The former Ugandan model weighed in after Bugie faced backlash over a now-deleted post that brought some of Panda’s most painful personal experiences into their online feud, including his being an orphan and losing a child.
Bugie later apologised to her fans, but Panda himself deserves a direct apology, according to Heard.
Gloria, I think the apology needs to go beyond the fans. You need to apologize directly to the person whose deepest losses were used as weapons.
Being an orphan or losing a child, she argued, should not become an insult, punishment or proof of bad karma.
Being an orphan or losing a child is not an insult, a punishment, or proof of bad karma.
The remarks could also affect others who have experienced similar losses.
There are thousands of people reading your words who have buried parents and children. Imagine what that message says to them.
Bugie has since deleted the post that sparked the backlash, but the apology, in Heard’s view, should go beyond her fans and directly address Panda.
Gloria, I think the apology needs to go beyond the fans. You need to apologize directly to the person whose deepest losses were used as weapons. Being an orphan or losing a child is not an insult, a punishment, or proof of bad karma. There are thousands of people reading your… https://t.co/3nABMDfrzz
A new social media platform called Twitter.now has launched, with the startup behind it claiming Elon Musk’s X gave up the famous name when it dumped the Twitter brand.
The Virginia-based company, Operation Bluebird, argues that X abandoned the “Twitter” and “tweet” trademarks after Musk rebranded the platform as X.
And it has decided not to wait around.
Twitter.now has now gone live, attempting to bring the Twitter name back to social media. But there is one big problem: X Corp. is fighting back.
The two companies remain locked in a legal battle over who has the right to use the Twitter name and related branding. Operation Bluebird believes X walked away from the brand, while X insists it never gave up its rights.
A judge has reportedly indicated that Operation Bluebird may have a case regarding some of the disputed intellectual property, but no final ruling has settled the matter.
For now, though, the new Twitter has launched, even as the fight over its name continues.
So while Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, someone else is now trying to turn Twitter back into Twitter.
Bill Gates has spent decades championing technology. But as artificial intelligence races ahead, the Microsoft co-founder is beginning to ask a question that could shape the future of millions of workers: what happens when machines can do too much?
Gates believes artificial intelligence could transform healthcare, education and countless other parts of daily life. Yet he also warns that without serious limits, the damage could eventually outweigh the benefits.
In a new essay, Gates argues that the world is moving into the AI era without a clear plan for dealing with what comes next.
The jobs question
One of Gates’ biggest concerns is what happens to workers as AI and automation become capable of taking on more tasks.
Rather than allowing technology to replace humans everywhere it can, he has suggested reserving certain jobs for people.
The idea is simple: just because AI can perform a job does not necessarily mean it should take it.
Gates has also raised the possibility of taxing AI and robots. That money, in turn, could help governments support workers affected by automation and fund retraining.
The problem is moving faster than the plan
Jobs are only part of the concern.
Gates fears that governments and societies may not have enough time to prepare for the wider consequences of AI as the technology develops at extraordinary speed.
Beyond the workplace, he has warned about the potential for criminals to exploit AI, while also raising concerns about its effect on children, education and human relationships.
For Gates, then, the challenge is not simply building more powerful AI. It is deciding where the technology should stop.
Gates is not turning against technology
Even with those concerns, Gates has not joined calls to abandon AI.
He still sees enormous opportunities in the technology, particularly in areas such as healthcare and education. However, his concern is that those benefits could come with a heavy price if governments wait until the damage is already done.
That is why he wants action before AI reshapes the workplace and society beyond recognition.
Zambian golfer Gilbert Chalwe produced the round of the tournament so far, firing a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 to seize the lead during day two of the 2026 Johnnie Walker Uganda Amateur Open on Wednesday, August 26 at Uganda Golf Club.
Chalwe was in complete control throughout his round on the par-72 course, rolling in seven birdies without dropping a single shot. Four of his birdies came on the front nine, before he added three more on the back nine to complete a flawless seven-under round, with pars making up the rest of his card.
The performance was a remarkable turnaround after Chalwe opened the championship with a two-over-par round on day one.
