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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Climate change is “relentlessly eating away” at Africa’s economic progress and it’s time to have a global conversation about a carbon tax on polluters, Kenya’s president declared Tuesday as the first Africa Climate Summit got underway. He and other leaders urged reforms to the global financial structures that have left African nations paying about five times more to borrow money than others, worsening the debt crisis for many. Africa has more than 30 of the world’s most indebted countries, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for the environment, Soipan Tuya, said. Africa’s GDP should be revalued for its assets, which include the world's second-largest rainforest and biodiversity, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said. “It is an African story, and I daresay it’s a global story, too.”___Follow AP’s coverage of the climate at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment and of Africa at https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Persons: William Ruto, Tuya, John Kerry, Kerry, Joe Biden, ” Ruto, ”, Ruto, “ It’s, Sahle, Zewde, Akinwumi Adesina, Adesina, Martha Lusweti, Antonio Guterres, Ursula Von der Leyen, lullabies, Sierra, Julius Maada Organizations: Africa Climate Summit, European Union, Kenyan, United, United Arab Emirates, Development Bank, ”, International Monetary Fund Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Africa, China, United States, U.S, United Arab, United Nations, Europe, U.N, Africa's, Nigeria's Niger Delta, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Congo, africa

☆ Africa Climate Summit: Electric motorcycle startup Spiro expands into Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Spiro, a startup looking to eliminate fuel-guzzling motorbikes and scooters from the roads by trading them in for electric two-wheelers, is expanding to Kenya. Ahead of the first Africa Climate Summit, which kicked off in Kenya’s capital Nairobi today, the host government announced on Friday that the e-bike and battery-swapping startup would be entering the East African country with its biggest deployment yet: 1.2 million electric vehicles. In Kenya, they will be offered 50,000 Kenyan shillings (about $344) – around a third of the price of a new electric bike – to swap their existing bike for an electric one. Last week, US company Uber also launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya, promising to roll out 3,000 bikes within six months. “We’re surpassing the symbolic but significant milestone of one million electric bikes signed with a government,” says Samain.

Persons: CNN — Spiro, Jules Samain –, polluters, Samain, Spiro, CLEMENT, CLEMENT DI ROMA, ”, ” Spiro, William Ruto, Ampersand, Uber Organizations: CNN, Africa Climate, CLEMENT DI, AFP, Getty, FIA Foundation, Spiro, McKinsey Locations: Kenya, Africa, Kenya’s, Nairobi, West, Benin, Togo, Rwanda, Uganda, China, Mombasa, Saharan Africa, Swedish, Kenyan, East

But five months later, the overall number of people filing refugee claims in Canada has risen instead of falling. But it has sought to discourage those applying for asylum, chiefly through an agreement with the U.S. under which each country turns back asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are drawn by Canada's reputation for swifter processing and greater acceptance of asylum applications compared to the U.S. But overall, the number of asylum seekers entering Canada has surged. People applying at airports comprised about a third of all refugee claims made in July, up from about 16% in March.

Persons: Shauna Labman, Joe Biden's, Craig Damian Smith, Remi Lariviere, Lariviere, Abdulla Daoud, Loly Rico, Hana Bakhit, Maureen Silcoff, Silcoff, Grace Nanziri, Anna Mehler, Denny Thomas, Deepa Babington Organizations: Reuters, Human, University of Winnipeg, U.S, European Union, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, FCJ Refugee, REUTERS, Refugee Centre, FCJ, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Toronto, Quebec, New York, United States, Mexico, Haiti, Turkey, Colombia, India, Rwanda, Montreal, Canada's, Sudan, Uganda

☆ Uber rolls out electric bike fleet in Kenya, its first in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Uber boda boda riders prepare to ride the first fleet of the company's electric product during their launch in Nairobi, Kenya, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Uber Technologies Inc FollowNAIROBI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber (UBER.N) on Thursday launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya, its first in Africa, as the company seeks to make its global platform emissions free by 2040. Uber's new green product in Kenya, dubbed Electric Boda in a nod to the Swahili term for motorbike taxis, will comprise 3,000 bikes within six months, or just under a fifth of its fleet. The growth of the electric vehicles market in Africa has been slowed by a lack of adequate electric charging infrastructure and associated equipment. Motorbike transport is a big employer in Kenya, absorbing millions of people who are unable to secure formal jobs.

Persons: Monicah, Uber, Kagiso Khaole, Khaole, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Technologies, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, NAIROBI, Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Saharan Africa

☆ Southeast Asia's first high-speed train – a boon or bust for Indonesia's economy?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While it could improve overall economic and business productivity, those benefits may be overrun by Jakarta's soaring debt burden as project costs continue to mount. The 142-kilometre train linking Indonesia's capital to Bandung is expected to move at 350 kilometers per hour, driven by electricity with no direct carbon emissions expected during operations. However, escalating costs of the project could push up Indonesia's government debt and overshadow any short-term economic gains. Initially, the train was to be financed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China — a consortium of companies from China and Indonesia tasked with building the rail project. In that scenario, money spent on the train would have been better spent on alternative investments like irrigation projects, he said.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Arief Anshory Yusuf, Jokowi, Sri Lanka's, Mao Ning, Mao, Yusuf Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Initiative, Indonesian, Bandung's Padjadjaran University, Australian National University, PT Kereta, Indonesia China —, KCIC, China Development Bank, Reuters, of Economic, Law Studies, Nurphoto, CNBC Locations: Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, Southeast Asia, Indonesian, Surabaya, Japan, Indonesia China, China, Entebbe, Beijing, IDR

