Uganda received an $8 million donation of HIV/AIDS drugs from the US to faith-based medical facilities, officials said Tuesday.

The US donated the consignment through its development agency, USAID, under a newly launched five-year program that is for the private not-for-profit HIV commodity procurement activity that will be run by joint medical stores.

Speaking at the launch of the $295 million program, USAID mission director Richard Nelson said Uganda needs to have in place improved procurement and supply chains for effective drug delivery to beneficiaries if the lives of Ugandans are to be improved.

State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties Hanifah Kawoya thanked the US for its continued support to Uganda’s health sector.

''The drugs given to us by USA have supplemented government’s efforts to scale down new infections among the population. Most of the people living with HIV/AIDS are going to benefit from this donation,” she said.

Executive Director Joint Medical Stores Dr. Bildard Baguma, confirmed the receipt of the consignment. “They are going to be supplied to faith-based medical facilities currently running HIV/AIDS programs to help provide drugs to HIV patients,” said Baguma.

The Health Ministry said there are 1.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda who are under treatment.

The prevalence of the disease among those who are 15- - 65 year-olds is 6.2%. Females are at 7.6% and males 4.75%.

Last year 23,000 died from the disease./aa

An environmentalist group continued their protest for the second day in central London.

The police have arrested at least one protester on Tuesday afternoon near Downing Street as the protesters stormed the main road hosting the government offices, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground.

The traffic came to a complete standstill in the Parliament Street as more than 200 Extinction Rebellion protesters marched through the adjacent Parliament Square.

The environmentalist group demand swift action from the government against climate change.

The protests in London’s various locations are planned for two weeks.

In 2019, more than 1,600 Extinction Rebellion members were arrested in similar protests./agencies

Hong Kong on Tuesday revealed a draft of legal amendments seeking to ban movies deemed to be against national security interests.

The proposed bill on film censorship is meant to "ensure more effective fulfilment of the duty to safeguard national security" as required by China on "safeguarding national security" in Hong Kong, the regional government said in a statement.

It added that the law would "prevent and suppress acts or activities that may endanger national security."

The bill is scheduled to be tabled in the region's Legislative Council, or LegCo, next Wednesday.

In June, the Hong Kong government had launched the drafting process for the new censorship regulatory framework.

Under the amended law, Hong Kong authorities can revoke approval for movies granted in past.

If passed, the amended law will empower the Hong Kong chief secretary to "direct the Film Censorship Authority to revoke certificates of approval or exemption previously issued for films if they go against national security interests."

Any unapproved movie shown on screen will reportedly carry a one-year jail term and a fine./agencies

As many as five people were held in Kakheti, eastern Georgia, for their links to the ISIS   group, the country's State Security Service said on Tuesday.

According to a statement, the Georgian citizens joined the ranks of the terrorist organization and were planning to travel to terrorist camps in Syria.

"The members of the group have openly expressed support to the terrorist organization, systematically demonstrating terrorist symbols while moving in the streets," it added.

The statement said that those held had been "periodically conducting secret meetings" discussing the developments in Syria and Iraq, and future plans with regard to Georgia.

In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare ISIS a terror group.

Turkey has since been attacked by the group multiple times, with more than 300 people killed and hundreds injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks./agencies

An Afghan national who had been evacuated from Kabul to Paris despite alleged links to the Taliban has been placed under custody, French authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Underlining that there is "no loophole" in security checks for incoming evacuees, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told FranceInfo TV network that the individual broke away from surveillance control in Paris and “left the monitoring place for a few minutes” before being taken under custody.

He was among a group of five Afghan nationals that were being monitored, placed under quarantine, and geolocated in Paris before he was taken under police custody when he broke quarantine by leaving the location in Saint Seine-Denis where he was placed for a short time.

The men were evacuated from Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Aug. 18. During the security interviews conducted at the Abu Dhabi airport, which is being used as a base for airlift operations and evacuations, the Directorate General of Internal Surveillance (DGSI) suspected one of them young man of having ties with the Afghan Taliban.

He was placed under the "individual measure of administrative control and surveillance" or the MICAS provision of the anti-terrorism laws upon his arrival in Paris. “There was no fault, our vigilance is total. All security checks are carried out before their arrival in France,” he said.

The same Afghan man helped the French Embassy in Kabul “a lot” with the evacuation operation, both Darmanin and government spokesman Gabriel Attal corroborated.

The interior minister also stressed the continuous need to maintain “vigilance.” He pointed out that of the 1,000 Afghan nationals repatriated, there was “only one problematic case.”

“Our priority today is to welcome on national soil Afghans who have helped France, it is the honor of our country. Should we leave these people at Kabul airport in danger of death from the Taliban?” he said.

Julien Odoul, a spokesman for the far-right National Rally party, told FranceInfo in an interview that the incident of the Afghan men under surveillance confirms “a major risk for the safety of the French.” The party has repeatedly said that terrorists are likely to take advantage of the migration flow to infiltrate France and attack the country.

Odoul also claimed that Afghan people were incompatible with French values, lifestyle, and republican principles./agencies

The European Union will boost its humanitarian aid for Afghan refugees to €200 million ($235 million), the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday.

The EU will increase “the humanitarian support for Afghans, in and around the country, from EU budget from over €50 million to over €200 million,” Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, adding that she would make the official announcement later Tuesday at an extraordinary meeting of G7 leaders.

The bloc has already sent €57 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan this year, while it supported Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran with another €22 million, Balazs Ujvari, the European Commission spokesperson, explained at a daily news conference.

“When it comes to boosting our humanitarian engagement for Afghan refugees, we are not looking at Afghanistan only. Part of the sum will go to Afghanistan, another part will go to the broader region, including countries that host the largest number of refugees,” he said.

However, Ujvari added that it was too early to give details on the precise amounts and their destinations.

Where refugees from Afghanistan will end up in the wake of last week’s Taliban takeover of the country has emerged as a point of controversy, with many fearing a large refugee wave from the country.

Ujvari also confirmed that the bloc is only willing to work with partner organizations, responding to the needs on the ground.

“Humanitarian aid does not go to governments, does not go to armed groups. It always goes to NGOs, international organizations, notably the United Nations,” he stressed./agencies

The glaciers on Mt. Agri, Turkey's highest point with an altitude of 5,137 meters (over 16,853 feet), are melting due to the climate change.

A glacier with an area of 10.2 square kilometers (4 square miles) on the summit of the mountain extends from the south to Okuz (ox) Stream in Dogubayazit district of Agri province, and from the north to the Cehennem (Hell) Valley in the Aralik district of Igdir province.

The glacier on the summit of Mt. Agri is of great importance for the region, Oguz Simsek, an associate professor at the Department of Geography in Igdir University, told Anadolu Agency.

Underlining that the largest glacier cover in Turkey is located on Mt. Agri, Simsek said global warming, whose effects have been clearly seen in Turkey recently, has caused the glaciers to melt in early July and August, causing landslides in the region.

Simsek noted the glacial meltdowns occurring especially in Okuz Stream on the south-facing side of Mt. Agri are clearly visible.

Triggered by glacial melt, the wet soil flows down the mountain slopes to the residential areas by picking up morainal material in its path, he added./agencies