His 65 gross was enough to put him ahead of compatriot Dominic Musonda, who also enjoyed a strong day with a four-under-par 68. Together, the Zambians produced a commanding display that has put them firmly in control of the championship.
Behind the two Zambians are Ugandan national team golfers- day one leader Joseph Kasozi and John Musiimenta, both of whom carded level-par 72s and remain within striking distance.
Another Zambian, Musamba Kapoma is in 5th position, just six strokes off the pace with an outside chance to mount a late charge. Three golfers, Peter Mayende, Joel Okoth, and Lawrence Walakira, are tied in 6th at four-over.
It was, however, a very rough day for holder Cwinya-ai whose hopes for a successful defence evaporated after another poor round by his lofty standards.
It is increasingly looking likely that the amateur event of Johnnie Walker Uganda Open will have a first-time winner crowned on Friday evening.
Singer and songwriter Dokta Brain has revealed that his mother always wanted him to pursue a career in law, but his passion for music eventually led him in a different direction.
Speaking to Galaxy TV, Dokta Brain said his mother was not musical and strongly believed that he would become a lawyer. However, his decision to pursue music instead of studying Law at university caused tension at home.
My mum wasn’t musical and she always insisted I won’t sing, I’d be a lawyer but I didn’t study law and disappointed her.
Despite disappointing his mother’s expectations, Dokta Brain has gone on to establish himself as a prolific songwriter, revealing that he writes as many as 10 songs every week. With such a high output, he says it would be impossible for him to perform all the songs himself, which is why he sells much of his work to other artists.
I sing because, even if I generate money from songwriting, there are songs that would be hard to prove to someone like Sheebah that they can sing it.
Dokta Brain added that he deliberately writes with different artists in mind, understanding the kind of music that suits each client. He noted that while he has plenty of conscious music, not every song would have a ready market among the artists he works with.
Now like the song of ‘Bikyagabye’ who would have bought it? I have a lot of conscious music but I know my clients.
Songwriter and singer Dokta Brain has expressed confidence in his songwriting abilities, claiming that he has never written a bad song.
Dokta Brain, who has penned several hit songs for other artists, says his experience has enabled him to distinguish between a complete song and a mere idea before taking it to the studio.
I killed the thought of making a bad song. Every song I write, I first make sure it’s good before I call it a track; otherwise, it’s just an idea.
He explained that when writing for other artists, he considers factors such as the style of the song, the intended performer and whether the song fits his own artistry.
For me to pick a song and sing it myself, it depends on many things. Some are feminine and I can’t sing them, so I sell them. There are some I make and are rap songs, and I see that maybe Crysto Panda can sing it. Then I can make a personal song and it touches just me.
Two refugees were reportedly killed, and several others injured after violence erupted at Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Terego District over the Refugee Welfare Council elections.
The violence on Tuesday left offices belonging to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), UNHCR and police damaged or set on fire.
A police motorcycle and generator were also burnt, while two vehicles were badly damaged.
West Nile Police spokesperson Josephine Angucia said police had opened a case of arson and malicious damage to property under Terego CRB 289/2026.
Angucia said the violence started at about 2:30 pm when a group of South Sudanese refugees supporting Loro Charles James marched to Imvepi Police Station carrying placards demanding that the Refugee Welfare Council elections scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, be cancelled unless their preferred candidate was included on the ballot paper.
According to Angucia, police engaged the protesters and advised them to move to an open playground where authorities could address their grievances.
However, the group allegedly turned violent, stoning police officers and vandalising the OPM administrative block.
“The group charged and started stoning police officers, and vandalised the OPM administrative block. All the properties inside were set on fire. Imvepi Police office and barracks were set on fire,” Angucia said.
She said the UNHCR office block and OPM canteen were also vandalised, while a police motorcycle and generator were burnt. Two vehicles were badly damaged and two police officers sustained injuries.
Angucia said seven suspects who were in police custody were aided to escape during the chaos.
She added that two male refugees died during the confrontation. Their bodies were taken to Arua Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem examination.
