𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 216
EVENING 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
𝐅𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 22, 2023
🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬

🇺🇬 President Museveni urges National Enterprise Corporation to expand business
📌H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) to expand business in the country. NEC is the business arm of the Uganda Peoples Degemse Forces. The President made the remarks while commissioning the new Uzima water production line at the first division headquarters in Kakiri Wakiso District. Production of Uzima water commenced in December 2019. The President also commended UPDF for building and sustaining businesses.

🇺🇬 Uganda Police Annual Report indicates decrease in defilement cases
📌The Inspector General of Police, Martins Okoth Ochola has launched the Police Annual Crime Report for 2022, showing an 18% increase in the volume of crimes registered. However, a steady reduction in defilement cases has been registered compared to last year. The Director Criminal Investigations Maj Tom Magambo said that defilement cases reduced compared to last year and that several guns had been recovered from criminals. The report was Wednesday launched at Police Headquarters in Naguru.

🇺🇬 DP to appoint interim leaders in Kampala 
📌The Democratic Party President, Hon. Nobert Mao on Tuesday said that plans are underway to appoint interim leaders of the party in Kampala. Whiile addressing the press at the DP offices, Mao explained that the National Executive Committee will soon be summoned to appoint the leaders.

🇺🇬 Rukungiri leaders ask President Museveni to criminalize homosexuality
📌Speaking at the ongoing Citizens Information Fora dubbed Barraza initiatives being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister, Rukungiri leaders asked President Museveni to declare homosexuality illegal and criminal if Government is to avert the vice that has allegedly spread in schools. The southern division chairperson, Bernard Mukumi said that parents are leaving in fear and Government should act.

🇺🇬 Beverages lacking digital tax stamps destroyed by URA 
📌On Tuesday 21st February 2023, Uganda Revenue Authority destroyed approximately 13,391 packages of beverages, gins, kombucha and vodka that were seized for not having a URA digital stamp in Nakasongola. According to URA’s Public and Corporate Affairs manager,  Robert Wamala Lumanyika, URA issued out several reminders to owners of the goods to affix digital stamps as stipulated by the Tax Procedures Code Act  but in vain.

🇺🇬 Police advises public on how to safeguard their children from kidnaps and abductions
📌Uganda Police has come up with survival tips that can help reduce the chances of children falling victims to child kidnaps. Advice is as follows; Parents / guardians should pay more attention to new individuals whom they have never seen before hanging around places where their children play. Always notice and follow up children crying or fighting, finding out the cause of the crying of every child at every place, If one notices an adult trying to take away a child from a public space or a children’s play area and you suspect something is not right, then you should get involved by paying attention to the situation which will help to stop the child from beimg kidnapped. Parents should interest themselves and engage Police whenever a child tells them about someone whom they met and they were uncomfortable with however young he/she may be.

🇺🇬 NANSANA: Police arrests two men for breaking into church
📌Police in Nansana has arrested two suspected robbers for breaking into a church and robbing church items. The suspects, one Kavuma Arnold and Walugembe John broke into Holy Spirit Healing Church and stole church properties like speakers, amplifiers and several music related gadgets. Police revealed that they trucked the gang and managed to identify them and others on Police wanted list include one Ashraf and one Wilber.

ACROSS BORDERS
🌍  🌍🌍  🌍

🌍 KENYA: Raila issues 14-day ultimatum over high cost of living
📌Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga has called on mass action within 14 days if heavy taxes currently imposed on products will not be reduced. Odinga said mass action will be part of a scheme towards what he called bringing back power to the people as enshrined in the Constitution. The former Prime Minister who was speaking at Jeevanje Gardens during prayer rally on Wednesday lashed out at President William Ruto and his Government for organising prayers which he says is a hypocritical move as Kenyans are struggling with the high cost of living.

🌍 Kenya and France sign deal to build Sports complexes    
📌The French Minister for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Olivier Becht, met with his Kenyan counterpart from the Ministry of Sports on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation projects that will lead  to promotion of sports and culture as a method of development and social inclusion in Africa, WinWinAfrique, a French firm, will be building eight “agora” sports facilities around Kenya. The two countries have agreed to jointly finance this project.
“France and Kenya are jointly financing the creation of 8 “agora” sports complexes throughout the country by the French company WinWinAfrique,” Becht tweeted.

🌍 DRC: UN says $2.25 Billion needed to cater for displaced people
📌The United Nations has said it will need to mobilize $2.25 billion in 2023 to address the mass displacement of people in east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following last year’s offensive by M23 rebels. The global rights body on Wednesday released a report that documented over 600,000 people have been uprooted in the DRC’s North-Kivu province, where decades of militia violence worsened last year after Tutsi-led M23 rebels staged a major come back. Bruno Lemarquis, the U.N.’s coordinator for the country said 5.7 million people have been displaced and added that the Central African nation has the largest number of displaced people in Africa.
“The vast majority of the targeted humanitarian needs are in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and the Kasai,” he said referring to the country’s four eastern provinces.

🌍 Cyclone Freddy kills four in Madagascar
📌Madagascan authorities on Wednesday confirmed the death of four people resulting from tropical Cyclone Freddy that lashed the Eastern Coast of the island nation. Madagascar’s national risk and catastrophes bureau has said over 16,000 people have been affected by the storm which packed winds of approximately 130 kilometers per hour. President Andry Rajoelina’s administration took several steps towards ensuring the safety of locals by suspending schools and transport.

🌍 UN convenes Paris Disinformation meeting
📌The UN’s cultural fund, UNESCO, said hundreds of officials tech firm representatives, academicians and members of civil society attended a two-day meeting on how to battle online disinformation and hate speech without endangering human rights.
“We are all experiencing how digital platforms have changed the way we connect and face the world, the way we face each other,” UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay said in opening remarks. “Only by fully evaluating this technological revolution can we ensure it is a revolution that does not compromise human rights, freedom of expression and democracy.”

🌍 US warns its citizens against traveling to Northern Togo
📌The US Government issued a travel advisory on Tuesday warning its nationals of possible militant attacks and kidnappings in Togo. Americans have been warned against traveling to northern Togo and areas close to the Burkina Faso and Benin borders due to frequent militant attacks, according to the advisory published by the US State Department.
“Attacks may occur with little or no warning. The current travel policy for embassy personnel prohibits travel north of the town of Dapaong, along with the district of Kpendjal and Kpendjal-Ouest without special authorisation,” the advisory said.