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☆ Tens of thousands march to demand end to fossil fuels ahead of UN climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels." The March to End Fossil Fuels featured such politicians as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actors Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon. "If you don't stop fossil fuels our blood is on your hands." And the march, unlike others, was more clearly focused on fossil fuels. Signs included "Fossil fuels are killing us" and "I want a fossil free future" and "keep it in the ground."

Persons: Spencer Platt, it's, Joe Biden, Emma Buretta, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Guterres, Athena Wilson, Maleah, Athena, Alexandria Gordon, Biden, Sharon Lavigne, Jean Su, Eve Ensler, Anna Fels, Vanessa Nakate, Megan Bloomgren Organizations: United Nations, Ambition, UN, Assembly, Getty, Sunday, U.S, Broadway, U.N, Boca, Center for Biological Diversity, New Yorker, American Petroleum Institute Locations: New York, New York City, Brooklyn, Alexandria, Sunday's, Boca Raton , Florida, Florida, Houston, Louisiana, U.S, United States, China, New, Vietnam

“If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels.”The March to End Fossil Fuels featured such politicians as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actors Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon. “It is frustrating.”Protest organizers emphasized how let down they felt that Biden, who many of them supported in 2020, has overseen increased drilling for oil and fossil fuels. "You need to phase out fossil fuels to survive our planet,” said Jean Su, a march organizer and energy justice director for the Center for Biological Diversity. And the march, unlike others, was more clearly focused on fossil fuels. “The elephant is that fossil fuels are responsible for the crisis.

Persons: it's, Joe Biden, ”, Emma Buretta, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Guterres, Athena Wilson, Maleah, ” Athena, “, Alexandria Gordon, Biden, Sharon Lavigne, Jean Su, Eve Ensler, Anna Fels, That's, Vanessa Nakate, Megan Bloomgren, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Sunday, U.S, Broadway, United Nations, U.N, Boca, “, Center for Biological Diversity, New Yorker, American Petroleum Institute, Twitter, AP Locations: Brooklyn, Alexandria, Sunday's, Boca Raton , Florida, Florida, Houston, Louisiana, U.S, United States, China, New, Vietnam

☆ Emata, a startup offering loans to farmers in East Africa, just raised $2.4 million with this 14-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Emata, a Ugandan startup that provides loans to farmers in East Africa, has raised $2.4 million in funding. It's also fundamentally unfair as farmers need capital to grow but a lot of money goes to people with connections, not the best farmers." Kampala-based Emata wants to be tech first in its offering and uses WhatsApp as a loan origination platform, given its popularity in a region where cell data is at a premium. The company claims it grew 7x in 2022 and could point to strong metrics when dealing with investors having already dispersed over $1 million in loans. Funding will go towards expanding the company's tech offering and looking into new verticals.

Persons: Bram van den Bosch, It's, Klarna, Niklas Adalberth's Norrsken, Draper Richards, Marcus Boström, van den Bosch, Emata Organizations: African Renaissance Partners, Zephyr Acorn, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Locations: Ugandan, East Africa, Uganda, Kampala

☆ Bidi Bidi, one of the world’s largest refugee camps, is getting a groundbreaking new arts center
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre, which is currently under construction, will be a low-slung, light-filled brick and steel amphitheater that also houses an acoustic recording studio and music classroom. As the global refugee population has soared in recent years, reaching over 35 million in 2022, some temporary camps like Bidi Bidi have transitioned into permanent city-like settlements. The Bidi Bidi settlement quickly reached maximum capacity in 2016 and has since transitioned into a permanent settlement. But beyond practical use and sustainability, De Kestelier wants Bidi Bidi residents to have a new building that feels like their own. “When people give it a name, they own it more.”Erezenio is hopeful that Bidi Bidi, and other settlements like it, will see more projects that provide refugees with “tools for success” in addition to more immediate needs.

