DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Joe Biden tweet about anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by Uganda’s parliament shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The image also purports to show replies from Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is no record of the tweets, and the handles differ from the official accounts of these world leaders. Reuters reported that Uganda’s parliament passed a law making it a crime to identify as part of the LGBTQ community on March 21, 2023. There is a spacing issue with Biden’s handle, which appears to have a space between “Joe” and “Biden” in the screenshot circulating online. An alleged tweet by Joe Biden on Uganda’s law making it a crime to identify as LGBTQ has been fabricated.

PRETORIA/CAPE TOWN, March 31 (Reuters) - South Africans took to the streets of Pretoria and Cape Town on Friday to protest against a Ugandan law passed last week that makes it a criminal offence to be openly LGBTQ. Singing and waving flags, demonstrators called on Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, not to sign it. "Queer people don't owe anyone anything, but we also deserve to live just like everyone else. You can't strip all our rights. Reporting by Catherine Schenck and Esa Alexander, Writing by Rachel Savage Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Corporate giants say anti-LGBT law would hurt Uganda's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, March 29 (Reuters) - A coalition of international companies, including Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O), on Wednesday denounced anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by Uganda's parliament last week, warning it would damage the East Africa country's economy. The Open for Business coalition said the legislation, which criminalises identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, would curb investment flows and deter tourists. Open for Business said in a statement the new law would undermine companies' ability to recruit a diverse and talented workforce. "Either they violate the law in Uganda or they are going against international standards of corporate responsibility as well as human rights laws of the countries in which they are headquartered," she said. Among the coalition's members, Google, Mastercard (MA.N) Unilever (ULVR.L), Standard Chartered (STAN.L), PwC and Deloitte (DLTE.UL) have operations in Uganda.

☆ Uganda passes bill banning identifying as LGBTQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ), according to rights group Human Rights Watch. In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality. Violations under the law draw steep penalties including death for so called aggravated homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex. I support the bill to protect the future of our children," said lawmaker David Bahati during debate on the bill. In recent weeks Uganda authorities have cracked down on LGBTQ individuals after religious leaders and politicians alleged students were being recruited into homosexuality in schools.

☆ Uganda passes a law making it a crime to identify as LGBTQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KAMPALA, March 21 (Reuters) - Uganda's parliament passed a law on Tuesday making it a crime to identify as LGBTQ, handing authorities broad powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence. The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ), according to rights group Human Rights Watch. In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality. Violations under the law draw severe penalties, including death for so-called aggravated homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex. In recent weeks, Uganda authorities have cracked down on LGBTQ people after religious leaders and politicians alleged students were being recruited into homosexuality in schools.

☆ Son of Uganda's president says to stand for leadership in 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Uganda's opposition has long accused Museveni of seeking to impose a monarchy on Uganda and claimed he was grooming his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba to take over from him. Currently a special presidential advisor for special operations, the 48 year-old general is known for firing off controversial tweets that have earned him reprimands from his father. "The Prime Minister of UK is 42 years old, the Prime Minister of Finland is 37 years. Museveni not yet said whether he intends to stand again in 2026, although his supporters have encouraged him to do so. Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland; Sofia Christensen and Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Uganda says it will not renew mandate of U.N. human rights office
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KAMPALA, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Uganda has said it will not renew the mandate of the United Nations' human rights office in the East African country, citing the development of its own sufficient capacity to monitor rights compliance. "The ministry wishes to convey the government's decision not to renew the mandate of the OHCHR Country office in Uganda beyond the current term," said the letter, which the ministry confirmed to Reuters as authentic. OHCHR Uganda country office spokesperson Bernard Amwine told Reuters he had no comment. President Yoweri Museveni's government has over the years been criticised by the opposition, human rights activists and Western countries for various rights violations including torture, illegal detentions and extrajudicial killings of opponents and critics. The OHCHR Uganda office was established in 2006 and was initially allowed to focus only on human rights issues in conflict-plagued areas in Uganda's north and northeast, according to the Uganda government.

☆ Uganda declares over Ebola outbreak that killed 55
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Motorists and cyclists are seen at a traffic light intersection in Kabuusu area of the Lubaga division amid the Ebola outbreak in Kampala, Uganda November 16, 2022. "We have successfully controlled the spread of Ebola in Uganda," Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said during a ceremony to mark the outbreak's end. The outbreak killed 55 of the 143 people infected since September, according to health ministry figures. Unlike the more common strain of the virus, Ebola Zaire, which has been behind several recent epidemics in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, the strain behind Uganda's outbreak, Ebola Sudan, has no proven vaccine. Even so, experts said Uganda's experience battling previous outbreaks of Ebola and its viral cousin Marburg helped its response.

