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  • EU to Weigh Economic ties with Egypt

    {{European Union governments will this week question how to best use their economic ties with Egypt to pressure Cairo’s army-backed rulers into finding a peaceful compromise with supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi}}.

    At stake could be a 5 billion euro ($6.7 billion) package of grants and loans promised by the EU, its member governments and international financial institutions last year, as well as various trade incentives, EU officials and experts say.

    The EU’s ability to exert immediate economic pressure on Cairo is limited – much of its current aid is already stopped because of inadequate democratic reforms.

    But the hope is that such a signal could help end a bloody crackdown by the government against Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, in which around 800 people have died, and prevent further bloodshed between the two sides.

    President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, two of the most senior EU officials, said in a statement on Sunday the 28-member bloc should “urgently review” its relations with Cairo to try to end the violence.

    Senior EU diplomats will meet in Brussels on Monday to decide which areas of economic cooperation could be targeted and prepare a possible meeting of EU foreign ministers to be held in the next two weeks.

    “Egypt is a key partner of the European Union,” the two officials said. “Further escalation must be prevented. It could have unpredictable consequences for Egypt and for its broader neighborhood.”

    In the past days, a host of European foreign ministers have raised the specter of suspending economic aid.

    France’s Laurent Fabius has said “nothing could be ruled out” in terms of aid policy.

    “What is evident is that we must quickly stop the bloodshed and reach an inter-Egyptian dialogue. It is not easy of course. We have to mobilize all our energies so that a solution is found by Egyptians,” he told reporters on Sunday.

    Austria’s Michael Spindelegger called on the EU to withhold its main aid deal.

    additional information-wire

  • Indian, Indonesian currencies come under fire

    {{India’s currency cartwheeled to historic lows on Monday while markets in Indonesia took a spill, evidence of how rising U.S. yields are making it harder for emerging nations to fund their current account deficits.}}

    The turbulence heightened investor caution ahead of Wednesday’s minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting, with many fearing they might only add to the confusion about when it might scale back stimulus.

    That helped gold reach its highest in two months, while keeping share markets constrained across Asia.

    In Europe, Britain’s FTSE futures inched up 0.2 percent in early deals. The German DAX futures were down 0.04 percent, as bund yields climbed to the highest since early 2012.

    The Indian rupee slid as far as 62.50 per dollar, emphatically breaching the previous low of 62.03. The share market .NSEI lost 1.4 percent, on top of a 4 percent drubbing last Friday.

    The currency has been hurt by investor frustration at the slow pace of economic reform in India, which has made it harder for the country to finance its hefty current account shortfall.

    The Reserve Bank of India has tried to restrict how much Indian residents and companies can send offshore, but that only raised fears of outright capital controls that would further undermine the confidence of foreign investors.

    “The foreign investor community want tangible and ambitious reforms that look and feel like a worthy ‘second generation’ to the fundamental measures adopted in the early 1990s,” Westpac analysts said in a note.

    They also found it “curious” the central bank would be fighting against a depreciation in the rupee given that it would help boost exports and limit imports over time.

    wirestory

  • Imbuto Foundation to Hold 4th edition of Young Rwandan Achievers Awards

    {{On Tuesday, Imbuto Foundation will hold the 4th edition of Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers (CYRWA) Awards dinner at Serena Hotel Kigali under the theme “We are the ones we have been waiting for”. }}

    The CYRWA event will see young Rwandan men and women with exceptional stories and accomplishments recognized by the First Lady of Rwanda.

    Imbuto Foundation called on the general public to nominate young Rwandans who meet specific criteria.

    The nominees must be Rwandans aged between 18 and 35 years, living in Rwanda or abroad; they must demonstrate vision, leadership qualities, excellence, creativity, initiative, integrity and positive values in their fields or professions; they must also show evidence of having provided service to their communities and devotion toward the development of Rwanda.

    They must also inspire and motivate other youth to reach their full potential.

    Prior to the awards dinner, a youth forum will take place led by a group of young brilliant panelists. The panelists will engage and inspire an audience of 200 young professionals to go above and beyond what is expected of them, in the professional and personal spheres.

    The youth forum will be followed by the CYRWA awards ceremony and dinner where Mr. Ashish Thakkar, Africa’s youngest billionaire will feature as the Guest Speaker.

    In 2007 the First Lady of Rwanda Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, through Imbuto Foundation, initiated the Youth Leadership and Mentorship Program. This program is three-fold, and consists of activities aimed at empowering Rwanda’s youth.

    The Youth Leadership and Mentorship Program is divided into the Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers (CYRWA) Awards, Youth Forum Series and Rwanda Speaks!

    During the last 3 editions of CYRWA, 22 remarkable young Rwandan men and women were awarded for various achievements related to leadership, entrepreneurship, art, sciences and community mobilization.

  • 2.7 million Land Titles not Claimed

    {{About 2.7 million title deeds have not been claimed, Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA) has said.}}

    The authority has issued 8.4 million land titles and the deadline for issuance of title deeds is December.