Persons: Bidi, Bidi Bidi, Hassell, LocalWorks, Hassell Xavier De Kestelier, ”, De Kestelier, Zex, Nachson Mimran, Mawa Zacharia Erezenio, Erezenio, Sina Loketa, To.org, there’s, De, that’s, ” De Kestelier, “, Kestelier Organizations: CNN, & Arts Centre, London, Records Locations: Yumbe, South, Kampala, stoke, Kyebando, Bidi, South Sudan, Ghent, Belgium

☆ Powerful Earthquake Rocks Morocco
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

1:57A Moroccan Village Waited Days for Aid. Residents Say There’s No One Left to Save. 1:11Rescuers From Spain Search for Survivors in Morocco1:37‘No One Has Come to Help Us’: A Moroccan Father Mourns His Children0:48‘We Lost Everything’: Moroccan Man’s House Damaged by Quake1:29Devastating Earthquake in Morocco Kills More Than 2,000 PeopleNOW PLAYINGPowerful Earthquake Rocks Morocco0:22Building Fire in Johannesburg Kills Dozens0:43Coup Supporters Attack the French Embassy in Niger0:42Niger Military Officers Announce Coup d’État on Television0:50Dozens of Students Killed in Terrorist Attack on Ugandan School0:58

Organizations: Survivors, Embassy, Ugandan Locations: Spain, Morocco, Johannesburg, Niger

☆ Making a splash: Players get soaked in river soccer game
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A 20-year-old man has become the first Ugandan to be charged with "aggravated homosexuality", an offence punishable by death under the country's recently enacted anti-gay law, prosecutors and his lawyer said.

☆ Uganda Arrests Man on Antigay Charge Punishable by Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Emma Bubola | More About Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ugandan prosecutors have lodged charges of “aggravated homosexuality” against a 20-year-old man — a crime punishable by death — in one of the country’s first applications of provision included in one of the world’s harshest antigay laws. Same-sex acts had long been considered illegal under Uganda’s penal code, but a law enacted this year introduced far harsher penalties and vastly extended the range of perceived offenses. Its passage drew condemnation from human rights groups and the United Nations, and the Biden administration called it “one of the most extreme” antigay measures in the world. Prosecutors used the death penalty provision this month to charge a 20-year-old man with having sexual intercourse with a 41-year-old man with a disability in the city of Soroti, in Eastern Uganda, according to Jacquelyn Okui, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution. (A separate case against a different man, lodged last month, involved an underage person, Ms. Okui said.)

Persons: —, Biden, Jacquelyn, Okui Organizations: United Nations, Prosecutors, Public Prosecution Locations: Soroti, Eastern Uganda

☆ In pictures: Florida braces for Hurricane Idalia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Two men in Uganda are facing separate charges of “aggravated homosexuality,” an offense punishable by death under the country’s controversial new anti-gay laws. “Aggravated homosexuality,” according to the much-criticized act, involves incest, sex with children, as well as people with disabilities or the elderly. The act, signed into law in May, also outlaws gay marriage in Uganda and it punishes same-sex acts with life imprisonment. The man arrested in Soroti is the second person to be charged with the capital offense in Uganda since the law passed in May. Earlier this month, the World Bank said it would not consider fresh loan requests from Uganda following the anti-gay legislation.

Persons: ”, “, ” Jacqueline Okui, Yoweri Museveni, Justine Balya, Balya, Museveni, Joe Biden, ” Museveni Organizations: CNN, Public Prosecutions, US, World Bank, United Nations Locations: Uganda, Soroti, Jinja district

☆ PrEPVacc: HIV vaccine trial that could be ‘the last roll of the dice’ this decade is underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Tom Page | Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

CNN —A novel trial that has been described as “the last roll of the dice” for a generation of HIV vaccines has entered its latter stages. Nearly 40 years since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, and 36 years since the first HIV vaccine trial, the medical community still does not have a working vaccine. But that is not necessarily why they were chosen to participate, said Eugene Ruzagira, PrEPVacc trial director. Evaluating the combination of a trial HIV vaccine and PrEP is a first, say organizers. “I did my very first HIV vaccine trial in 1991,” recalled Weber.