☆ 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

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

☆ Redemption for Norway's Ingebrigtsen with 5,000 metre world title
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway raced to victory in the 5,000 metres on the final day of the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, bouncing back from bitter disappointment in the 1,500m four days earlier. The 22-year-old, who has battled an illness this week, ran down Spain's Mohamed Katir over the final 50 metres to win in 13 minutes 11.30 seconds. "Getting sick is a nightmare," said Ingebrigtsen, gold medallist in the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics. Uganda's Oscar Chelimo did not finish, pulling off the track holding his hamstring with two laps to go. Reporting by Lori Ewing; Additional reporting by Tommy Lund Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Spain's Mohamed Katir, Katir, Jacob Krop, Ingebrigtsen, I've, Britain's Josh Kerr, Briton Jake Wightman, Oscar Chelimo, Lori Ewing, Tommy Lund, Toby Davis Organizations: NRK, Paris Diamond League, Tokyo, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Norway, Kenya, Norwegian, Eugene, Budapest

☆ 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

☆ Uganda bans imports of used clothing from 'dead people'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Like most African countries, Uganda has traditionally imported large quantities of used clothing, which some consumers prefer because it is low-cost. At least 70% of garments donated to charity in Europe and the United States end up in Africa, according to Oxfam, a British charity. The East African Community, a regional economic grouping of which Uganda is a member, agreed in 2016 to a complete ban on used clothing imports by 2019, but Rwanda was the only country to enact it. As a result, the United States in 2018 suspended Rwanda's right to export clothing duty-free to the United States, one of the benefits of the United States' tariff and quota-free African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Museveni said the ban would also extend to electricity meters and electric cables, saying they should be bought from factories in Uganda.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Abubaker, Museveni, Elias Biryabarema, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Oxfam, Reuters, East African Community, Thomson Locations: Kisozi, Gomba, Central Region, Uganda, Rights KAMPALA, Africa, Europe, United States, British, Sino, Mbale city, Rwanda, U.S, Kampala, Hereward Holland

☆ 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

☆ Climate change: Parts of tropical rainforests could get too hot for photosynthesis, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Some leaves in tropical forests from South America to South East Asia are getting so hot they may no longer be able to photosynthesize, with big potential consequences for the world’s forests, according to a new study. They found that average forest canopy temperatures peaked at 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) but some exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). This level of warming is not expected under current climate policies, which are estimated to bring 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. While these figures may seem small, the risk is significant given how critical tropical trees are for life, the climate system and the planet. But, he added, there are more immediate concerns for tropical forests, including deforestation, wildfires and droughts.

Persons: photosynthesize, Christopher Doughty, ” Doughty, Martin Zwick, ”, Kevin Collins, Christopher Still, there’s, it’s, “, Chloe Brimicombe, ” Joshua Fisher Organizations: CNN, Northern Arizona University, Getty, Open University, Science Media, Oregon State University, University of Graz, Chapman University Locations: South America, South East Asia, Nature, Australia, Brazil, ecoinformatics, Mobuku, Uganda, ”, Austria

☆ Women’s Open: Charley Hull slams protestors after interruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —English golfer Charley Hull has criticized protestors who interrupted the final round of the Women’s Open on Sunday. In a video titled “Let’s Crash AIG Women’s Open,” Ekō called on users to tweet at AIG to protest the construction of the “disastrous” East African crude oil pipeline (EACOP). A spokesperson for Ekō told CNN on Monday that the group was not involved in the protest at the tournament. Andrew Redington/Getty ImagesHaving finished three shots adrift of Allisen Corpuz at the US Women’s Open in July, she has now recorded runner-up performances at three of the five flagship events, and at least tied-seventh at the other two. “I feel that I have come close twice in the two biggest majors, the US Open and the Women’s Open, so I really feel like next year is my time to win one.”

Persons: Charley Hull, Hull, Lilia Vu, …, Ekō, Andrew Redington, ”, “, Hull’s caddie Adam Woodward, ” Woodward, Matt Taylor, Vu, Corpuz, ” Hull Organizations: CNN, Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey Police, Twitter, AIG, AIG Women’s, Reuters, Getty, Telegraph, France’s, Financial Times, Chevron, Hull, US, Sky Sports Locations: Tadworth, England, EACOP, Uganda, Tanzania

☆ 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

☆ I'm a 25-year-old with 2 master's degrees and $131,000 in student debt. I just left Paris and am getting ready to travel to Asia.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra York | Josée Rose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Hayley is an American who spent two years living in Paris and going to school. She recently left Paris and is getting ready to travel to India and beyond. Once a week, I'd pick her up from school and we'd spend about two hours together. I'm going to do a week in India, then I'm going to do a few days in Singapore, then a week and a half in Australia with friends. I'm part of a Facebook group called Host a Sister so I'm staying with women in India who also love to travel solo and then with friends in all the other countries I'm going.

