Saturday "full cooperation" with official investigators, after an outage disrupted emergency call services for 13 hours. Four people died amid the technical failure, including an eight-week-old boy.

Melbourne

Telco vows to cooperate after deadly outage

Dozens more Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive. Amid mounting international criticism of Israel, there has been a renewed push for a two-state solution, with Portugal being the latest advocate.

Two-state solution gains support as IDF moves on Gaza City

Charlie Kirk will be mourned in a massive public memorial in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday. With U.S. President Donald Trump and other top U.S. officials attending, the event is expected to bring significant security concerns.

Thousands set to attend Charlie Kirk's public memorial

Russia has launched more than 600 attacks on multiple cities across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is renewing calls for more support, and warning allies that defending Europe means defending Ukraine.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Russia launches mass strikes across Ukraine

A cyberattack has disrupted air traffic at several airports in Europe. Check-in and boarding systems went down in London, Brussels and Berlin. Europe’s aviation safety organisation says airlines were asked to cancel 50% of their flights to reduce pressure on the system.

Heathrow Airport

Flight chaos as UK, European airports hit by cyberattack

Three Russian military jets violated NATO member Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes on Friday in an "unprecedentedly brazen" incursion, its government said, the latest in a series of recent military actions by Russia that have rattled the alliance.

Tallinn

Russian jets enter Estonia's airspace in latest test for NATO

President Trump said Friday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping "made progress" on a deal over TikTok ownership, and that he would visit China early next year.

Trump says he and Xi Jinping 'made progress' on TikTok deal

The apparent remains of Travis Decker, the man suspected of killing his three daughters in Washington state, have been located and are undergoing DNA testing. A manhunt has been underway for Decker since his daughter's bodies were found in June.

Remains of father suspected of killing 3 daughters found

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets lingered in NATO-member Estonia's airspace for several minutes on Friday, according to Estonian authorities. Italian F-35s responded.

Moscow

NATO defences triggered amid Russian airspace violation

Fellow comedians Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon mocked U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air on Wednesday by ABC following Federal Communications Commission pressure.

Late-night hosts mock Trump as outrage over Kimmel grows

International sanctions imposed on Iran before the 2015 nuclear deal, could be reinstated within days. The United Nations Security Council has voted against lifting sanctions permanently, because of the country's nuclear programme.

Tehran

Sanctions to hit Iran again after UN vote

Washington has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking - a claim he denies. In recent weeks, the US military has been building up its presence in the Caribbean. Venezuela has responded by holding military drills.

Caracas

Venezuela orders three-day drills amid U.S tensions

A Republican measure to keep the government funded until Nov. 21 stumbled in the Senate after clearing the House, leaving lawmakers without a clear path forward to avoid a funding lapse at the end of the month.

Government shutdown looms after GOP funding bill fails in Senate

In suburban Chicago, tensions boiled over as authorities unleashed tear gas and pepper balls to break up a crowd that was trying to block vehicles outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

Chicago

Tensions boil over as protesters clash with authorities outside Chicago ICE facility

Gunfire struck the building that houses the ABC 10 TV station in Sacramento on Friday afternoon. No one was injured.

Sacramento

Gunfire strikes Sacramento ABC TV station building

President Trump signed two executive orders at the White House on Friday night. The first established the Trump Gold Card as a path to U.S. citizenship for $1 million. The second adds a $100,000 fee for skilled worker visas called H-1B worker visas.

Trump signs $1M gold card visas, adds fee for skilled workers

With Jimmy Kimmel off the air for a third straight day, the fallout is growing. Film and TV writers protested outside ABC headquarters in New York, even as President Trump warned he may go after other networks next. Nancy Cordes reports.

Breakdown