Persons: PrEPVacc, ”, Jonathan Weber, Frank, Helena Herholdt, Eugene Ruzagira, Ruzagira, “, Weber, ” Ruzagira, “ We’ve, Mark Runnacles, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Galileo, Win McNamee, Humphry Davy, JEAN, SEBASTIEN EVRARD, Haydn West, Joe Raedle, ANNE, CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, Alexander Fleming, Fleming, wasn't, Louise Joy Brown, Sandy Huffaker, Daniel Acker, James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Watson, Crick, Raphael GAILLARDE, Sean Gallup, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Thomas Edison's, INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Descovy, Luwano Geofrey, Dr, Luke Dray, Geofrey, Nishanta Singh, Sharon Lewin, Lewin, “ it’s, it’s, ” Lewin, ” Geofrey Organizations: CNN, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, PrEPVacc, Medical Research, Uganda Virus Research Institute, European Union, Smithsonian National Museum of, Cleveland Clinic, Volvo, Bayer, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Getty, Keystone, — Farmers, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Bloomberg, PANTHAKY, PrEP, US Centers for Disease Control, Independent, The University of Melbourne, International AIDS Society, Muhimbili University of Health, Allied Sciences, Dar Locations: Entebbe, Uganda, Thailand, London, Mbeya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ugandan, Durban, Masaka, Salam, African, Africa, China, FPG, AFP, United States, America, U.S, Peoria , Illinois, Europe, “, Dar es Salaam, Rwanda

☆ Exclusive: First Ugandan charged with 'aggravated homosexuality' punishable by death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KAMPALA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A 20-year-old man has become the first Ugandan to be charged with "aggravated homosexuality", an offence punishable by death under the country's recently enacted anti-gay law, prosecutors and his lawyer said. It prescribes life in prison for same-sex intercourse. According to a charge sheet seen by Reuters, the defendant was charged on Aug. 18 with aggravated homosexuality after he "performed unlawful sexual intercourse" with a 41-year-old man. She said she was not aware of anyone else having been previously charged with aggravated homosexuality. Balya said four other people have been charged under the law since its enactment and that her client was the first to be prosecuted for aggravated homosexuality.

Persons: Jacqueline Okui, Okui, Justine Balya, Balya, Yoweri Museveni, Joe Biden, Aaron Ross, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, High Court, World Bank, United, Thomson Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, Magistrate’s, United States

☆ Uganda's Kiplangat takes marathon gold
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kiplangat broke away on his own with about 4 km (2.5 miles) to go, crossing the finish line with an advantage of 19 seconds. An exhausted Gebresilase was then overtaken by Teferi, a silver medallist at last year's European Athletics Championships, in the last 200 metres. Defending champion Tamirat Tola, who was part of a three-man breakaway with Kiplangat and Gebresilase before fading, did not finish the race and dropped out after 39 km. A pack of about 30 runners then slowed the pace and took control of it, before Kiplangat, Gebresilase and Tola made their move with 10 km to go. The women's marathon took place on Saturday, with Ethiopia's Amane Beriso claiming gold.

Persons: Victor Kiplangat, Kiplangat, Leul, Gebresilase, Tamirat Tola, Ser, Tola, Ethiopia's Amane, Aadi Nair, William Mallard Organizations: Commonwealth Games, Teferi, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Israel, Budapest, Mongolia, Bengaluru

☆ This Ugandan earns a bonus for each person he gets to sign up for Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning crypto project
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

The business-to-business software firm, which has a market cap of $11.5 billion, gave users the option of logging in with their World ID beginning in June. Social media app Discord also uses World ID for verification. But ultimately, the foundation envisions a future where a World ID could be used to facilitate nationwide votes, among other use cases involving banking and e-commerce. Ava Labs president John Wu tells CNBC that the self-custody feature of the Worldcoin ID is also critical. Despite his concerns, Mwangi ultimately chose to enroll in the project because he believed in the wider mission of the World ID.

