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  • Gaddafi’s Compound to Serve as Public Park

    Gaddafi’s Compound to Serve as Public Park

    Muammar Gaddafi’s former military barracks and compound in Tripoli will be converted into a public park, the Libyan government has announced.

    Ikram Bash Imam, the country’s tourism minister, said on Saturday that the government has embarked on “preliminary works” in the development of the park in the infamous complex of Bab al-Azizya, or Spledid Gate, in the southern suburbs of the capital.

    “[Before Gaddafi’s rule] most of the area was already a park and it had been divided and a lot of trees had been removed as well,” Imam said.

    “We are now trying to return this area to what it was before, especially because it’s in the middle of Tripoli city, so it will be a green area to be enjoyed by the people of Tripoli and guests,” she said.

    The 6-square-kilometre base was originally built by King Idris, Libya’s ruler before Gaddafi, and boasted trappings of wealth well beyond the means of ordinary Libyans.

    In the 1980s, Gaddafi reinforced and expanded the compound with the help of foreign contractors by installing an extensive network of underground tunnels that stretched into several districts of Tripoli.

    The sprawling complex, which was a defining symbol of Gaddafi’s 40-year rule, was heavily damaged by NATO air strikes, and destroyed buildings and other debris from the fighting now occupy large areas of it.

    Agencies

  • Hollande says Roma girl welcome, not family

    Hollande says Roma girl welcome, not family

    Francois Hollande, France’s president, has said a Roma schoolgirl deported after being forced off a bus full of her classmates may be allowed to come back, but without her family.

    Hollande’s comments on Saturday came amid protests by thousands of high school students against Leonarda Dibrani’s deportation which has sparked an outcry in France.

    Manuel Valls, the interior minister, has also come under a barrage of criticism over the deportation.

    “If she makes a request, and if she wants to continue her studies, she will be given a welcome, but only her,” Hollande said live on television, in his first remarks on the affair that burst into the limelight on Wednesday.

    Much of the anger surrounding the 15-year-old has focused on how she was taken off a bus during a school outing earlier this month, before she was deported with her family to Kosovo.

    A probe into the deportation published on Saturday found that it was lawful, but that police could have used better judgment in the way they handled it.

    Dibrani herself turned down Hollande’s offer, speaking from the town of Mitrovica in Kosovo where she has been living with her family since their deportation on October 9 from the eastern French town of Levier.

    “I will not go alone to France, I will not abandon my family. I’m not the only one who has to go to school, there are also my brothers and sisters,” she said.

    Her father Resat, 47, added that the family would not be divided and would return to France by any means.

    “My children were integrated in France, we continue to fight as my children are strangers here (Kosovo)”, he said.

    Dibrani, her parents and five brothers and sisters had lived in France for four years while their asylum bid was processed. It was eventually rejected in the summer.

    The Roma, also known as Gypsies, face discrimination across Europe and are widely believed to be the continent’s stateless people.

    wirestory

  • DRC Urged to Punish Soldiers over Rapes

    DRC Urged to Punish Soldiers over Rapes

    The United Nations has urged the the DR Congo government to prosecute soldiers for dozens of sexual assaults committed against women last year in the country’s east.

    “Congolese officials should fulfil their obligations … towards the victims of such atrocious acts and their families to whom justice must be rendered,” the head of the UN mission in the country, MONUSCO, said in a statement on Sunday.

    Its joint investigation with the UN human rights agency recorded 135 cases of sexual violence committed by the regular army in and around the city of Minova in November 2012, MONUSCO chief Martin Kobler noted.

    According to Human Rights Watch, soldiers went on a 10-day raping and looting rampage in the area while they were fleeing an offensive by rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on the main city of Goma, further north.

    “Almost a year after these incidents, none of the presumed perpetrators of these human rights violations has been brought to justice … in spite of the Congolese authorities’ commitment to prosecute the perpetrators,” the MONUSCO statement said.

    The DR Congo government signed an accord with the UN in April to step up the fight against sexual abuse by armed groups and soldiers, which remains rampant mainly in the volatile east of the country.

    The feeble DR Congo army has been much criticised for its brutality against civilians and corruption.