    Eng. Didier Sagashya, the Deputy Director General for Land and Mapping was quoted saying 10.3 million land parcels were successfuly recorded by June 2012 during a demarcation and adjudication of land all over the country.

    He said, “We have transferred the titles to the district level. People who have not collected their titles should go to their districts for them.”

    Only 8.4 million land parcels of the 10.3 million recorded countrywide have provided satisfactory ownership information. The balance do not have clear information regarding the ownership.

    “So we are waiting for the owners to give us all the details before we issue titles,” Sagashya said adding that 11,840 families with land wrangles were recorded in a book dedicated to land disputes.

  • One Dead in Musanze-Rubavu Highway Accident

    {{A man identified as Augustin Gatera, 71 died and dozen others sustained injures in an accident when a commuter taxi collided with a Ugandan registered truck along Musanze-Rubavu highway.}}

    The accident occured on Sunday afternoon at Gishira in Rugerero involving a truck (reg. UAT 757 K) and commuter taxi (reg. RAC 592E). Both vehicles were damaged as the injured were transported to Gisenyi Hospital.

    Supt. Hamza Vita, the Western Region Police Spokesperson the truck’s breaking system failed and rammed into another truck and later hitting the commuter taxi which overturned several times.

    Dr.William Kanyankore the director of Gisenyi Hospital said with minor injuries would be discharged soon; “Those that got serious injuries are under intensive care but the rest would be discharged soon.”

    Soruce:{ Newtimes}

  • Police Urges Rwandans to Ignore +229 Phone call Threats

    {{Rwanda National Police has urged phone owners to remain calm following threats contained in a text message being circulated claiming that if any subscriber answers a phone call with a code +229, they would instantly die.}}

    The message which has circulated throughout the country has caused panic among unsuspecting phone users that have also forwarded the message to their friends and relatives causing more panic.

    Several phone owners in the country began recieving a warning message Saturday asking them not to answer the +229 phone call because they would die instantly if they did.

    However, Police has dismissed the text message threats and urged people to ignore it and continue with their daily activities.

    Meanwhile the +229 is country code for Benin in west Africa (check map below)
    Unconfirmed rumours being circulated subject to the mystery phone number +229 allege that dozens of people that answered the phone call in west Africa had died.

    ACP Theos Badege the Police Spokesperson said, the message is being circulated by idle people intent on defaming other; “do not give value to such messages. Its conmen circulating them. No Rwandan should believe such messages”.

    ACP Badege warned that if people behind these messages are arrested, they would be punished according to the law.

  • Ugandan Businessman Arrested in Kigali over Human Trafficking

    {David Behakanira and Oliver Nshizirungu being revealed at the RNP headquarters on Sunday}

    {{Police has revealed it arrested two people last week said to be part of the human trafficking ring.}}

    The duo is identified as Oliver Nshizirungu a Rwandese and David Behakanira, a Ugandan national.

    Behakanira is suspected to have been trafficking Rwandan girls to Uganda where they would be forced to sexual harassment in his hotel located in the Western district of Bushenyi.

    Nshizirungu on the other hand is accused of brokering between girls and men…
    Two of the victims said that Behakanira recruited them on promise that he would give them jobs in his hotel, but were forced to sleep with men as their only job, on arrival.

    “We met in Nyabugogo where he told me that he wants girls to work in his hotel. He gave me money to look for travel documents and transport. I found him in Mbarara (Uganda), where he sexually abused me and confiscated my travel documents before taking me to Bushenyi where I was subjected to sexual harassment by different men, whom he said are his clients and that we have to please them in every way,” one of the victims, name withheld, lamented.

    “These men would then pay Behakanira after abusing us,” she added.

    She said the only way to rescue herself from the agony, was to trick his boss that he wanted to bring him other girls, which worked for her.

    Another victim also accused Behakanira of subjecting her to sexual violence for months of working at his hotel.

    The victims appealed to girls to always be vigilant when they are approached by people promising them jobs in foreign countries.

    “These people, in most cases, want nothing other than making you their business tool especially sexually,” a victim said.

    Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Theos Badege reiterated the need for anyone being offered a job to first consult with concerned authorities, families or friends not to become hostages of such illegal and inhuman business.

    He revealed that they are working with other security agencies to trace other girls or victims of human trafficking wherever they may be, especially in Asian countries.

    “Human trafficking is a new phenomenon in Rwanda, but we don’t take it lightly. We urge all those people who lost their contact with their family members living abroad to also report so that we find out if nothing unusual happened to them,” he added.

    He observed that the human trafficking phenomenon has now taken a new twist where people are killed to remove some body organs for sale.

    Rwanda National Police has rescued some girls in Uganda and Asia in the past years and intercepted 54 Bangladeshi nationals in Rwanda in 2010, who were being trafficked to Mozambique.