The Arua Fire Brigade was called in to extinguish the fires, while police officers from Maracha and Field Force Unit personnel from the West Nile Region were deployed to reinforce security at the settlement.
Police have so far arrested over 40 suspects including Aate Jackline, Ojosile Guido, Onziga Lawrence and Oru Santino.
Angucia condemned the violence and urged refugees to use established mechanisms to resolve their grievances.
“We condemn acts of refugees taking the law into their own hands to do destructions and to inflict injuries on others, without allowing the settlement authorities to resolve their concerns peacefully and lawfully,” she said.
She warned that those found to have participated in criminal acts would be prosecuted.
“As investigations continue, those who will be found to have committed a crime shall be prosecuted before courts of law,” Angucia added.
The incident comes amid recurring tensions in some of the refugee settlements over access to food assistance and other services.
Imvepi, Bidibidi and Omugo settlements have previously experienced protests linked to reductions and delays in food assistance.
The World Food Programme has progressively shifted from providing full food rations to reduced assistance under its categorisation system, with households placed in category 3 receiving no food assistance.
Refugees have also raised concerns about being removed from food distribution lists during biometric verification exercises conducted by OPM.
The exercise is intended to identify people who have returned to South Sudan or are no longer eligible for assistance.
Some refugees allege that the verification process has been unfair and accuse some OPM-linked personnel of demanding money to keep beneficiaries on food lists. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Limited access to social services, including healthcare, has also contributed to pressure in some settlements.
Some refugees reportedly sell part of their food rations to raise money for treatment in Arua, citing limited health facilities within the settlements.
In 2018, refugees in Omugo reportedly vandalised WFP stores and burnt offices following a prolonged interruption in food distribution. Following Tuesday’s violence, security has been heavily deployed at Imvepi. Development partners have also reportedly evacuated staff from the settlement.
Police investigations into the cause and extent of the violence are continuing.
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A government inspection of the Kisubi-Nakawuka-Mpigi road project has uncovered alleged fraud in the compensation of people whose properties fall within the road reserve, including a case in which Shs893 million was reportedly paid for graves that investigators found to be empty.
The discovery was made on Wednesday when Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama led a fact-finding mission along the 72km road project.
According to the minister, some people allegedly created fake graves by cementing sections of land and placing crosses on them to make it appear as though they contained human remains. Compensation was then reportedly sought for the graves, including costs for exhumation, transportation and relocation.
The inspection also exposed what Byamukama described as a wider scheme involving people who allegedly created properties within the road reserve in order to obtain compensation.
Some ministry employees were reportedly listed as project-affected persons and received substantial compensation, while others allegedly constructed houses and other structures on land earmarked for the road.
In some cases, the minister said, structures presented as houses with septic tanks turned out to be nothing more than slabs laid on the ground.
Other structures had painted walls, glass windows and doors but were reportedly empty shells with no meaningful internal fittings.
Byamukama ordered the arrest of two officials accused of playing a role in the alleged manipulation of compensation figures. State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) officers subsequently arrested the project valuer, Ivan Akampa, and surveyor Elijah Ssekito.
“Some of these people constructed shell houses on land where the road was scheduled to pass and compensated themselves with huge sums of money as project-affected persons, yet some of the properties were not registered in their names. We are going to arrest all of them,” Byamukama said during the inspection in Lufuka village, Nakawuka.
The minister further directed SHACU to pursue eight other officials and land dealers who are allegedly linked to the compensation scheme.
Byamukama said the alleged fraud was particularly concerning because the Government had set aside Shs430 billion for compensating project-affected persons along the road — an amount significantly higher than the Shs340.5 billion budgeted for construction of the entire project.
He said the inspection had also uncovered significant differences between actual land prices and the values used during the compensation process.
According to Byamukama, an acre of land in the area costs about Shs35 million, but some valuations allegedly placed the price at as much as Shs2 billion per acre.
“Who is fooling who? Is it the locals or our valuers?” the minister asked, accusing some officials of colluding with individuals who allegedly put up structures specifically to benefit from compensation.
The minister also raised concerns about the involvement of contractors in corruption-related activities and urged companies working on the project to maintain high standards of integrity.
