Ugandan military accuses EU diplomats of engaging in subversive activities

Ugandan military accuses EU diplomats of engaging in subversive activities

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan military authorities on Friday accused diplomats from Europe of engaging in subversive activities, in an escalation of tensions over European criticism of human rights violations by Uganda's security forces. Some European diplomats are mobilizing on behalf "the negative and traitorous groups opposed" to the government of President Yoweri Museveni, the military said in a statement. The statement singled out the German ambassador, Matthias Schauer, charging that "the intelligence services are aware about his clearly undiplomatic practices that have been taking place in different parts of the country for some time now." That statement was issued by Col. Chris Magezi, a close associate of Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the president's son who also serves as Uganda's top military commander. Kainerugaba's military rise has been a source of concern among Ugandans who believe he is poised to take over from Museveni in a chaotic political transition. Kainerugaba frequently asserts his wish to succeed his father as president of the east African country, alarming Ugandans who don't want to see hereditary rule. Kainerugaba has gained notoriety most recently for his unpredictable posts on the social platform X. He has threatened to behead Bobi Wine, a prominent opposition figure, and he drew widespread criticism earlier this month for reporting the apparent torture in his "basement" of Wine's bodyguard, who was missing at the time. Schauer, the German ambassador, is among a group of European diplomats who complained about Kainerugaba in a meeting on Thursday with Gen. Salim Saleh, a retired army officer who is Kainerugaba's uncle and an influential member of Uganda's security apparatus. Saleh apologized for Kainerugaba's provocative posts on X, according to reports in the local press. The strong response from Kainerugaba's press office on Friday marks an escalation in relations between the Ugandan government and diplomats it accuses of meddling. It was not immediately possible to get a comment from Schauer or Jan Sadek, the top EU diplomat in Uganda. The EU has repeatedly urged Ugandan authorities to protect civil liberties ahead of presidential elections next year. Sadek has expressed concern over serious rights violations that include arbitrary detentions and the degrading treatment of political opponents. He spoke of "an alarming militarization of the political sphere" in a speech earlier in May. "The use of military force against civilians, with apparent impunity, contradicts the principles of the rule of law," he said. Museveni, who first took power by force in 1986, is serving his sixth term. He will seek re-election in polls set for January 2026. Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition because the 80-year-old Museveni has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, with real power concentrated in a strong military and powerful intelligence system. Some observers fear that Museveni may step aside in favor of Kainerugaba in a bloodless coup. A long-time opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, has been jailed since November over alleged treason charges his lawyers say are politically motivated. Besigye, a qualified physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of political power since independence from the British in 1962.

byRoger Fisher

in

May 23, 2025

Ugandan military accuses EU diplomats of engaging in subversive activities

Ugandan military accuses EU diplomats of engaging in subversive activities KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan military authorities on Friday acc...

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The penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. Here's how much the US spends on minting its other coins

The penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. Here's how much the US spends on minting its other coins

NEW YORK (AP) — Theimpending "death" of the U.S. pennyhas spotlighted the coin's own price tag — nearly4 centsto make and distribute each, or quadruple its value. Months after PresidentDonald Trumpcalled on his administrationto cease penny production, the U.S. Mintannounced this weekthat it had made its final order ofpennyblanks — and plans to stop making new 1 cent coins after those run out. Coin production costs vary thanks to different raw metals used, complexity of their designs, labor needed and more. Many of those expenses have been on the rise — and the penny isn't the only coin entering our wallets today that costs more to make than it's worth(enter the nickel debate). Here's a rundown of U.S. Mint production costs from the government'slatest fiscal year. Cost of the penny Each penny costs nearly 4 cents — or $0.0369, to be exact — for the U.S. Mint to make and distribute. In total, America's coin manufacturer said it shipped more than 3.17 billion pennies throughout its 2024 fiscal year. That's notably less pennies than it sent the year prior (when nearly 4.14 billion 1-cent pieces went out) — but circulating shipment for all coins was down about 44% overall. The Mint often changes its new circulation based on public demand and seasonal trends. At the same time, the penny's "unit cost" has gone up in recent years. The nearly 4 cent price tag is up 20.2% from the Mint's 2023 report, when a penny cost just over 3 cents. Cost of the nickel Each nickel costs nearly 14 cents ($0.1378) to make and distribute. That price tag is nearly triple the five-cent coin's buying power today. The unit costs for both the penny and the nickel have remained above face value for 19 consecutive years, the Mint noted in its latest annual report. And, like the penny, the nickel has also seen recent price jumps — with the latest 14 cent cost up 19.4% from the 2023 fiscal year, when its cost sat under 12 cents. U.S. Mint reported shipping 202 million nickels over its 2024 fiscal year, down from nearly 1.42 billion sent out the year prior. Cost of the dime Each dime costs nearly 6 cents ($0.0576) to make and distribute. That represents more than half of the 10 cent coin's buying power. And the cost of producing and distributing the dime increased 8.7% over the last year. In total, the U.S. Mint reported shipping 840 million dimes for its 2024 fiscal year — down from nearly 2.67 billion the year beforehand. Cost of the quarter The quarter costs nearly 15 cents ($0.1468) to make and distribute. That's also more than half of the 25 cent coin's buying power today. The quarter's unit cost has increased by 26.2% since the Mint's 2023 report, when its price tag was closer to 12 cents. U.S. Mint said it shipped more than 1.6 billion quarters in the 2024 fiscal year, down from about 2.27 billion the year prior. Cost of the half-dollar The half-dollar coin costs nearly 34 cents ($0.3397) to make and distribute. That represents nearly two-thirds of the 50 cent piece's buying power. And its price has increased by more than 30% since the 2023 fiscal year, when the coin's production cost was just under 26 cents. U.S. Mint said it shipped 52 million half-dollar coins in its 2024 fiscal year, up from 18 million coins shipped in the 2023 period. What about cash? Coins aren't the only form of physical money that vary in production costs. Dollar bills also see differences due to paper and ink used, labor and other expenses. Here are the latest printing costs for U.S. paper notes,according to the Federal Reserve:

byRoger Fisher

in

May 23, 2025

The penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. Here's how much the US spends on minting its other coins

The penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. Here's how much the US spends on minting its other coins NEW YORK (AP) — Theimpending "deat...

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See a penny, pick it up? In the future, probably not as often — and, some say, that matters

See a penny, pick it up? In the future, probably not as often — and, some say, that matters

NEW YORK (AP) — Ask someone for their thoughts: Could it now cost you a nickel? If you want to call somebody stingy, would you say they're a quarter-pincher? And if they spend money unwisely, are they now dime-wise but pound-foolish? OK, maybe those are some minor, small-stakes, dare we say penny-ante concerns in the wake of the U.S. Treasury confirming Thursdaythat it will stop making shiny new penny coinsafter the current production run is complete. But it is the end of an era in the United States. While there will still be over a billion already existing pennies in circulation, rattling around in jars, gathering dust under the sofa cushions and waiting to be picked up from sidewalks, no new cents will be joining their ranks for the first time in more than two centuries. Answering advocates' demands to abandon the coin TheTrump administration made the callas a cost-saving measure - it costs almost four cents to make a penny (which, by the way, are now primarily made up of zinc with a copper coating). They're not as financially useful as they were in other times as prices have gone up, and digital technologies have overall reduced the use of physical bills and coins for many people. Advocates have been calling for the penny to drop for decades. But will no one think of the archeologists? "Since 1793, we have continuously seeded the archeological record with datable pennies, and now we're going to stop doing that," laments Frank Holt, a professor at the University of Houston who has studied the history of coins in his work. "In 2,000 years, there are going to be archeologists pulling out what hair they have left saying, 'What am I going to do now that I don't have these datable objects there?'" That the penny has its day is a sign of how much the copper-colored coin has punched above its denomination in the culture, Holt says. "It's not just an economic argument, because pennies and all coins are embedded in our culture. They reflect our politics, our religion, our art, our sense of ourselves, our ideals, our aspirations," he says. "We put mottos on them and self-identifiers and we decide — in the case of the United States — which dead persons are most important to us and should be commemorated." Holt points to traditions of putting pennies in loafers, of rhymes like "See a penny, pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck," of people who think an unexpected penny sighting could be a sign from a loved one who's passed on. A larger conversation is happening behind it all When it does come to economics, the discussion of whether or not there should be pennies is actually part of a larger conversation, says Ursula Dalinghaus of Ripon College, who studies the anthropology of money. For example, a bedrock of American culture is the price tag ending in $.99, somehow trying to convince buyers that the 1-cent difference keeping the cost from the next dollar makes it a good deal, she points out. What happens to that price now? Also, while many people have switched over to digital forms of payments and couldn't even tell you the last time they carried a coin around or had a bill in their wallets, there are many people who still use all kinds of physical currency — yes, even pennies. "Cash is very important for a lot of people to budget, to keep control of costs. Even just donating a penny to someone asking for small change, it does add up," she says. "I feel like we're far too quick to only look at what is the cost of minting it or distributing it and we're not really willing to look at the everyday experiences and interactions people have. So maybe if we don't use small change, we don't think about it. But other people do." In a final irony, news of the penny's fate came out on the eve of Lucky Penny Day, no less! (Yes, there is such a thing, on May 23rd.) "We don't have a lucky nickel day. We don't have a lucky dime day, lucky quarter day, we only have a Lucky Penny Day," Holt says. "And why is that? It's more than money. It is more than an economic tool. We've endowed the penny with almost mystical, magical powers to bring us luck, to change our fortunes."

byRoger Fisher

in

May 23, 2025

See a penny, pick it up? In the future, probably not as often — and, some say, that matters

See a penny, pick it up? In the future, probably not as often — and, some say, that matters NEW YORK (AP) — Ask someone for their thoughts: ...

