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  • Russia to help Kenya Secure Fertilizers at Affordable Cost

    {{The Russian Government has pledged to support Kenya’s efforts towards securing agro-fertilizers in adequate quantities and at affordable cost.}}

    Speaking when he met President Uhuru Kenyatta in Moscow on the sidelines of the 14th IAAF World Championships, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Kozak, said the Russian Government will assist Kenya to access fertilizer directly from Russian producers without going through middle men.

    Towards this end, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister said he looked forward to the visit by the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Felix Koskei who is expected in Moscow in a week’s time for further discussions.

    Koskei is expected to meet his Russian counterpart as well as the Russian Association of fertilizers producers.

    The commitment from the Russian Government was in response to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s appeal for partnership with the Russian Government as well as investors in the production of fertilizer when he addressed the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on Friday.

    Kozak further said the Russian Government is ready to increase the number of education scholarships in areas of specific interest to the Government of Kenya.

    He hailed cooperation between the two countries in the area of education observing that over 1,500 Kenyan students have graduated from Russian universities.

    On security, the Deputy Prime Minister said the Russian security agencies will establish contacts with their Kenyan counterparts in support of Kenya’s efforts in dealing with terrorism.

    In response to the desire of the Kenyan Government to initiate cooperation in sports with the Russian Government, Kozak said he will personally initiate consultations towards this end.

    “As two sports power houses, our two countries can cooperate in a wide range of areas including the development of sports facilities and training,” said Kozak.

    He hailed Kenya for her outstanding performance in field and track events saying the ongoing 14th IAAF World Championship had narrowed down to a competition between Kenya, Russia, US and Jamaica largely relegating other countries to the level of spectators.

    President Kenyatta expressed his satisfaction with the bilateral relations between Kenya and Russia adding that the two countries have continued to support each other at the multilateral level.

    Kenyatta however noted that engagement between the two countries in the economic arena has not matched the levels enjoyed in the political and social spheres.

    He underscored the need to enhance cooperation in trade and investments.

    He called upon Russian investors to venture in the country saying there are lucrative investment opportunities in many sectors of the economy especially in agriculture, power generation and transmission, infrastructure development and tourism.

    The Head of State extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Kenya.

    NMG

  • SADC tells West to Lift Zimbabwe Sanctions

    {{Southern African leaders have called on Western nations to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe, saying they are satisfied elections that kept longtime President Robert Mugabe in power were “free and peaceful”.}}

    The 15-nation Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) incoming head, Malawi President Joyce Banda, said that “the people of Zimbabwe have suffered enough”.

    She was speaking at the end of a weekend summit in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. Mugabe won the July 31 election according to Zimbabwe’s electoral commission but challenger and former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has alleged widespread rigging in the poll.

    Western nations, prevented by Mugabe from sending observers, have condemned the vote for irregularities in voters’ lists and in election procedures. Independent local observers also complained of irregularities.

    Britain, the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions against Mugabe and senior ZANU-PF leaders for human rights violations and suspected vote rigging and suspected rigging of previous elections

    The sanctions involve business, banking and travel bans.

    By backing the result, SADC, which helped broker a power-sharing deal after disputed elections in 2008, clears the way for 89-year-old Mugabe to be sworn in as early as this week for a fresh five-year term.

    “The summit congratulated his honourable Robert Mugabe for winning the election in Zimbabwe,” a South African foreign ministry official said.

    At the meeting, the group also named Mugabe, Africa’s oldest leader, as its deputy chairman and said it would hold a summit next year in Zimbabwe’s capital.

    The oppositon Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Friday withdrew a court challenge against the re-election, saying it would not get a fair hearing. It sent delegates to Lilongwe to raise its objections.

    Political analysts said Tsvangirai has been careful not to speak about street protests, fearing a crackdown on the MDC by Mugabe’s security forces.

    Former colonial power Britain had urged SADC to look carefully at accusations of fraud in last month’s poll and said it was disappointed opposition parties had withdrawn its legal challenge.

    {agencies}

  • Saudi Prince Sacks TV Preacher

    {{A well-known Kuwaiti preacher, Tareq al-Suwaidan, has been sacked from his job as the director of a Saudi religious TV channel because of his links to the Muslim Brotherhood.}}

    Channel owner Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said there was no place for Muslim Brotherhood members in his business.

    Mr Suwaidan has been a fierce critic of Egypt’s military-backed government.

    Saudi King Abdullah has, however, given strong backing to the new Egyptian administration.

    Prince Alwaleed wrote on his Twitter account that he had dismissed Mr Suwaidan “for admitting he belongs to the Brotherhood terrorist movement”.

    The preacher had reportedly identified himself as “one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood” during a lecture in Yemen, according to Reuters news agency.

    The king’s nephew, Prince Alwaleed, wrote in Mr Suwaidan’s dismissal letter – which he tweeted a copy of – that the preacher had been warned several times against publicly declaring his political affiliations.