☆ Uganda declares itself Ebola-free after swiftly turning tide on outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Motorists and cyclists are seen at a traffic light intersection in Kabuusu area of the Lubaga division amid the Ebola outbreak in Kampala, Uganda November 16, 2022. "We have successfully controlled the spread of Ebola in Uganda," Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said during a ceremony to mark the outbreak's end. Aceng said this was Uganda's eighth Ebola outbreak since 2000, when the country recorded its first and most deadly one that killed more than half of the 425 people it infected. In the early weeks of the outbreak, cases spread beyond the epicentre of Mubende, 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Kampala, to several other districts, including Kampala. Unlike the more common strain of the virus, Ebola Zaire, which has been behind several recent epidemics in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, the strain behind Uganda's outbreak, Ebola Sudan, has no proven vaccine.

☆ Uganda president lifts all Ebola-related movement restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMPALA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni lifted all Ebola-related movement restrictions on Saturday, saying the East African country had made progress in curbing the deadly disease. Museveni rescinded restrictions on the disease's epicentre in the district of Mubende, which logged 66 cases and 29 deaths, and in the Kassanda region with 49 cases and 21 deaths. In October, the Kampala government imposed travel restrictions and an overnight curfew and also shut places of worship and entertainment. Ebola causes vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea and spreads via contact with bodily fluids of the infected. The virus can sometimes linger in the eyes, central nervous system and bodily fluids of survivors and flare up years later.

☆ Uganda's president extends Ebola epicentre's quarantine for 21 days
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMPALA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has extended a quarantine placed on two districts that are the epicentre of the country's Ebola outbreak by 21 days, adding that his government's response to the disease was succeeding. Movement into and out of Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda will be restricted up to Dec. 17, the presidency said late on Saturday. It was originally imposed for 21 days on Oct. 15, then extended for the same period on Nov. 5. The government's anti-Ebola efforts were succeeding with two districts now going for roughly two weeks without new cases, the president said. Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Duncan Miriri and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Uganda to roll out trial vaccines as it scrambles to control Ebola outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mubende, Uganda CNN —Joseph Singiringabo has lost almost everything and everyone he held dear to Ebola. An Ebola treatment unit in Mubende, Uganda. Larry Madowo/CNNHe has been involved in every Ebola outbreak in Uganda as well as in Sierra Leone in 2017. However, the country is about to roll out three trial vaccines that have been certified as safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) working group. He has now barred traditional healers and witchdoctors from taking clients during the Ebola outbreak.

☆ Ugandan leader says anti-Ebola efforts starting to succeed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KAMPALA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Uganda's efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak were starting to succeed and the country has tightened restrictions in the outbreak's epicentre to further slow the rate of infections, President Yoweri Museveni said on Tuesday. "Bunyangabo and Kagadi districts have been dropped from the follow up list. He said authorities had handed names of all contacts of Ebola cases to immigration services at borders to prevent them from potentially travelling and exporting cases in other countries. The outbreak was declared in the country on Sept. 20. Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Uganda’s President Museveni slams ‘Western double standards’ over Germany coal mine plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has slammed Western countries over what he calls a “reprehensible double standard” in their response to the energy crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In September, Russia which had come under a raft of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, halted gas supplies to Europe, leaving the region that was dependent on Russian oil and gas imports scampering for alternatives. But Europe’s largest economy has now been forced to prioritize energy security over clean energy as gas supplies from Russia froze. Just like Germany, many other European countries are reviving coal projects as alternatives to Russian energy. Making ‘a mockery’ of climate targetsMuseveni, 78, says Europe’s switch to coal-based power generation “makes a mockery” of the West’s climate targets.

☆ Uganda applies well-honed lessons to new Ebola outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Now, the East African country — lauded for its coronavirus response, which was built around engaging the community and training health officials — is drawing lessons from the first Ebola outbreak in 2004. “They alerted the WHO early and put in the basic pillars of a response early,” Dr. Benjamin Black, an obstetrician, said recalling the West African Ebola response from 2014 to 2016. But Ghebreyesus said Wednesday a clinical trial of vaccines to combat the Sudan species of the Ebola virus could start within weeks. “There’s burnout amongst health workers, health officials and the public across the board in Uganda,” Agoada said. The threadlike Ebola virus spreads when it comes in contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

