🤦🏾‍♂️ Same old sheet(s)

Good morning ☀️

We attended an old-school party this weekend and it turns out a lot more of you are enjoying this newsletter than you’re letting on. We’ll forgive your reticence if you forward this newsletter to at least one person you think will love it. Our small community is burgeoning into the thousands, and we’re not crumbling under the pressure of consistency (yet).

Let's do this 🚀

— Gloria Mbabazi, Shem Opolot

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Headlines

🤦🏾‍♂️ Same old sheet(s)

Two ministers were arrested in connection with Mabati gate—a story we’re just as jaded about as you are. Amos Lugoloobi, the State Minister for Finance, was arrested on Thursday while Mary Gorreti Kitutu, the Karamoja Affairs Minister, who christened the cooler, was granted bail by the Anti-Corruption Court. CID is investigating 22 Ministers, 31 MPs, and 13 Chief Administrative Officers in the scandal.

🪵 Charcoal vigilantes

Following a charcoal ban issued by the Ministry of Environment this year, Kilak South MP, Gilbert Olanya and Aruu County Legislator, Samuel Odonga Otto got arrested after donning their green-caped costumes and allegedly incited local youth to illegally apprehend charcoal trucks. Gulu is one of the biggest producers of charcoal in Uganda and has seen a massive decline in forest cover due to unregulated tree burning to make charcoal. (Video)

🚆 All aboard the Tororo to Gulu rail line

As our relationship with China progresses swiftly through the bases, the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) signed a contract with the government to rehabilitate the Tororo to Gulu section of the metre gauge railway line. The 375-kilometre railway line runs through Mbale, Soroti, and Lira before terminating at the Gulu Logistics Hub (GLH), bringing the total distance of the northern corridor to more than 700 kilometres.

Other headlines

Like the latest heat wave, more tax reform is coming…

URA to hand over vehicle registration functions to the Ministry of Works

Keith Muhakanizi, the former head of treasury, died this past week

The Kabaka celebrated his 68th birthday with a successful Birthday Run

NUP candidate, Robert Maseruka wins the Makerere University Guild race

A chilly look into the future of our fast-melting glaciers on Mount Rwenzori

🔌 Promo

The Friday Fix is the best way to start your weekend.

Beyond Borders

🌍️ Africa

🇸🇩 Sudan strife. Sudan is embroiled in conflict again as the tensions between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have escalated to open conflict, posing a threat to stability in the country. (Background)

🇰🇪 Silent treatment. The political tinder tussle between Raila and Ruto ended in flames before the first date. The bi-partisan, parliament-led negotiations ended prematurely after both sides took hardline positions. Ruto is only willing to discuss electoral body reform while Raila wants it all—lower cost of living, and a forensic audit into the election results which he believes were rigged.

Other headlines

Kenya’s first operational satellite launched into space

Somalia and Sudan’s arms catch-22

Op-Ed on the resources that will soon have us drawing battle lines

Thabo Beste, a South African fugitive and future subject of a Netflix documentary, appeared before court

A new malaria vaccine given the green light in Ghana

The Amhara region returns to calm after days of protest

Tunisian footballer dies after setting himself on fire in an anti-police protest

Russia, China, and the USA angle for Africa’s affections

Watch: Gold Mafia Episode IV

🗺️ The rest of the world

🇺🇸 US intelligence leaks. After an investigation by the US Justice Department into a leak of classified intelligence documents uploaded online and shared widely on social media, the FBI arrested and charged a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection to the leak. The leaks—if true—portray America’s prodigious peeking through both its allies’ and enemies’ shower curtains and will make for some awkward deluxe diplomatic dinners in the future.

🇮🇱 Israel airstrikes. After six missiles were fired into Israel from Syria on Friday, Israel responded by conducting airstrikes in Syria yesterday. At least one rocket made landfall in the strategically important Golan Heights (Background), which Syria continues to claim but which Israel has controlled since the Six-Day War in 1967.

🇲🇲 Myanmar military strike. At least 50 people were killed in Myanmar after the military junta launched an airstrike on an anti-government ceremony outside Mandalay. The country has been in a civil war for nearly 100 years, and a coup in 2021 restored military rule (History). The junta has promised to hold elections in August 2021 after extending a February 2021 state of emergency for the third time.

Nn’ebigenderako

Tesla to build a massive factory for Megapack batteries in China

An AI defamation suit against ChatGPT raises questions about suing bots

Super Mario Bros (how old do you feel?) had a “🤌🏾” global box office debut

China ran military exercises in the Taiwan Strait (Background) in retaliation

Here are the deets if you’re curious about King Charles’ coronation

China and US race to regulate AI systems

Substack launched a feature eerily similar to Twitter

Visualizing the world’s fertility rates (Spoiler: Uganda is near the top)

Japan plans to build a $13.5 billion casino in Osaka to attract tourism

French court approved Macron’s controversial pension reform policy

AB InBev’s Becks let AI design a beer

TIME released its list of the most influential people in 2023

Games and Puzzles

Courtesy of Braingle.

What do the following words have in common?

Assess
Banana
Dresser
Grammar
Potato
Revive
Uneven
Voodoo

Hint: It is more than having letters repeated in each one...

Answer at the bottom

Procrastination corner

🧮 Play this maths game while it’s free

👽 Watch: Why aliens might already be on their way to us

🏟 For the history buff, put these events in chronological order

📽 If you haven’t watched it, here it is. Try not to smile (or cry)

Riddle answer

Answer:

If you take the first letter and move it to the rear of the word, you get the same word when read backwards.

Have a good week!

— Too Long; Didn’t Read (TLDR)

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