I suggest that on top of refunding the money, the Presidential Handshake beneficiaries each make a public apology – Anna Adeke Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Uganda’s Parliament has overwhelmingly approved recommendations from its Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises requiring 42 public officials to refund Ushs 6 billion shared out …
Read More »Sistine chapel photographed in unprecedented detail
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The famous frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, whose ceiling was painted by Michelangelo, can now be examined in minute detail thanks to an unprecedented photographic venture, the Vatican Museums have said. By combining innovative digital technology and special LED lamps which aimed to …
Read More »SH6billion: URA explains ‘Presidential handshake’
Uganda Revenue Authority has explained the circumstances under which several government officials were rewarded for helping win the 2014 capital gains tax case against UK based oil company Heritage. “It is standard international best practice for employees to receive bonus payments/ or honoraria for exemplary performance in both the public …
Read More »VIDEO: MPs up in arms over Heritage Oil case cash reward
VIDEO: Legislators have condemned a reward of sh7 billion of oil money given to senior government officials after they won an oil tax case against Heritage Oil. The legislators under a loose coalition dubbed; “NRM Members of Parliament Think-tank”want the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to cause an investigation into …
Read More »Fidel Castro’s dying wish: No monuments in his name
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | AFP | Cuba will respect Fidel Castro’s dying wish that no statues be erected in his honor and no streets be named after him, President Raul Castro said. The national assembly will introduce legislation at its next session later this month so that “his wish …
Read More »Rumba and beer join UNESCO’s ‘intangibles’
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Cuba’s sensual rumba dance and Belgium’s thriving beer culture brought a new exuberance to UNESCO’s prestigious list of “intangible” heritage on Wednesday. The UN body gave the nod to the rumba, which it said evokes “grace, sensuality and joy”, while it said “making and …
Read More »Uganda’s Madi music and dance put on UNESCO heritage list
Paris, France | AFP | Ugandan traditional music, which is dying out partly because it requires materials from endangered species, has been placed on UNESCO’s protected “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list, along with Portuguese pottery and Ukrainian Cossack songs. A UNESCO world heritage committee, meeting in Addis Ababa Tuesday, decided to …
Read More »London’s Tower Bridge closes until New Year
London, United Kingdom | AFP | London’s iconic Tower Bridge closed to vehicles for three months on Saturday for its first major maintenance works in nearly half a century. The 122-year-old drawbridge by the Tower of London — whose roadway leaves are lifted to allow tall ships on the River …
Read More »Uganda in biggest tax evasion story
Panama Papers expose efforts plot to dodge taxes in oil deals When 370 journalists from 76 countries collaborate on an investigation, the resulting story is bound to be explosive. That is exactly what happened with what has come to be known as “The Panama Papers”; which is a huge leak …
Read More »Industry threatens nearly half of natural heritage sites: WWF
Paris, France | AFP Almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites, including the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu, are threatened by industrial activities such as mining, oil exploration and illegal logging, conservation group WWF warned Wednesday. The 114 threatened sites, virtually half the total listed by UNESCO, provide …
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