    Mr Suwaidan, who is known across the Arab world for his lectures on self-improvement from an Islamic perspective, was the director-general of the Al Risala (The Message) religious channel.

    It belongs to Prince Alwaleed’s Rotana Group, which is a large pan-Arab media conglomerate based in Riyadh and serves the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

    wirestory

  • Japan Volcano Spews Ash and Lava

    {{One of Japan’s most active volcanoes, Sakurajima, has erupted in the southwest of the country and coated a nearby city with a layer of ash.}}

    Massive ash falls made the area look as if was snowing at night and railway operators stopped service in Kagoshima temporarily so ash could be removed from the tracks.

    Ash wafted as high as 5km above Sakurajima in Kagoshima on Sunday afternoon, forming the highest plume since the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records in 2006.

    Lava flowed about 1km from the fissure, with several huge volcanic rocks rolling down the mountainside.

    On Monday the city started mobilising garbage vehicles and water sprinklers to clean up.

    No injuries or damage have been reported.

    Business largely returned to normal in Kagoshima, a city of 600,000 people living only 10km from the volcano, whose eruptions are part of their daily life.

    Japan Meteorological Agency says there are no signs of a larger eruption at Sakurajima but similar activity may continue.

    Japan is on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has frequent seismic activity.

    Source: {Agencies}

  • Oscar Pistorius South Africa murder trial set for March

    {{A date has been set for the trial of South African athlete Oscar Pistorius for the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at a hearing at Pretoria magistrates’ court.}}

    The prosecutor in the case said the dates of 3 to 20 March had been mutually agreed for the trial.

    The prosecution handed a copy of the indictment to Mr Pistorius.

    Mr Pistorius denies murdering Ms Steenkamp. He says he shot her after mistaking her for an intruder.

    He was granted bail in February and has since resumed some low-key training.

    During Monday’s brief hearing, prosecutor Gerrie Nel also said he planned to transfer case to the high court: “We have prepared the indictment.”

    The double amputee won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competed at the Olympics.

    His arrest in February stunned many South Africans who saw him as a national sporting hero after his long legal battle to be able to take part in the Olympics.

    wirestory

  • Sierra Leone aborts ‘military mutiny’

    {{The Sierra Leone military has confirmed the arrest of an unspecified number of soldiers over an alleged foiled mutiny.}}

    Since Friday there have been reports that President Ernest Bai Koroma had cancelled a weekend trip to his northern home town of Makeni because of security threats.

    The detention of the alleged conspirators was confirmed Saturday by Sierra Leone’ military chief, Major-General Samuel Omar Williams.

    He told the bi-weekly Politico newspaper that the accused soldiers were arrested at the Tekko barracks in Makeni and then escorted to a holding centre in the capital Freetown.

    He however would not say the exact number or the ranks of those detained.

    The newspaper cited sources putting the number at between nine and twelve soldiers.

    The botched mutiny allegedly targeted the person of the President.

    Earlier on Friday, the online newspaper The New People, cited anonymous sources within State House who said the President had to cancel his scheduled trip to Freetown for security reasons.

    There has been no immediate explanation of what the grievances of the men are.

    “All of that is under investigation now and I cannot give you any more details,” Politico quoted army chief, Gen Omar Williams as saying.

    This development comes hot on the heels of a Presidential decree on Thursday invoking a constitutional provision that hands over security to armed military men alongside the police. The decree affects two cities: Bo in the south, and Kenema in the east.

    That decision, under the Military Aid to Civil Power (MAC-P) provision, was in response to alleged threats posed to the squabbling opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) convention in Bo this weekend.

    {agencies}

  • French minister predicts ‘full employment’ by 2025

    {{France’s ministers were set a summer holiday homework assignment by President François Hollande: “What is your vision of France in 2025?”}}

    Ministers will hand in their homework on Monday when the government reconvenes in Paris to prepare for the new term with a seminar on France’s future.

    Weekly French magazine Le Point has seen five of these broadly optimistic ministerial essays, handed in early by Hollande’s keenest pupils.

    Moscovici’s assessment is massively positive, even if it is tempered by the prediction that France’s position among the world’s top economic powers (it’s currently in 5th place) will drop to 8th or 9th place “if the huge growth of the emerging economies continues apace”.

    But France will nevertheless be in a much stronger position than it is now, he writes, predicting full employment and the eradication of public debt.

    “The risks are great but everything is possible,” he states confidently.

    {Cécile Duflot, Housing Minister}

    Duflot’s vision is particularly rosy, and thanks to plans she is putting in place, France will benefit from six million new homes and “everyone will have a roof over their heads in a quality environment”.

    “Access to housing will no longer be a stress factor,” she predicts. “Finding a home will even become a pleasant step in people’s lives.”

    She also believes that her pet project, that the state will guarantee payment of rents by 2016, “will be recognised as a major social advancement”.

    {Manuel Valls, Interior Minister}

    Valls predicts that policing will be transformed by the Internet and new Web technologies.

