🤝🏾 The Curious Case of Co-operatives

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Have a good week!

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HEADLINES
🤝🏾 The Curious Case of Co-operatives

This case is a Spiderman meme of thievery, so grab your inhaler. A recently released parliamentary report showcased the conspiracy of multiple agencies to misappropriate billions of shillings earmarked for the compensation of cooperatives. The accused include legislators, lawyers, civil servants, commercial banks, and cooperative officials in a collaboration that rivals the lineup on a DJ Guetta album. The report reveals two verification committees were established to expedite payments for war loss compensations to cooperatives: one committee created by the Cabinet and another by the Trade Ministry, with the latter allegedly possessing the technical finesse of a confused GPS. The report also highlights collusion between certain cooperative unions and members of the verification committee to inflate claims. 

🛢️ Pipelines and Politics

The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) played referee in the ring, quashing a bout between civil society underdogs and the heavyweight East African Crude Oil Pipeline. The Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) and Natural Justice led the charge, aiming to knock out the pipeline's construction until environmental and social justice gripes were addressed. Alas, the EACJ threw in the towel—citing a technicality—arguing that the case missed its cue in 2017 when the pipeline's groundwork kicked off. Undeterred, the applicants are gearing up for a legal comeback, decrying the judgment as tone-deaf to crucial facts and contending that the ruling overlooked the looming environmental specter of the pipeline, with governments and investors prioritizing profits over people and the planet.

🇰🇪 Kenya

The ICC abandoned investigations into the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya, ending a 13-year legal saga involving high-profile politicians. Initially charging six, including Presidents Kenyatta and Ruto, with crimes against humanity, the case crumbled due to insufficient evidence attributed to witness intimidation.

 🇷🇼 Rwanda

After achieving UNAIDS' "95-95-95" target, Rwanda faces dwindling global aid for its HIV/AIDS fight. Consequently, the government eyes a private-sector collaboration to bolster funding. Despite progress, AIDS-related deaths persist, and youth treatment adherence remains an issue.

The “95-95-95” target aims at diagnosing 95% of all HIV-positive individuals, providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 95% of those diagnosed, and achieving viral suppression for 95% of those treated by 2030.

🇹🇿 Tanzania

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, at COP28, nudged global leaders to keep their climate promises, pointing out the lingering commitments from Copenhagen and Paris Agreements. Urging action, a global adaptation framework, and showcasing Tanzania's efforts, President Samia will host events on clean cooking energy, sustainable agriculture, and the blue economy.

Other headlines

Anti-gay law petition set to be heard by court. 

Govt to buy HIV and malaria test kits from a local firm.

UMSC loses appeal to stop sale of its prime properties over Shs. 19b debt.

Kitutu loses bid to block Karamoja iron sheet trial.

Science headteachers demand action on salary increment pledge.

Akon City: A dream that never was.

P.7 leavers can now join technical schools and colleges.

Rubirizi district successfully reclaims 1000 hectares of wetlands.

Medical interns issue ultimatum on allowance delays.

Mpuuga stranded after DP, FDC call off plenary boycott.

Opposition to drag government to ICC over missing citizens.

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BEYOND BORDERS 
Africa 

🇸🇩 Descent into Destruction. The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (Unitams), established in 2020 to support Sudan during its political transition to democratic rule, has been terminated at the request of Sudanese authorities. The Security Council adopted a resolution ending its mandate as of Sunday, 3^rd December 2023, and a three-month transition period will begin to allow for the departure of Unitams personnel and the transfer of its tasks to other UN agencies. Some UN ambassadors criticized the decision, expressing concern that a reduced international presence in Sudan will embolden perpetrators of atrocities with dire consequences for civilians. 

🇸🇴 Open Fire Season. The United Nations Security Council lifted the arms embargo on Somalia's government forces, which had been in place for 31 years, allowing the country to upgrade its military with new weaponry. The council voted 14-1 to lift the embargo on Somalia but retained restrictions on arms trade or supplies to members of the terrorist group Al Shabaab. The council permitted the federal government to order and purchase weapons from all legal merchants worldwide, with a caveat that they submit a list of the weapons to the UN Sanctions Committee on Somalia for verification. Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh welcomed lifting the embargo, saying it would allow the country to confront security threats, including those posed by Al Shabaab, and modernize its armed forces. The decision has been criticized by France, which abstained from the vote, citing territorial disputes between Djibouti and Eritrea.

