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Good morning š¤ļø Did you know that without cocaine, there might be no rubber gloves? A famous surgeon and drug addict, William Halsted, ordered rubber gloves made for his nurse assistant essentially so she could sneak cocaine into the operating theater for him. Yep! Cocaine is a helluva drug.
Reminder: TLDR Weekly is going paid on February 5. Youāll get an email in the middle of the week to upgrade before next weekās issue. We hope to see you on the other side.
Have a good week!
āGloria Mbabazi, Shem Opolot
HEADLINES
š Wild Card
Hug a millennial today because we continue to live long enough to see our heroes become villains. This past week, it was Justice Julia Sebutinde.
Justice Julia Sebutinde's dissenting vote(s) against emergency measures, et al., in the South Africa v. Israel genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) inspired outrage, ad hominem attacks, devilās advocates with poor timing, armchair legal experts on Twitter, and genuine bewilderment to say the least.
In response to the allegations of genocide made by South Africa, the ICJ ruled that Israel must do everythingā¦except cease fire in Gaza. Justice Sebutinde's stance sparked surprise, especially since Uganda has condemned the Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian people again and again and again.
Hereās the full ruling if youāre interested in arguments backed by evidence versus sensationalism.
š°šŖ Kenya
Kenya is experiencing a significant increase in femicide, with notable cases sparking national outrage. Legal measures are inadequate, leading to calls for action, exemplified by the #TotalShutdownKe protests.
š·š¼ Rwanda
The remains of 119 people, believed to be victims of the 1994 genocide, have been discovered in southern Rwanda. Authorities continue to find mass graves nearly three decades after the killings, as perpetrators had concealed incriminating information.
Tanzania
During her official trip, Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu signed five agreements with Indonesia covering investments in agriculture, minerals, marine economy, education, diplomatic relations, technology, and trade. Indonesia will support Tanzania in agriculture and health services while also investing in pharmaceutical companies.
Other headlines
BoU, DPF pay off EFC microfinance depositors.
Activists petition court to stop MPs from serving as Ministers.
Street vendors sue KCCA law enforcement officers for brutal arrests.
Fuel imports to go through the Tanzania route.
Gains, costs of hosting NAM, G77.
BEYOND BORDERS
Africa
š¦ Mosquito no-pass. Cameroon began the world's first routine vaccination program for malaria, administering the RTS, S vaccine created by GlaxoSmithKline. This marks a major milestone in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease, which kills nearly half a million African children annually.
But the vaccine isnāt an elixir yet: The four-dose immunization is ~30% effective, only suggested for kids up to 17 months old, starts to wear off in months, and doesnāt stop transmission, so health experts urge immunized people to combine vaccination with the use traditional prevention methods like bed nets and antimalarials.
Also,ā¦as more countries roll out the vaccine all over the continent, there are concerns about stock-outs; however, WHO has endorsed a second vaccine, which might help.
You might be wondering, with all these caveats, if the vaccine is even worth it. We got you: The use of a vaccine in combination with other preventative measures can lower the incidence (new cases) of malaria, which, in the long run (because mosquitoes would bite people without the malaria parasites), could incrementally make the disease more manageable, andāwe dare say and hopeāextinct.
š¬š The Audacity. The Brits have beans, bread, and brass balls for breakfast. Two British museums, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, are loaning (yes, loaning) stolen gold and silver artifacts [back] to Ghana. The artifacts, stolen during the 'Anglo-Asante Collection Raid' of the 19th century, are getting a temporary visa back to their rightful owners. The 'long-term loan' dance cleverly dodges U.K. laws that usually safeguard such treasures from reuniting with their homelands.
The U.K. government insisted that the artifacts were fairly acquired and preserved for global access. While you foam at the mouth, the loan agreement is seen as a starting point, but ultimately, there are calls for the artifacts to be returned permanently to their rightful owners in Ghana.
Other headlines
East Africa Standby Force is ready to deploy.
Lagos bans the use of non-degradable containers.
UN evacuates civilians after latest DRC attack.
Man to be charged with murder for deadly Johannesburg fire that killed 70 people in August last year.
Mali junta eyes new peace talks after ending accord with separatists.
Kagame, Mozambique President hold talks in Kigali.
Kenyaās High Court blocked the governmentās U.N-backed plan to deploy 1000 police troops to Haiti.
The rest of the world
President Modi at the consecration ceremony for the temple. | Source: GETTY IMAGES
š®š³ Modiās āholyā motives. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a grand new Hindu temple in Ayodhya dedicated to the deity Lord Ram. The $217 million āHindu Vaticanā was built on the contested holy site significant to both Muslims and Hindusāthe historic Babri Masjid mosque. The mosque was destroyed by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992, sparking deadly riots. Modi's opening of the temple has strong political overtones as it appeals to his Hindu nationalist base ahead of upcoming elections.
š®š± Allegations = Tight fists. Pending an investigation, the US, UK et al. practiced imperial pettiness by halting funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that provides aid to Palestinians after Israel alleged that some UNRWA employees were involved in the deadly Hamas attack in October. Naturally, the UN Secretary-General called for continued funding, saying aid is critical for Palestinians in Gaza, which faces a humanitarian crisis. UNRWA fired the employees Israel named and launched an investigation.
NNāEBIGENDERAKO
Everything elseā¦
The US and EU are frustrated with Netanyahu over his rejection of a Palestinian state in postwar Gaza.
AI may not be as big of a threat to jobs as previously thought because it is too expensive for most companies to replace human workers (for now).
The worldās biggest YouTube star, MrBeast, made $250,000 from his first video on Twitter and gave it all away.
Google, AT&T, and Vodafone are investing $206.5 million in AST SpaceMobile, a Starlink competitor that plans to offer smartphone service from low-Earth-orbit satellites.
Indiaās stock market overtook Hong Kongās to become the fourth biggest in the world.
WWE has signed a deal with Netflix to stream its flagship weekly wrestling show "Raw" live on Monday nights starting in January 2025.
Dwyane āThe Rockā Johnson finally owns āThe Rockā trademark as he became part owner of WWE.
A Russian military plane carrying 74 passengers, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners, is believed to have been shot down by Ukraine.
PROCRASTINATION CORNER
Games and Puzzles
From Braingle.
On the first day I came to be,
Divinely created for you to see.
Artificial or natural, take your pick,
Although too much of the latter can make you sick.
Answer at the bottom.
Our picks
š” Why do people have different tastes in music?
š” How the US transports its nuclear weapons
š” Focus with the sounds of random forests
Games answer
Answer: Light.
According to the Bible, God created light on the first day.
There is artificial light, such as that produced by lightbulbs and natural light. Too much sunlight, especially when it's hot, can make you sick (i.e. heat stroke, sunburn).
Have a good week!
ā Too Long; Didnāt Read (TLDR)
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