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Victim's body returned to Israel as Jewish Americans reel from museum attack

Victim's body returned to Israel as Jewish Americans reel from museum attack

The body of Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli embassy employee gunned down in a possible antisemitic attack in Washington D.C. this week, was expected to arrive back in the Jewish state on Friday, officials said. Loved ones of Lischinsky and representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry will receive the victim's coffin at an undisclosed airport before it's taken to a burial site, according to a ministry spokesperson Lischinsky, 30, and his colleague and girlfriend Sarah Milgrim, 26, were gunned down Wednesday night outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident, was arrested at the scene. He allegedly shouted "Free, free Palestine" after opening fire outside the museum on Wednesday night. The suspect told officers on the scene, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," according to prosecutors. Jewish leaders in Chicago decried the slayings and pinned blame on burgeoning antisemitism coming from protests against Israel. The Jewish state's military action in Gaza, seeking to root out Hamas in the wake of its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has sparked protest against Jerusalem throughout the United States. David Goldenberg, Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that calls for Israel to curtail military action have too often devolved into antisemitism. "Saying 'Free Palestine' is, in itself, not antisemitic," Goldenberg told reporters in Chicago on Friday. "When the (anti-Jewish) chants begin, you as the leader, you lead. You shut it down. You make it clear to people coming to the protest (that) you don't bring a sign that says 'Globalize the Intifada' we're not going to have a sign that celebrates and calls for violence against Jews." FBI agents were going through Rodriguez's apartment in the quiet tree-lined street in the Albany Park neighborhood on Thursday looking for any evidence that could link or explain the suspect's actions and motives. "This horror hits even closer to home," said Chicago Alderman Debra Silverstein. "We have learned that the attacker lives in Chicago and was likely radicalized right here in our city. This is not just a national tragedy, it is a local wake up call." Rodriguez came to the DMV on Tuesday, flying in from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in northern Virginia, according to United Airlines records cited in the affidavit. He declared his firearm in his checked baggage and flew with it across state lines, the affidavit said.

byRoger Fisher

in

May 23, 2025

Victim's body returned to Israel as Jewish Americans reel from museum attack

Victim's body returned to Israel as Jewish Americans reel from museum attack The body of Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli embassy employee g...

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Tropics awakening? Hurricane forecasters say a storm is brewing in the Pacific.

Tropics awakening? Hurricane forecasters say a storm is brewing in the Pacific.

The tropics are awakeningfrom their winter slumber. In the eastern Pacific Ocean near Central America, meteorologists say the atmosphere is becoming more favorable for tropical development. "An area of low pressure is expected to form early next week several hundred miles south of the southern coast of Mexico," theNational Hurricane Centersaid in a tropical weather outlook on May 23. "Conditions appear favorable for development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form around the middle of next week," the hurricane center said. The center gives the system a 70% chance of development. "Signs continue to point toward some slow tropical development off the Pacific coast of Central America and south of the southwestern coast of Mexico prior to the end of the month," AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said. "At this time, we believe a tropical feature may organize sometime from May 26 to May 30, especially the latter part of that period," he said. If it becomes a named system, it would be called Alvin –the first named tropical cycloneanywhere in the Northern Hemisphere this year. As a refresher, a tropical depression becomes a named storm when its sustained wind speed reaches 39 mph. The average date for the first tropical storm of the eastern Pacific season is June 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. "If a storm forms soon, it would be well ahead of the historical pace – and much earlier than last year's first storm. In 2024, Aletta didn't form until July 4, marking the latest start to an eastern Pacific hurricane season in the satellite era," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. More:The Atlantic is primed to start spewing hurricanes, NOAA forecast says The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in a seasonal hurricane forecast released May 22, said that a below-average eastern Pacific hurricane season is most likely. An average season sees 15 named storms. Eastern Pacific storms and hurricanes primarily stay out to sea and seldom affect the U.S. mainland, although some storms do hit the west coast of Mexico and remnant moisture from the storms can affect the U.S. Southwest. The eastern Pacific hurricane season could still bring notable indirect impacts to the southwestern United States, AccuWeather said. Folks in California might remember the impact from Hilary in 2023: "While a repeat of the tactics of Hurricane Hilary from August 2023 is not anticipated, a heavy amount of tropical moisture could be pumped into the Southwest in addition to what is likely to be an active (drenching) North American monsoon season for New Mexico and Arizona," AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Hurricane forecasters say Tropical Storm Alvin may form in Pacific

byRoger Fisher

in

May 23, 2025

Tropics awakening? Hurricane forecasters say a storm is brewing in the Pacific.

Tropics awakening? Hurricane forecasters say a storm is brewing in the Pacific. The tropics are awakeningfrom their winter slumber. In the e...

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