Other headlines

Somali education champion wins UN refugee prize.

Sudan army announces ground campaign to 'eliminate' RSF.

Niger junta repeals law aimed at slowing migration to Europe.

Senegalese navy seized nearly 3 tonnes of cocaine from ship.

EU cancels Congo election observation mission.

South African company to introduce vaginal rings that protect against HIV.

Chad's opposition and civil society call for French troops to withdraw.

Malawi sends unemployed youths to Israel as workers flee war.

The rest of the world 

☀️ COP28 targets 1.5° threshold. The most important meeting about climate change on the global calendar began in Dubai on November 30, presenting an opportunity for your country to squander your taxes while other countries focus on several key issues related to climate change. Before we dive in, you must know that the president of COP28, Sultan Al Jaber, is also the head of the UAE oil company Adnoc. What could go wrong?

One of the significant items on the table is a major agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees, which could result in extreme weather events becoming more frequent and catastrophic. Here’s what you need to know so far:

• Funding for vulnerable nations: Nations approved the blueprint for a fund to provide money to vulnerable nations hit hardest by climate change. But, as we know, there’s a massive gap between “I’ll send you money later” and “You have received…”

• Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Countries are encouraged and expected to update and "raise ambition" for their NDCs, which are plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to extreme weather events.

• Future of fossil fuels: One of the most challenging topics is the future role of fossil fuels, with countries discussing whether to phase out the use of coal, oil, and gas. Sultan Al-Jaber said the phase-down of fossil fuels is "inevitable," but… the US is now producing more oil than ever at 13 million barrels daily

• Technologies to tackle emissions: The UAE and other countries whose economies depend on fossil fuels want COP28 to focus on nascent technologies designed to capture and store carbon dioxide.

• The Pope's plea: Pope Francis urged COP28 to find a breakthrough on climate change, emphasizing the need for greater energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the elimination of fossil fuels.

• Clean energy boost: Countries promised to boost clean energy production, aiming to decarbonize the energy sector, which is responsible for around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge includes expanding nuclear power, cutting methane emissions, and choking off private finance for coal power.

The goal is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but current emissions are still rising.

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NN’EBIGENDERAKO
Politics and Government

Israel-Hamas update

“Dutch Donald Trump” wins the Netherlands election.

Anti-immigrant riots in Dublin, Ireland

Relatives of more than 40 passengers on a Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight that vanished in 2014 filed a lawsuit against the airline.

The wife of Ukraine’s intelligence chief hospitalized after alleged poisoning.

41 trapped construction workers in India finally free  

Henry Kissinger died, and everyone said AMEN.

Business and Finance

Shein files to go public

This year’s Forbes 30 under 30 if you still care about such things.

The Tesla Cybertrucks are here.

Chocolate is more expensive than it has been in over 40 years.

Science and Technology

Learn about gene editing with CRISPR

Microsoft secured a non-voting seat on OpenAI’s board.

The world’s largest iceberg is 20 times larger than Kampala and drifting from the Antarctic circle towards the Southern Ocean.

Sports

The NBA’s FA Cup is a hit and just wrapped its group stage.

Lifestyle and Entertainment

Screen Actors Guild shared the complete tentative contract that ended the actors’ strike.

The trial of Young Thug began.

J-Lo to release a new album early next year.

Mark Cuban left Shark Tank and sold his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, which means he’s either running for president or preparing to get sued for sexual assault.

Taylor Swift was Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2023.

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PROCRASTINATION CORNER
Games and Puzzles

From Braingle.
Here's how it goes: there will be 3 scrambled word puzzles with a clue above each. The unscrambled words have something to do with the clue.

1. Clue: Machine of warmth
Puzzle: Pea thump

2. Clue: Not the beginning
Puzzle: Lie ego up

3. Clue: Referential book
Puzzle: Or tiny acid

Answer at the bottom.

Our picks

💡 Watch: The Rise of XiJinping explained

💡 Watch: How all your body organs age

💡 Watch: The truth behind “affordable luxury clothing”

Games answer

Answer:

1. Heat pump
2. Epilogue
3. Dictionary

Have a good week!

— Too Long; Didn’t Read (TLDR)

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