    “We already have a Gendarmerie [police] 2.0,” he writes, employing the term used to describe the evolution of the Web from static pages to interactive sites and social media. “By 2025 France will have a Gendarmerie 3.0.”

    Without giving away too many details, he adds that “security strategies will be driven by technological innovation” which will bring the country’s security forces “closer to the general population”.

    {Christiane Taubira, Justice Minister}

    Christiane Taubira hopes that less serious crimes will not necessarily see offenders sent to France’s already chronically overcrowded prisons.

    “Justice needs to be a source of hope for young people,” she says. “Young delinquents are often those in the most vulnerable situations” for whom prison sentences can be counterproductive.

    Instead, she predicts sentences “designed to compensate the victims of crimes that will allow offenders to either remain in the community or if imprisoned, to re-integrate more quickly.”

    Just like Valls, Taubira foresees a justice system “that is closer to ordinary citizens” as a result of technological advances.

    {Arnaud Montebourg, Minister for Industrial Renewal}

    “France will be recognised, once again, as the leading voice among industrialised nations,” writes Montebourg. “The country will be the world leader in renewable energy and smart grids.”

    The minister risks not getting an ‘A’ grade for this submission, having misspelled “grid”, referring to more efficient intelligent electricity distribution networks, as “greed”.

    Montebourg also predicts that the newly created Public Investment Bank (set up in December 2012), coupled with a reduction in red tape, “will help the country’s entrepreneurs transform small businesses into large multinationals.”

    france24

  • Imprisoned Norwegian Dies in DR Congo Jail

    {{Tjostolv Moland, one of two Norwegian citizens imprisoned in the Democratic Republic of Congo on murder charges since 2009, has died, officials say.}}

    Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Mr Moland was found dead in his cell on Sunday morning and that his family had been informed.

    Mr Moland and British-Norwegian citizen Joshua French were sentenced to death in 2009 for murdering their driver.

    The two former soldiers were also convicted of spying for Norway.

    “We have been informed today that Tjostolv Moland is dead. He was found in his prison cell in Kinshasa this morning,” Mr Eide told reporters.

    The cause of death was not immediately clear, says lawyer Hans Marius Graasvold.

    “Conditions have been better now for the past year than they were, because they were transferred a year ago, but still it is a prison in Congo and they have been on death row and it has been hard both physically but also mentally for them,” Mr Graasvold told media.

    Mr French, who had been informed of Mr Moland’s death, was upset but in good health, he added.

    “He’s in shock; he has just lost his very good friend, but he is a very sensible person so he is dealing with this as best he can,” said Mr Graasvold.

    The two men were convicted in the north-eastern city of Kisangani for the murder of their driver, Abedi Kasongo, and attempted murder of a witness. They were also found guilty of spying after military ID cards were found on them.

    Both men have maintained their innocence.

    {wirestory}

  • 24 Egyptian police killed in Sinai ambush

    {{At least 24 Egyptian policemen have been killed in an ambush attack in the Sinai peninsula, say reports.}}

    Medical sources and officials said the police were in two buses which came under attack from armed men close to the town of Rafah on the Gaza border.

    Three policemen were also reported to have been injured in the blast.

    The military recently intensified a crackdown against militants in Sinai, where attacks have surged since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

    Egyptian deployments in Sinai are subject to the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

    reuters

  • Ex-rebel Commander Sworn in as CAR President

    {{Former rebel leader Michel Djotodia was formally sworn in as the Central African Republic’s president on Sunday, starting the clock on his interim administration’s 18-month deadline to restore order and organize elections.}}

    Djotodia has been in charge of the country during the chaos that followed the rebels’ seizure of control in March, when they swept into power from their northern bases, overpowering South African forces protecting former leader Francois Bozize.

    But Sunday’s ceremony, attended by regional decision-makers like Chad’s President Idriss Deby and Congo Republic’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso, marked the official transfer of power.

    “Today’s swearing in is an important stage in the future of the Central African Republic and I hope I am the last of my countrymen to have to take up arms in order to come to power,” Djotodia said in a speech during the ceremony.

    Djotodia’s rebel coalition, which is known as Seleka, had complained that the north was marginalized under Bozize, who himself seized power in a 2003 coup.

    Bozize’s ouster was the latest in a string of violent power changes in the land-locked nation since independence from France in 1960.

    CAR is rich in diamonds, gold and uranium but is surrounded by conflict-ridden neighbors and has never enjoyed stability.

    Djotodia called on politicians to observe a truce so that he could organize elections within 18 months.

    However, Bozize said earlier this month while visiting France that he wanted to return to power. His comments came as Seleka faced increasing accusations of widespread human rights abuses.

    U.N. officials have warned that CAR is on the brink of collapse and the top U.N. envoy for the country called on the Security Council to back an expanded African Union peacekeeping force in the country.

    Djotodia confirmed to Reuters after his swearing in that he would not stand for elections at the end of the transition.

    “I will do everything to ensure I come out of this transition praised and with my head held high,” he said.

    reuters