Persons: Keneth Byarugaba, Byarugaba, Namureba Abel, Abel, Muvya Muthama, Muthama, Sam Altman, Peter Mwangi, I'm, Mwangi, They're, Worldcoin, John Wu, Wu, Ricardo Macieira, Annegret Hilse, hasn't, Byarugaba indoctrinates, it's, isn't, CNBC's Jordan Smith Organizations: Worldcoin, CNBC, cryptocurrency, Social, FBI, Reuters Locations: Uganda, Kampala, Nairobi, Kenya, web3, Chile, Europe, Berlin

☆ Priest: My conversion on LGBTQ rights tells an important story
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Opinion Michael Coren | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Some background and context: Until 2013 I was a Roman Catholic, and as a journalist and broadcaster with a fairly high profile, spoke and wrote frequently in support of Catholic sexual teachings. And according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law.” Pope Francis has made some soothing and compromising comments but, at heart, very little has changed. As a result, I was roundly attacked by Christian conservatives, Catholic as well as Protestant. I made a public apology in my syndicated newspaper column for harm caused to the LGBTQ+ community by my writing and broadcasting. I’m now a priest, spend my time trying to preach the genuine song of the Gospels, and write books and columns doing the same.

Persons: Michael Coren, I’ve, –, ” Pope Francis, Pope Francis, ”, Canada’s, John Baird, Baird, I’d, “ Tolle, Augustine, wasn’t, Ezekiel, Samuel, it’s, Jesus doesn’t, Paul’s, It’s, Jesus, Will Jesus, David, Jonathan, We’re, Matthew, Luke, I’m Organizations: Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CNN, Roman Catholic, Catholic Church, Associated Press, Catholic, Twitter Locations: Canada, Roman, St, Northern Ireland, I’m

☆ A Hotbed of Distance Running Talent Emerges in Uganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Jonathan W. Rosen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is here that Ugandan running is now thriving, though the region’s talent took time to develop. While Kenya enjoyed relative stability in the decades after it gained independence in 1963, Uganda was at war for much of the 1970s and 1980s. Lawlessness pervaded the Mount Elgon region until the turn of the century: Bandits from neighboring tribes would sweep in at night and conduct raids on cattle, often killing locals in the process. The resettlement process, Kiptala said, was traumatic, but it also helped unlock running talent. Through school, children could access competitions, and by the early 2000s, athletes from the Elgon region were beginning to appear in World Championship and Olympic finals.

Persons: Moses Kiptala, Kiptala, Kiplimo’s, Simba, Uganda’s, Dorcus Inzikuru, Stephen Kiprotich Locations: Kenya, Uganda, Elgon, Budapest, Helsinki, Elgon’s, Moscow

☆ Uganda president defiant after World Bank suspends funding over LGBT law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attends a session of the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 28, 2023. The World Bank said on Tuesday that the law, which imposes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts, contradicted its values and that it would pause new funding until it could test measures to prevent discrimination in projects it finances. The World Bank has an existing portfolio of $5.2 billion in Uganda, although these projects will not be affected. "It is, therefore, unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money. He added he hoped the World Bank would reconsider its decision.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Museveni, Henry Musasizi, Musasizi, Joe Biden, Elias Biryabarema, Hereward Holland, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Bernadette Baum, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, KAMPALA, Uganda, Western, United States

☆ Uganda president defiant after World Bank funding suspended over LGBT law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attends a session of the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 28, 2023. The World Bank has an existing portfolio of $5.2 billion in Uganda, although these projects will not be affected. "It is, therefore, unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money. He added he hoped the World Bank would reconsider its decision. In June, the United States imposed visa restrictions on some Ugandan officials in response to the law.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Museveni, Joe Biden, Elias Biryabarema, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, KAMPALA, Uganda, Western, United States

A participant stands near a logo of World Bank at the International Monetary Fund - World Bank Annual Meeting 2018 in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, October 12, 2018. "Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values. World Bank President Ajay Banga, who took office in June after the Ugandan law was enacted, has come under pressure to respond to the Ugandan law. The existing portfolio will continue to disburse funds, even as new lending is put on hold, a World Bank source said. It said the IFC and MIGA would also implement additional measures to "ensure inclusion and non-discrimination as needed."