    UN officials said it “melted away” during the M23 advance on Goma, which the rebels took over on November 20 and held for nearly two weeks.

    MONUSCO also recalled in the statement that the investigation identified 59 cases of sexual violence committed by M23 fighters in the Goma area during the same period.

    The DR Congo army is heavily reliant on UN equipment and military support in its efforts to control the armed groups that hold sway in the resource-rich region.

    Source: Agencies

  • Australia Declares Emergency over Bushfires

    Australia Declares Emergency over Bushfires

    The premier of Australia’s New South Wales has declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days to give emergency services the authority to force evacuations in areas hit by the worst bushfires in several decades.

    Premier Barry O’Farrell told local media that the measure would be implemented across the state on Sunday, as hotter and drier than expected weather conditions fanned huge fires in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

    Australian fire crews stepped up containment efforts around several major bushfires with the weather forecast to deteriorate and officials warning of “unparallelled” danger from the worst conditions in 40 years.

    More than 200 homes have already been destroyed and another 120 damaged by the fires which broke out across New South Wales state earlier this week, fanned by extremely high winds.

    The worst of the fires, in the Blue Mountains, plunged Sydney into an eerie midday darkness as plumes of smoke and ash filled the sky.

    One man has died so far trying to protect his property.

    Firefighters had a reprieve on Friday and Saturday with an easing in the weather, but containment and property protection efforts were ramped up on Sunday ahead of a forecast deterioration in conditions set to include warmer temperatures and 100kph winds.

    ‘Unprecedented conditions’

    NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there would be several extremely difficult days ahead for fire crews, with conditions unprecedented in their danger to property and life.

    “We’ve got what would be unparallelled in terms of risk and exposure for the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury communities throughout this week,” Fitzsimmons told reporters.

    “If you are to draw a parallel, and it’s always dangerous to draw a parallel, at best you’d be going back to time periods in the late 60s.”

    “The reality is, however, these conditions that we’re looking at are a whole new ball-game and in a league of their own.

    An emergency warning was issued for the Blue Mountains village of Bell on Sunday morning, with residents urged to evacuate if they were able or “take shelter in a solid structure when the fire front arrives”.

    A total fire ban was in place in the Greater Sydney and three other regions across the state until further notice.

    Assistant police commissioner Alan Clarke said mandatory evacuation orders would be enforced in some areas, describing the risk as “far more extreme” than in past fires.

    aljazeera

  • Dozens Killed in Syria Suicide Bombing

    Dozens Killed in Syria Suicide Bombing

    {{At least 43 people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew up a truck laden with explosives at an army checkpoint in Syria’s central city of Hama, according to the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.}}

    The man blew himself up inside the vehicle on Sunday on a busy road on the outskirts of the government-held city, the Syrian state news agency SANA said.

    It blamed the attack on “terrorists”, the term it uses to describe rebel forces trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

    The Syrian Observatory said the attack targeted an army checkpoint.

    “At least 31 people, including regime troops, were killed when a man detonated a truck laden with explosives at a checkpoint near an agricultural vehicles company on the road linking Hama to Salamiyeh,” the Observatory said.

    The Britain-based group said the death toll was likely to rise, as “there are dozens of wounded, some of them in critical condition”.

    {wirestory}

  • U.S. Economy Bruised by Fiscal Fight

    U.S. Economy Bruised by Fiscal Fight

    {{The U.S. economy has been hurt by a recent budget standoff in Washington and it is important that the nation does not go through another around of brinkmanship, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Sunday.}}

    Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, Lew said he was confident the economy, which he described as resilient, would recover from the 16-day partial shutdown of the federal government.

    He described events leading to the shutdown, which eroded both business and consumer confidence, as a political crisis rather than an economic one.

    “We know that from the shutdown, there was a loss of economic activity,” Lew said. “We need to make sure that government does not go through another round of brinkmanship. This can never happen again.”

    A last minute deal in Congress pulled the country from the edge of an unprecedented debt default. It restored government funding through January 15 and extended its borrowing authority through February 7, though the Treasury Department might be able to stave off a default for several weeks past that point.

    There are worries that Wednesday’s deal may have set the stage for another standoff in the future.