Persons: Hayley, Paris Hayley, I'd, —, I'm, it's, there's, UNESCO's MGIEP, I've Organizations: Service, Anderson College, Arcadia University, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace, Sustainable Development Locations: American, Paris, India, Asia, Wall, Silicon, Kalamazoo , Michigan, South Carolina, Uganda, Marais, Kalamazoo Shore, Jordan, Europe, Midwest, North America, New Zealand, Italy, undergrad, Spain, Michigan, Southeast Asia, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Kalamazoo

☆ Ethiopia cracks down on gay sex in hotels, other venues
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ADDIS ABABA, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Security forces in Ethiopia are cracking down on hotels, bars and restaurants in the capital Addis Ababa where gay sexual activity is alleged to take place, the city administration said on Thursday. Rights groups say the LGBT community in Ethiopia remains underground because LGBT people face high levels of discrimination and fear violence and ostracism if their identities are discovered. The Addis Ababa Peace and Security Administration Bureau, a government body, said it was taking action "against institutions where homosexual acts are carried out" following tip-offs from the public, and had already raided a guest house in the city. Gay sex is prohibited by law in Ethiopia, but there are no recent reports of people being convicted for engaging in consensual same-sex sexual activity. (This story has been corrected to change sourcing from Ethiopia News Agency to Addis Ababa Peace and Security Administration Bureau in paragraphs 1, 4 and 5)Reporting by Tiksa Negeri, Writing by Hereward Holland, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Guramayle, Hereward Holland, William Maclean Organizations: Security, Rights, Addis Ababa Peace, Security Administration Bureau, Facebook, Ethiopia News Agency, Security Administration, Tiksa Negeri, Thomson Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ghana, Uganda

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ European airlines are adding up to 2 hours to flights to go around Niger after the African nation suddenly closed its airspace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This means airlines flying between Europe and southern Africa have to detour around the volatile nation. Carriers like British Airways and Air France are impacted, the latter adding up to two hours of flight time. Airlines like Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Airlines are also avoiding Niger. With the closure of Niger's airspace, airlines are now grappling with an even wider section of no-fly territory in north-central Africa. This map shows the African territories that European airlines cannot fly over.

Persons: —, FlightRadar24, they're Organizations: Carriers, British Airways, Air, Morning, Bloomberg, juntas, BCC, KLM, Cape Town, Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Japan Airlines, Finnair Locations: Europe, Africa, Air France, South Africa, Ghana, Niger, Johannesburg, London, Mali, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso's, Ouagadougou, Cape, Entebbe, Uganda, Accra, Lagos, Nigeria, Russia, Helsinki, Tokyo, Germany, France, Libya, Sudan

☆ 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

☆ Niger: Africa's latest coup is a headache for the West and an opportunity for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

An important Western allyThe coup in Niger has deprived Western nations, particularly France and the United States, of a key ally in a troubled region. The largest country in West Africa, Niger had been touted as a democratic success story on the continent and Bazoum was seen as a crucial partner in the fight against Islamist jihadists in the region. Carley Petesch/AP/FileThe French military also maintains two permanent bases in the Sahel region, one of which is in Niamey. “The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa shake hands on the sideline of the Russia Africa Summit.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, France ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, Bazoum, Joe Biden, Washington “, Stringer, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, jihadists, Carley Petesch, ” Maman Sani, Oluwole Ojewale, …, ” Ojewale, ” Françafrique, Remi Adekoya, ” Adekoya, ” Wagner, Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, Mikhail Metzel, Ibrahim Traore, ”, ” Traore, Ojewale Organizations: CNN, West, Kremlin, ISIS, Africa Center, Strategic Studies, European Union, World Nuclear Association ., Institute for Security Studies, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, UK’s York University, Russia Africa Summit, ISS Locations: Niger, Niamey, France, Paris, United States, Western, Africa, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Mali, West Africa, Nigerien, al Qaeda, US, Agadez, Sahel, Burkina Faso, West, Central Africa, China, Ukraine, Sudan, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, St . Petersburg, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Republic of South Africa

☆ South Africa's recognition of sign language signals new hope for the deaf
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Thando Hlophe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Before it was an official language... there was absolutely no access" to communicating with other people, he signed. Still, South Africa only has about 40 deaf schools and one tertiary institution that is fully accessible to deaf people, meaning there is still work to be done to improve that access. "It is a very rich, beautiful language but we need people who are going to be equipped enough to develop it even more," said Andiswa Gebashe, a South African Sign Language activist and former interpreter for Ramaphosa. World Atlas, an online site that studies demographics, says only 41 countries recognise sign language as an official language, just four of them in Africa - Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. "Now that it's an official language, I know that I can go to university and I can make my dreams come true," he said in sign.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Manana, Andiswa Gebashe, Wilma Newhoudt, Thando, Tannur Anders, Alexander Winning, Nick Macfie Organizations: inclusivity, Sizwile School, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, Read, JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, Dobsonville, Soweto, South Africa, Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe

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