Persons: Johannes P, Ajay Banga, Banga, Kanishka Singh, Andrea Shalal, Leslie Adler, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: Bank, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, United Nations, World Bank, International Development Association, International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Reuters, IFC, Thomson Locations: Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Uganda, Washington

☆ Uganda to reopen century-old rail link after China fails to fund new line
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The line, which has been out of use for roughly 40 years, is part of the East Africa rail network that stretches from Kenya's Indian Ocean seaport of Mombasa. It was built by Kenya and Uganda's former colonial ruler Britain around the beginning of the 20th-century. Uganda decided to revamp the old network after plans to build a separate modern standard gauge railway (SGR) failed to secure financing from China. The European Union funded construction of the Gulu hub, completed in late 2021, as part of the effort to revamp Uganda's railway network, which fell into disrepair during the country's economic collapse in 1970s and early 80s. Ugandan officials hope once the link is restored, rail will replace trucks in shipping transit goods to South Sudan and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Persons: Thomas Mukoya, John Linnon Sengendo, Sengendo, Elias Biryabarema, George Obulutsa, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Democratic, Uganda Railways Corporation, Reuters, China Harbour, Engineering Company, Bridge Corporation, European Union, Thomson Locations: Kenya, Uganda, Kibera, Nairobi, South Sudan, DRC Kenya, KAMPALA, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa, Mombasa, Britain, China, Ugandan, Tororo, Uganda's, Gulu, Kampala

☆ Kenyan, Zambian currencies expected to weaken
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Kenya Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge displays Kenyan shilling bank notes during a news conference at the Central Bank in Nairobi, Kenya, June 3, 2019. One trader at a commercial bank said the currency was expected to float around 141.00 levels. GHANAGhana's cedi is expected to hold steady against the dollar next week on the back of high foreign exchange liquidity following central bank support, traders said. Bid-offer spreads are also expected to tighten further," said Sedem Dornoo, a senior trader at Absa Bank Ghana. UGANDAThe Ugandan shilling is expected to firm in the coming week, drawing support from hard currency inflows from exporters of commodities such as coffee.

Persons: Kenya Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge, Baz Ratner, GHANA Ghana's cedi, Sedem Dornoo, Chris Nettey, ZAMBIA Zambia's kwacha, Elias Biryabarema, Chris Mfula, Bhargav Acharya, Elisha Bala, Hereward Organizations: Kenya Central Bank Governor, Central Bank, REUTERS, KENYA, GHANA Ghana's, greenback, Absa Bank, Trading Stanbic Bank, ZAMBIA Zambia's, Access Bank, Bank, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, JOHANNESBURG, Ghana, Nigeria, NIGERIA, GHANA, Absa Bank Ghana, Trading Stanbic Bank Ghana, UGANDA, Kampala, ZAMBIA

These themes have become a common thread in his sermons and interviews, especially since Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act was signed into law last month. Nowhere is safe for any queer person living in Uganda,” Joan Amek, co-founder of Rella Women’s Foundation, told CNN. At least 300 human rights violations against suspected homosexuals have been reported in Uganda arising from the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, the SRT told CNN. ‘My life is hell’Nash Wash Raphael, a 30-year-old transgender man, says he was attacked on the night Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act. The Church of Uganda openly defied the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and supported the Anti-Homosexuality Act, accusing the global head of the Anglican Church of misinterpreting the Bible.

Persons: Canon John Awodi, ”, Yoweri Museveni, ” Joan Amek, didn’t, ’, “, ” Amek, Joan Amekis, Asuman Basalirwa, ‘, Nash, Raphael, Museveni, Nash Wash Raphael, Fabien Muhire, ” Raphael, couldn’t, We’ve, they’ll, Anglican Church Amek, Amek, of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Welby, Bill Organizations: Uganda CNN, Saints ’ Cathedral, CNN, Rella, Foundation, Bethlehem Feleke, SRT, Anglican Church, Anglican, of Locations: Kampala, Uganda, Rev, Bethlehem, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Ugandan

☆ TotalEnergies faces second lawsuit over Uganda oil projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies TotalEnergies SE FollowPARIS, June 27 (Reuters) - Five activist groups have sued French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) for a second time over its projects in Uganda and Tanzania in a Paris civil court, they said on Tuesday, after an earlier fast-track attempt was dismissed in February. Their lawsuit makes use of a 2017 French "duty of vigilance" law requiring large companies to identify risks in their global operations and supply chains, and detail strategies to prevent them. The first suit sought - and failed - to halt the projects by judicial order under a special fast-track process, with the judge finding that TotalEnergies' so-called vigilance plan was legally adequate. This latest legal attempt instead seeks reparations for those who claim they have already been harmed as a result of the project construction. Allegations run from lack of timely payment for land on which the pipeline will be built, to damaged houses from flooding during construction of oil processing facilities.