    Lew, the administration’s front man during the stalemate over increasing the country’s borrowing limit, has attempted to separate the debt ceiling from other policy conditions.

    “I think the message that we have to send going forward is that there was a turning point on Wednesday night and this won’t happen again. It can’t happen again,” he said.

    Similar sentiments were echoed by Republican John McCain, who told the NBC’s “Meet the Press” program that the shutdown hurt his party. McCain said there would be no second shutdown.

    “Those involved in it went on a fool’s errand, that’s just a fact,” McCain said. “This has harmed the lives of millions of people and thousands of people in my state … I have an obligation to them to try to prevent that from happening.”

    Lew did not quantify the damage to the economy.

    Economists estimate the shutdown shaved as much a half a percentage point from fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth, with much of the direct hit through the loss of output from the federal government.

    “It took an economy that is fighting hard to get good economic growth going, to create jobs for the American people, and it took it in the wrong direction,” Lew said. “This one was a little bit scary because it got so close to the edge.”

    There’s a need to shift the focus away from fiscal policy, Lew said, arguing that the budget deficit as a share of the economy has been reduced significantly.

    “Fiscal policy is very important. But there’s a lot we need to do to build and grow this economy,” Lew said. “We need some infrastructure. The farm bill needs to pass. The immigration bill is hugely important to the economy.”

    reuters

  • $6.7m Ivory Seized in Uganda

    $6.7m Ivory Seized in Uganda

    {{About 832 pieces of ivory, with an estimated worth of $6.7m, has been seized by Ugandan officials. }}

    Experts say some of the ivory is believed to have come from elephants poached outside Uganda and was apparently heading to Mombasa – Kenya’s port city.

    Uganda is believed to have about 5,000 elephants and this haul would represent the tusks from about 400 animals.

    After a sharp fall in the number of elephants in Africa, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) banned the trade in ivory in 1989.

    Even with the ban, poaching has increased in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa with criminal gangs slaughtering elephants for ivory markets in Asia.

    {agencies}

  • EAC Regional Military Exercise Ushirikiano Imara Officially open in Burundi

    EAC Regional Military Exercise Ushirikiano Imara Officially open in Burundi

    {{Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba, Rwanda Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff was among EAC Military and Political leaders that graced the official opening of the EAC military exercises in Burundi Friday 18 October 2013.}}

    The Second Vice President of the Republic of Burundi, H.E Gervais Rufyikiri officially opened the EAC Military Exercise codenamed “Ushirikiano Imara 2013”.

    Speeches by different dignitaries emphasised EAC solidarity with Kenya following recent terrorists attack. One minute was observed in remembrance of the victims of the attack.

    In his remarks, Vice President Rufyikiri said that the presence of 5 contingents from EAC partner states to grace the exercise is a sign of solidarity and shows that ”EAC countries are on right way working under one destiny”.

    He congratulated the Armed Forces and stakeholders in their work to jointly build skills and capacity to solve evolving security challenges such as civil wars, terrorism, robbery, human trafficking, and mutiny and religion conflicts.

    He recalled that EAC countries share a lot in common according to their geographical situation. Whatever happens to one country has impacts on others, he said.

    He also reminded that the end state of EAC will be having one currency, one federal government and one defense.

    The EAC Secretary General, Dr Richard Sezibera said that cohesion among EAC governments, particularly harmonized defence trainings and military cooperation send a strong message to the enemies of peace, that EAC is ready to defeat them.

    Speaking on recent terrorists attack in Kenya, Sezibera called for solidarity “Terrorists thought this was an attack on Kenya. It was an attack on all of us” he said.

    The EAC Secretary General said that this is time for regional countries to defend the lives of their citizens from the hands of enemies of peace.

    Dr Sezibera congratulated EAC countries for contribution to peace in different parts of the world like in Somalia, Darfur, Haiti and other places.

    He said that EAC can build on this experience to bring peace in the region.

    Maj Gen Gaciyubwenge Pontien, Burundi Defence Minister hailed good achievements in EAC defence cooperation. He mentioned among others, information exchange, harmonization of military trainings, sharing of facilities and reciprocal visits.