☆ WHO: 'Concerned' about Ebola spread as latest eight cases not contacts of others infected
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The eight most recent Ebola cases reported during the outbreak in Uganda have no known links with current patients, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, raising concerns over the spread of the deadly disease. In a briefing, the WHO said initial investigations into the cases by Uganda's Ministry of Health had shown they were not contacts of people already known to have Ebola. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThere have been 60 confirmed and 20 probable cases since the outbreak began last month, and 44 deaths, the WHO said. The strain spreading in Uganda is the Sudan strain, and the existing vaccines and therapies do not work against it. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Jennifer Rigby Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Media groups ask Uganda's top court to scrap law over free speech fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMPALA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Media groups asked Uganda's top court on Monday to scrap a new digital communications law which they said broke the constitution and crippled free speech. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterRuling party officials and other supporters of the legislation have argued it will curb hate speech, protect children and stop the sharing of false or malicious information. Rights groups have called the law draconian, and said it adds to the arsenal authorities use to target critical commentators and punish independent media. In their filing to the Constitutional Court, the 13 petitioners said the law was unconstitutional, ambiguous and criminalised freedom of expression. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN —Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has declared an immediate three-week lockdown in two high risk districts as the country battles a rise in Ebola infections. Places of worship, bars, gyms, saunas and other entertainment venues will close but schools will remain open, he added. The Ugandan health ministry will also increase contact tracing and assistance to local health facilities. Speaking at a media briefing earlier this month, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the vaccines used successfully to curb recent Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not effective against the type of Ebola virus now circulating in Uganda. Museveni declared an Ebola outbreak in September after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed and cases began to rise across districts.

☆ Uganda introduces lockdown measures to halt spread of Ebola: president
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Uganda President Yoweri Museveni said on Saturday the government was implementing an overnight curfew, closing places of worship and entertainment, and restricting movement into and out of two districts affected by Ebola for 21 days. The measures aimed at curbing the spread of the disease will be introduced immediately in Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda, the epicentre of the epidemic, he said in a televised national address. "These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola. We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time," Museveni said. Museveni said 19 people have died since the east African nation announced the outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever on Sept. 20.

☆ General Muhoonzi: Uganda's Museveni apologizes to Kenya for son's invasion tweets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Nimi Princewill Cnn Reuters | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —President Yoweri Museveni has apologized to Kenyans over tweets posted by his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba that had repeatedly threatened to invade Uganda’s East African neighbor. In a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday, Kainerugaba posted provocative messages, including proposing the unification of Kenya and Uganda. “It wouldn’t take us, my army and me, 2 weeks to capture Nairobi,” Kainerugaba wrote, referring to Kenya’s capital. Despite his apology, Museveni justified Kainerugaba’s promotion, saying his son had only erred in his comments and not in his service. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni pictured in 2018.

☆ Masacrul fanaticilor islamiști într-un sat din Congo, peste 22 de oameni au fost asasinați
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-27 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Cel puțin 22 de persoane au fost ucise, dintre care 13 au fost decapitate, de fanatici ai ISIS în Republica Democrată Congo. Un bebeluș de patru luni a fost găsit în viață pe spatele uneia dintre victime și se crede că a rămas orfan, împreună cu cei șase frați și surori. Corpul mamei lor nu a fost încă găsit. La 17 mai, Uganda a anunțat că a fost de acord să împărtășească informații și să coordoneze operațiunile împotriva rebelilor, dar că nu va desfășura trupe în Congo. Scopul declarat al grupului este de a răsturna guvernul ugandez și de a înființa un stat islamic în locul său.

Persons: Osama bin Laden Organizations: Democrate Aliate, Daily Mail, RD Locations: Republica Democrată Congo, Beni, Uganda, Congo, RD Congo, Islam, SUA

Conform autorităților din Uganda, perioada preelectorală a fost până acum marcată de violenţe aproape zilnice. În luna noiembrie, 54 de persoane au fost ucise în timpul protestelor organizate după ce favoritul publicului la alegerile prezidențiale, Bobi Wine, a fost reținut. Am constatat că această reţea avea legături cu Centrul de interacţiune cu cetăţenii din cadrul Ministerului tehnologiei informaţiei şi comunicaţiilor din Uganda”, a precizat un comunicat de luni al Facebook. Interzicerea rețelelor sociale, o încălcare a dreptului la informațieNici instituțiile de presă nu sunt de acord cu măsura luată de autoritățile din Uganda, de a interzice toate platformele de socializare pe teritoriul țării. Astfel, Wine a folosit Facebook pentru a-și transmite în direct campania electorală și conferințele de presă, după ce numeroase mass-media au refuzat să îl primească.

Persons: Bobi, Yoweri, Kamala, Wine, Patrick Amuriat, Museveni, Robert Kyagulanyi Organizations: Facebook, Skype, Google Locations: -, autorităţile, Uganda, Snapchat, Kampala, CIB

Search resuls for: "Yoweri"

23 mentions found