Persons: TotalEnergies, America Hernandez, Jan Harvey Organizations: Friends, Oil Pipeline, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Uganda, Tanzania, Paris, France, French, EACOP, Uganda’s Lake Albert, Tanga

[1/5] Participants react with Pride rainbow flags as they attend the Badilika festival to celebrate the LGBT rights in Nairobi, Kenya, June 11, 2023. Some regional lawmakers frame the issue as an almost existential battle to save African values and sovereignty, which they say have been battered by Western pressure to capitulate on gay rights. Spokespeople for the Kenyan presidency and government didn't respond to requests for comment about the proposed bill. Several called for legislation to strengthen penalties for same-sex acts, including the deputy majority leader, who said gay sex could be punished by hanging. President William Ruto, an evangelical Christian, has criticized a February supreme court decision allowing an LGBT rights group to register as a non-governmental organization.

Persons: Mohamed Ali doesn't, Ali, Weeks, Bill, Yoweri Museveni, Annette Atieno, John Agany, Jacqueline Ngonyani, Ngonyani, Damas Ndumbaro, William Ruto, Peter Kaluma, Uganda's, Kaluma, U.S . State Department didn't, Stella Kachina, Marylize Biubwa, Lorna Dias, Dias, Nuzulack Dausen, Waakhe Simon Wudu, Daphne Psaledakis, Estelle Shirbon, Aaron Ross, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Kenyan, National Gay, Human Rights Commission, U.S . State Department, East, NAIROBI PRIDE, Gay and Lesbian Coalition of, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, NAIROBI, East Africa, Juba, United, Africa, Entebbe, Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya, Ruto, Dar es, Washington

☆ Ugandan students' parents submit DNA samples to ID massacre victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMPALA, June 20 (Reuters) - Parents of students missing after an attack on a school in western Uganda are flocking to the local police station to submit DNA samples that could identify their children among the 42 bodies that have been recovered. Assailants set a dormitory full of boys alight, then attacked a dormitory full of girls, hacking victims to death with machetes and knives. Regional police commander Tai Ramadhan said many of the dead bodies were charred beyond recognition, forcing investigators to use DNA samples from relatives to try to identify them. Simon Kule, who had come to Bwera Police Station to give a DNA sample, was still looking for his son, Philmon Mumbere. Authorities said on Monday that 20 suspected "collaborators" of the attackers, including the school's head teacher, had been detained for questioning.

Persons: Tai Ramadhan, Simon Kule, Philmon, Solomon Mulekya, Trephine, Elias Biryabarema, Aaron Ross, Peter Graff Organizations: Lhubirira Secondary, Islamic, Regional, Bwera Police, Authorities, Thomson Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, Islamic State, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Uganda detains 20 rebel 'collaborators' after student massacre
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoKAMPALA, June 19 (Reuters) - Ugandan authorities said on Monday 20 people had been detained for questioning about their possible role in the massacre of 42 people, mostly students, on Friday by the Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). "At least 20 suspected ADF collaborators have been arrested, to assist with our investigations," the country's police force said in a statement. The student victims included a 12-year-old girl in her first year of secondary school education, according to police. "All the 17 burnt bodies were male and the burns were distributed all over the bodies, both front and back. ADF fighters have occasionally carried out attacks inside Uganda, including bombings in Kampala in 2021.

Persons: Stringer, Yoweri Museveni, Elias Biryabarema, Christina Fincher Organizations: Secondary, Allied Democratic Forces, REUTERS, Islamic, Democratic, ADF, Thomson Locations: Mpondwe, Uganda, KAMPALA, Islamic State, Uganda's, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Kampala

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