The Government awarded the road project to China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), but Byamukama said the contractor was instructed to work with Mechanical, Technological Facility (MTF), a local company, as part of efforts to build the capacity of Ugandan firms.
MTF was allocated 22km of the 72km road project and is involved in supervising the works on that section.
Byamukama praised the work done by MTF and said residents in the area had not raised complaints about its performance.
He urged the contractors to avoid corruption and focus on recruiting and training more Ugandans to strengthen local capacity in the construction sector.
A dispute has emerged at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) over the renewal of the contract of its Internal Auditor, Isa Kibombo Musoke, with the matter now before the High Court in Mbale. Musoke is challenging the university’s decision to treat his three-year contract as having expired on July 31, 2026, arguing that he applied for renewal within the period required by the university’s regulations and that the Rector’s office was already processing his renewal.
It all started when the University Secretary, Hamza Sewankambo, wrote to Musoke on August 7th, informing him that his contract, which had taken effect on August 1, 2023, had expired. The University Secretary said records at his office showed that Musoke had never submitted an application for renewal as required under Section 2.3.1 of the Staff Regulations, 2024. He further argued that Musoke had failed to inform the Rector in writing through the University Secretary of his intention to renew the contract, as required under Sections 2.3.1(a) and 17.4(a) and (b) of the regulations.
The university consequently directed Musoke to stop performing the duties of Internal Auditor in the absence of a valid contract. However, Musoke disputes this position, saying he had formally expressed his intention to renew his contract nearly three months before it expired. In his response to the University Secretary, also dated August 7, Musoke said he submitted a signed request for contract renewal on April 30, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the University Audit Committee and copied to the Rector.
He said the application was submitted approximately three months before the July 31 expiry date, which, according to him, complied with the requirement in Section 2.3.1(a) that a renewal application be made at least three months before expiry. Musoke also points to an email dated July 15 from the Office of the Rector, through Senior Administrative Officer Zamzam Ahmed, concerning “Contract Renewal”. According to Musoke, the email copied the University Secretary and attached his renewal application.
He further claims that the Rector had indicated that the contract would be renewed and signed. He argues that this correspondence demonstrates that the university was aware of his renewal request and that the application had entered the university’s administrative process before his contract expired. Musoke has also challenged the suggestion that addressing his renewal request to the Chairman of the Audit Committee was procedurally improper. He said the Internal Audit function has a governance structure under which the Internal Auditor functionally reports to the University Council’s Audit Committee while administratively reporting to the Rector.
He therefore says addressing the renewal request to the Audit Committee Chairman, while copying the Rector, was intended to follow the established reporting arrangements and was not an attempt to bypass the University Secretary. The disagreement has since escalated into a court battle. On August 17, 2026, the High Court at Mbale issued an interim order restraining IUIU and Professor Abdul Kaziba Mpaata of Busitema University from discussing or handling issues concerning Musoke’s employment at the university’s 93rd Finance Committee meeting scheduled for that day or at any subsequent meetings until his application for a temporary injunction is heard and determined.
The order was issued by Assistant Registrar Naluyima Rania after Musoke’s application was heard ex parte. The court also directed that those costs be in the cause. The court order does not, at this stage, determine whether Musoke’s contract was validly renewed or whether the university was correct in treating it as expired. It temporarily restricts the respondents from handling the employment issues specified in the order pending further proceedings.
Musoke is asking the university to reconsider the directive requiring him to stop working and to convene an urgent meeting involving the Audit Committee, University Secretary, Rector and himself to examine the documentary evidence and resolve the matter. He maintains that he remains committed to the university and to the discharge of the Internal Auditor’s functions in accordance with its governance framework and professional standards.
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Ugandan singer Danra, real name Daphine Nassuna, has released her new EP – an 8-track body of work dubbed “UNTAMED.”
On Wednesday 26th August 2026, Danra invited fans and friends to a listener’s party at Pearl Liquors Lounge, Najjera as she released the EP.
Music enthusiasts including producers, talent managers, and media personalities were present as the songstress marked added a new body of work to her catalog.