    Gen P Nyamvumba later toured Rwandan Contingent Command Post. He was happy with the professionalism and hard work exhibited by the Contingent.

    He encouraged them to be good ambassadors of the country by making good performance.

    The two weeks EAC Command Post Exercise Ushirikiano Imara 2013 is taking place in Muzinda barracks, 19 km away from Bujumbura town.

    269 EAC military and key stakeholders including police and civilians are participating in the exercise on peace support operations, counter terrorism, counter piracy and disaster management.

    source: MOD

  • Microsoft Ventures Provides Support for African Entrepreneurs

    Microsoft Ventures Provides Support for African Entrepreneurs

    {{As leading Harvard Professor, Michael Porter, once said: “Innovation is the central issue to economic prosperity.”

    At Microsoft we couldn’t agree more, which is why one of our goals is to empower Africans to make the most of, and monetize their own business ideas. }}

    There is certainly no shortage of brilliant ideas on the continent, but no matter how bright they burn, they require time, investment, and the right tools to become a blazing, fully-fledged business.

    This is why we are so excited to announce that Microsoft’s Ventures partnership program is expanding into Africa, starting in Kenya. Microsoft Ventures was created to give startups a leg-up by providing access to tools, technology and training.

    Kenya is quickly being recognised as an innovation hub, particularly in the mobility space. It’s been reported that there are 74 mobile phones for every 100 Kenyans and, of those who access the internet, 99% do it via a mobile device.

    Expanded to Africa as part of our 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft Ventures speaks to our belief that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world.

    Around the world, Microsoft Ventures selects strategic accelerator partners in each region to provide local market expertise.

    For our venture into Kenya, we’ve selected 88mph for its proven track record in helping local entrepreneurs turn ideas into thriving businesses.

    Since opening up in July 2011 the company has already graduated 32 startups. That equals nearly one success story for every month they’ve been in operation!

    One of my favourite stories and a prime example of what we hope to achieve with this partnership, is a company called Gamsole, started by Nigeria’s own Abiola Olaniram.

    Abiola had a vision of creating his own tech company, capitalising on the growing mobile space and people’s love of entertainment in Africa and all over the world.

    Funded by 88mph and Microsoft’s BizSpark program, he started developing Windows Games and is now the highest paid Windows game developer in Africa, with over 1.5 million downloads.

    This is just one example. You can read about dozens more on the Microsoft Ventures website.

    We want to remove as many barriers as we can to enabling a startup to thrive. The program is simple: those who are interested can apply to an immersive 3-6 month
    accelerator program.

    The only requirements are a full-time founding team and less than $1 million raised. Qualifying companies will have access to mentors, technical and design experts, development tools and key resources.

    Ultimately, we want to see a thriving African startup ecosystem contributing to Africa’s economic development and competitiveness on a global scale. We feel strongly that by partnering with 88mph we are helping to pave the way to a better, stronger future.

    {Author is the Director 4Afrika Venture Capital and Startup Programs}

  • Tanzania Police Arrests 2 over Terror Trianing

    Tanzania Police Arrests 2 over Terror Trianing

    {{Tanzanian Police are holding two more suspects in connection with illegal military training in a forest using al-Shabaab manuals.}}

    The arrest puts the number of people arrested to thirteen, according to Mtwara regional police commander Zelothe Stephen. A fortnight ago, eleven people were arrested at Makolionga Mountain in Nanyumbu District following a tip-off from informers, who saw them performing military drills.

    Already, eleven suspects have appeared before a Nanyumbu court and were due to be transferred to Mtwara Town where, according to commander Stephen, their case was to be mentioned yesterday.

    “The two suspects will be joined with their eleven colleagues…a team of our lawyers is looking at the proper provisions of legislation to be able to charge them,’’ said Mr Stephen.

    The RPC who was addressing a news conference said investigations into the al-Shabaab training was ongoing, adding that there were still unanswered questions that needed a thorough probe.

    The alleged al-Shabaab recruits were found in possession of 25 digital video discs (DVDs) featuring Al-Shabaab training manuals and locally made firearms.

    After previewing the DVDs, the police found out that they contained footage featuring activities of the militants and the assassination of Osama bin Laden.

    citizen