Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The police on Thursday blocked a group of human rights activists who were planning to petition the Uganda Human Rights Commission over the continued detention of novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. Kakwenza was arrested from his home in Kisaasi, Kampala by armed security personnel last week. Although …
Read More »Environmentalists call for suspension of agricultural schemes in lake Victoria
Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Environmental activists want the government to suspend all agricultural schemes operating within or close to Lake Victoria catchment area to save the country’s ecosystem, which is under threat from human activities. The activists under their umbrella of Action for Sustainable Development Initiative-ASDI are concerned by …
Read More »Coronavirus pandemic ‘amplifies press freedom threats’
Paris, France | AFP | The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating threats to press freedom around the world, with authoritarian states including China and Iran suppressing details of the outbreak, activists said on Tuesday. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual press freedom rankings the pandemic was “highlighting and amplifying the …
Read More »Anti-virus measures spark Mideast fears of setback in liberties
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Armoured vehicles in the streets, hundreds arrested, smartphone surveillance — sweeping measures to fight the coronavirus have raised concerns in the Middle East over the erosion of already threatened human rights. As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, more than three billion people are now living …
Read More »Moscow highway over radioactive dump sparks ‘catastrophe’ fears
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Armed with a selfie stick holding a dosimeter-equipped smartphone, nuclear physicist Andrei Ozharovsky is on the hunt for gamma radiation. Waving the device over a shallow dip in the thawing ground, the contraption crackles as the reading climbs, turning first yellow then red. The dosimeter is …
Read More »India’s top court orders halt to stubble burning as Delhi chokes
New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s top court has ordered a complete halt to stubble burning around Delhi, a major contributor to lethal smog that on Tuesday kept the metropolis of 20 million people choking in air rated “very poor”. The Supreme Court said the capital’s residents were “losing precious …
Read More »HIV/AIDS activists demand bio-metrics registration for people on ARV treatment
Kanungu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | HIV/AIDS activists in Kigezi Sub region are demanding for biometrics registration of all People Living with HIV/Aids already on treatment for easy management. According to the 2017 Uganda Population HIV Impact Assessment, the HIV/AIDS prevalence in Kigezi sub region stood at 7.9 percent. However, activists …
Read More »Kigezi clergy, HIV activists disagree on promoting condom use
Kigezi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is a dispute between HIV/Aids activists and religious leaders in Kigezi sub-region on the promotion of condom use as one of the major ways of containing the spread of HIV. According to the 2017 Uganda Population HIV Impact Assessment and Uganda AIDS Commission, the …
Read More »US, China step up war of words over Hong Kong
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States and China have stepped up an increasingly harsh war of words over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, as Beijing seeks to push its accusations that the mass demonstrations are being fueled by foreign powers. In the latest exchange, Washington on Friday called …
Read More »Absence of substantive DHO sparks outrage in Kabale
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The absence of a substantive District Education Officer in Kabale has sparked outrage, among residents, activists and local government leaders. The district has spent three years without a District Health Officer (DHO), since the transfer of Dr Patrick Tusiime who was promoted to the level …
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