THE governments of Sudan and Uganda are starting journalists' exchange programmes as a way of getting news with an African perspective rather than the negative portrayal by the Western media.

Leaders, declare your wealth. There is no more joking. Criminal charges will be brought against those leaders who fail to make their wealth public or falsify the declaration. For ten years, leaders have dragged their feet over the issue. The leadership code passed in 1992 required leaders at various levels to make a declaration of their assets and wealth to the Inspector General of Government. Not many complied.

The government of Uganda's declared intention to see internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Uganda go home from this month is welcome, but there are still substantial issues to be addressed in relation to their return, integration, resettlement and recovery, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

The State of the Environment report for Uganda 2000/2001 has said that Uganda's high economic growth may not be sustainable, and comes at the expense of the environment. The report released recently by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said that although the economy of Uganda is growing fast every year, this growth may not be sustainable.

The Report covers the experiences of women in situations of armed conflict in the districts of Soroti, Katakwi and Kumi, which make up the Teso region in Eastern Uganda. It unveils the uniqueness of the Teso conflict which is multi dimensional in that it has an aspect of rebel insurgency and attacks by Karamajong warriors. The findings reveal a pathetic, gynaecological, psychological and orthopedic situation. The report is now in the final editing process and will be made public soon.

Insecurity over the past year continues to keep some 85,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in protected camps in Katakwi District, eastern Uganda, where aid agencies report widespread but not life-threatening food problems, according to the lastest Uganda report from the Famine Early Warning System Network.

Uganda is unlikely to realise millennium development targets in the health sector agreed upon the United Nations - sponsored millennium summit two years ago, a paper produced by a World Bank-funded Think Tank has revealed.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, after receiving an award for the government's HIV/AIDS campaign, announced on Sunday that because Uganda "has no homosexuals," HIV is not spread through homosexual contact there, the Associated Press reports.

Two developments this week have illustrated the gathering pace of telecoms privatisation. The Ghanaian government has agreed to sell off its majority share in Ghana Telecom and appears to be opening its market to further competition. In Uganda the government is prepared to amend existing licences if the country's economy finds itself at a competitive disadvantage in the new world digital economy. This top story at BalancingAct concludes with a short review of what African governments have signed up to in terms of privatisation with the World Trade Organisation.

Last week, while delivering a paper on press freedom at the Islamic University in Mbale, I did say that some ministers fear the press because they are always misquoted. The following day The Monitor carried a report titled “Ministers Fear the Press, Says Karooro”.While it is true I said it, the reporter did not outline the reasons I gave for my assertion.That is Uganda’s press for you - telling only part of the story, choosing what is interesting and many a time leaving out the important.

Uganda has an estimated 1.7 million orphans, the highest number in the world, and 25 percent of all households look after at least one child orphaned by either HIV/AIDS or war, according to a new study by the Ministry of Gender and Labour and Social Development, cited by the nongovernmental organisation World Vision.

"I want women to be emancipated through Art. A lot of women are illiterate. When you just talk or give them literature they won't understand. Through Art, women can be educated. If more women artists come up and produce Art with strong messages to liberate, educate both women and men, the struggle will be faster. Through Art, one can effectively communicate social/political messages across a diversity of tribes with languages and cultural bases. Art can transcend the temporal limits of languages and speech, and that's the challenge I would like to portray in my sculptures. "

A U.S.-based human rights watchdog group warned Thursday that bills before the Ugandan parliament to fight terrorism and regulate associations threatened human rights in the east African country.

How to obtain funding for women to attend the Know How Conference in Kampala.

Half the population of Uganda lacks access to safe water, and only about 30 percent has access to adequate sanitation, according to Minister of State for Water, Lands and the Environment Maria Mutagamba. Uganda has a population of about 22 million.

Uganda is unlikely to meet health sector development targets made two years ago at the United Nations millennium summit, a new report by an economic research organisation has revealed.

The Ugandan government has defended itself against criticisms by Amnesty International to the effect that the Ugandan police and army are linked to a flourishing illegal arms trade in the country.

Buganda, the largest of Uganda's four kingdoms, will offer women who remain virgins until marriage television sets, electrical appliances or money as part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV, the Sunday Telegraph/National Post reports. A woman's husband will be responsible for determining her sexual status on their wedding night and reporting it to a panel of sengas -- female mentors -- to be eligible for the reward. "African tradition" is supposed to prevent young men from falsely trying to win incentives, according to Health Minister Robert Sebunya, who added that he is "convinced that our young people are fair-minded and will enter into the spirit of the program." Ugandan women who remained virgins until marriage were traditionally offered a goat as an incentive to avoid sex.

Bank of Uganda (BOU) deputy Governor, Dr. Louis Kasekende, has said the poor pay a very high price for corruption. According to him, only greater transparency and accountability for public funds would reduce poverty.