    Article 252 of the penal code states that “Any person who abducts or causes to be abducted, arrests or causes to be arrested, detains or causes to be detained, transports or causes to be transported any person in order to make them slaves, sell them as slaves, force them into begging, illegally adopt them on payment of a consideration, take them in indecent pictures, in dangerous sports, in armed conflicts, live together as husband and wife for the purpose of torturing them or selling their organs shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of seven to ten years and a fine of Rwf5 million to Rwf10 million.

    If the acts under this Article are committed at an international level, the offender shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of ten (10) years to fifteen (15) years and a fine of ten million (10,000,000) to twenty million (20,000, 000) Rwandan francs.

    Source: RNP

  • English Teachers Hired from Uganda,Kenya to get Paid

    {{Effective nextweek, Government of Rwanda will pay English teachers recruited from Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya to mentor and improve the teaching of English in Primary and Secondary schools in the country.}}

    Samuel Mulindwa, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service and Labor (MIFOTRA) noted; “We are integrating them in our payment system and early next week they will have their salaries for July. For the arrears, they will have to present their evidence.”

    According media reports, English mentors who are subcontractors for Rwanda Education Board (REB) approached MIFOTRA last month, claiming that the board was not honouring their contract because it still owes them some arrears for July and other allowances.

    Their complaints coincided with the new payment system whereby MIFOTRA pays them instead of being directly remunerated by institutions that seek their services.

    The managers of an Integrated Personal Payment System (IPPS) say when there is a minor error in the identification an employee is not recognised.

  • Egypt seeks to Regain Membership at African Union

    {{The Egyptian government is seeking support of the Republic of South Sudan to reclaim membership at the African Union, after it was suspended due to the ouster of its first elected president by the military, a South Sudanese senior diplomat on Friday.}}

    The spokesperson for South Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs and International cooperation, Mawien Makol, said his country is expecting a visit by Egyptian foreign affairs minister, Nabil Fahmi on Tuesday with a high level delegation.

    The talks will focus on “the role the government of South Sudan can play to assist Egyptians government reclaim membership at the African Union”, he said.

    South Sudan became the African Union’s 54th member shortly after it seceded from Sudan on 9 July 2011. Egypt was suspended from the pan-African body on 6 July after the military took power from Mohamed Morsi, who won elections last year as the candidate of the Freedom and Justice and party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

    Hundreds of people have died as the Egyptian police and army have attempted to break up protest camps established by Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the wake of Morsi’s ouster and incarceration.

    Ambassador Makol said Juba hoped to improve its friendly bilateral relations with Cairo, revealing that the Egyptian government has offered to assist in breaking the deadlock between Sudan and South Sudan over post-independence issues.

    “The delegation will also meet the president and other key officials to explore ways to strengthen relations and design together mechanisms to help the two countries address issues of concerns. There were will discussions touching mainly issues relating to how manage Nile Water, strengthening trade ties and other developmental issues, especially projects which are supported by the Egyptian government”, he explained.

    The senior diplomat said his country expects the visiting ministry to brief president Salva Kiir Mayardit of events in Egypt since Morsi was deposed on 3 July.

    “It will be good opportunity to learn about how the current government in Egypt is managing affairs of the nation at this critical moment and how the leadership expects other countries to extend helping hand”, he said.

    “As a government and people, we wishes Egyptian people and their government hold each other together and strongly and embrace peaceful dialogue as a means to resolve differences”, said Ambassador Makol.

    ST

  • African Panel Investigating Rebel Support Claims Arrive in Sudan

    {{The Ad Hoc Investigative Mechanism (AIM), which was set up by the African Union (AU) and the East African regional bloc, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to probe accusations traded by Sudan and South Sudan of support to rebel groups has arrived on Saturday in Khartoum in a two-day mission.}}

    Last June, the head of African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP), Thabo Mbeki put forward proposals for solving the problems facing the implementation of cooperation agreements signed last year between the two countries.

    Khartoum says the rebel groups of Darfur, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains are harbored and supported by the South Sudanese government. In return, Juba points out that the ongoing rebellion led by David Yau Yau in Jonglei is backed by the Sudanese authorities.

    The AUHIP decided to assign the African Union Commission (AUC) and the head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to take the necessary steps to verify claims of support and harboring of rebels.

    Mbeki’s panel demanded that both sides work together to renounce and end any support to armed rebellion in the other country and urged them to fully and sincerely implement the security agreement signed in September 2012.

    The Sudanese army spokesperson, Col. Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, told the official news agency (SUNA) that Sudan is absolutely committed to cooperate with the AIM.

    “We hope that the AIM manages to achieve its objectives in order to stop support and harboring for rebel groups”, he said.

    Col. Sa’ad added that the AIM could help create the conditions for resuming the implementation of all the cooperation agreements.

    Tensions between the countries have escalated last June when Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir ordered the closure of pipelines carrying oil from landlocked South Sudan.

    Sudan also announced that it will put on hold cooperation agreements signed with South Sudan on a wide range of issues that included citizenship rights, security issues, banking and border trade.

    Last March the two sides also agreed on the implementation schedule for these accords.

    Source: {Sudantribune}