IGIHE

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  • Uganda to Charge Gorilla Trackers

    {{Gorilla trackers in Uganda will soon be charged US$24 for each person aimed at addressing the problem of inadequate funding but also boost revenue collections.}}

    According to local media reports, the country’s Tourism Board (UTB) wants the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to charge $20 and $4 respectively for each person tracking gorillas.

    The UTB executive director, Mr Cuthbert Baguma Balinda, said ,“We are moving from lamenting about inadequate funding for marketing to considering alternative ways.”

  • Public Warned over Cutting Trees

    {{Police in Bugesera District intercepted a vehicle full of tree trunks locally known as Umushikiri, which were allegedly cut illegally in a forest in the area.}}

    The car registration number RAB 903J, Toyota Dyna type, was seized on July 31 in Kamabuye cell.

    Umushikiri trunks are used as a raw material in the production of perfumes. It is said that the stumps are smuggled through porous borders to Uganda and Tanzania before transporting them to Asia, where they have market.

    The District Police Commander, Superintendent (SP) Donat Kinani warned those involved in “any criminal activity” to desist before they are arrested.

    “The law is clear, and this umushikiri business is against it (law). It is an act of environmental degradation, which we can’t allow as law enforcers,” SP Kanani said.

    Article 416 of the organic law on environment, partly stipulates that anyone who illegally cuts trees in a forest or any public place, is punishable with a term of imprisonment of between six months and two years and a fine of Rwf300, 000 to Rwf2 million or one of the two penalties.
    SP Kanani said they are still looking for the driver of the car, who escaped leaving the car behind.

    This illegal act is normally registered in the Eastern districts of Kayonza, Gatsibo and Bugesera.

    Normally, anyone who wants to cut trees first seeks authorization from authorities.

    SP Emmanuel Karuranga, the Eastern Region Police Spokesperson, urged the population to be part of the campaign to protect the environment and fighting crimes in general.

    “The public are crucial in this case. We need their input, by providing us with information on such wrongdoers,” SP Karuranga said.

    {agencies}

  • Man Arrested After Murder of Rwandan Model in UK

    A beauty queen has been stabbed to death at her home in east London.

    A murder investigation was launched after model Linah Keza, 29, was found dead by paramedics following the attack in the early hours of yesterday.

    A 38-year-old man has been arrested and was today being questioned by detectives over the killing.

    Ms Keza, said to be a mother of a three-year-old girl, is understood to have arrived in the UK from Rwanda 10 years ago. Tributes have poured in for the model, who was described by friends as “an angel”.

    Her brother, Jack Hodari, said: “It’s so tragic that good people die this young. I am not saying this because she was my sister, but the whole world can tell you this. Look at all the friends she had, see what they are saying.”

    Addressing his sister’s alleged killer on Facebook, he said: “I curse the day your were born. Your name and everything about you is bitter … We know you are coward. I curse you and I declare that you’ll know no peace and joy.”

    Ms Keza’s cousin Hazel Bamwanga Kagoro added: “You will be missed my dear, we will fight for your justice to the end. Rest in Peace and join our dear grandmother in heaven and the rest of our family that has gone to rest. We love you.”

    Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 4.29am yesterday to reports of a stabbing in King Edward Road, Leyton.

    Ghulam and Shazia Mohyuddin heard screams in the flat above them as the victim called for help.

    Mr Mohyuddin, 47, said: “My wife heard screaming and was really scared. There was screaming then the door upstairs banged. Someone came running down the stairs.”

    He said the victim lived with her daughter: “She must have been in the flat when this happened, they were always together.”

    He said Ms Keza was a doting mother and that all the neighbours in the flat block liked her. “She was lovely and her and her daughter were always smiling. It is such a shock, we can’t sleep because we think of the screams and what happened to that poor girl.” Detectives from the Homicide and

    Serious Crime Command have launched a murder investigation and a post-mortem examination was due to take place today at Walthamstow Mortuary.

    Ms Keza was born in Uganda before moving to Rwanda’s capital Kigali as a teenager. She was described as an “active member” of the Rwandan community in London. In an online tribute, friend Alex Vuningoma said: “Miss Linah Keza. I have trouble accepting the fact that you’re gone, so I won’t… It’ll be like we went for awhile without seeing each other.

    “But I can see why God would want you closer to him, cause you truly were an angel on Earth.

    {London Evening Standard}

  • 46th Blankets & Wine features Ugandan Maurice Kirya, Burundi’s Kidum

    {{Bring out your fashionable outfits, whip out your sunglasses, pack your picnic baskets and join us for the FAB edition of Blankets & Wine this August 4th at the Carnivore Gardens from 1pm to 7pm and the after-party at the Carnivore Simba Saloon thereafter.}}

    For this 46th edition of East Africa’s premier music event we bring you an all round East African lineup comprising some of the most talented musicians in the region.

    Peter Nyabuto, ia budding performer with a rich sound and a captivating live act, will be opening.

    He will be joined by the graceful Amileena Mwenesi with her urbane flavor and the refined Maurice Kirya from Uganda presenting his critically acclaimed, just released album ‘The Book of Kirya’.

    Rounding off our East African musical buffet this August will be the wholesome Kidum from Burundi who makes a return to the Blankets & Wine stage after his last appearance in November 2012.

    In depth: Maurice Kirya

    Maurice Kirya a multiple award winning Ugandan artist has been in the industry for more than 10 years doing what he does best, singing and song writing.

    Known for his enormous talent and unique style of Music that he prefers to call “Mwooyo” or Soul, Maurice Kirya released his maiden album in late 2009 after many years of anticipation.

    The Album was an instant success selling both locally and internationally with numerous copies via iTunes, CD baby and Reverbnation.

    It was the same album that won Maurice the 2010 RFI Discoveries award beating over 500 Artists across Africa.

    Kirya is also known as the Ugandan “King of Mwooyo,” which is now a household name in the Ugandan music industry as a unique breed of Artist. After a very successful year, he then settled down and took a break to put together another album, ‘The Book of Kirya.’

  • Great Lakes to discuss Sudan’s complaint on Ugandan support to rebels

    {{ Sudan’s complaint against Uganda, over its alleged support to rebel groups, to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) will be discussed by the regional organ in the near future, announced the foreign ministry on Thursday.}}

    The ICGLR held an extra-ordinary meeting on 31 July of heads of state and government in the Kenyan capital on the security situation in the Great Lakes region particularly the implementation of the UN and AU Framework agreement on peace, security and cooperation for Democratic Republic of Congo and its challenges.

    Following the return of the Sudanese delegation led by vice-president Al-Haj Adam Youssef on Thursday, deputy foreign minister Salah Wansi told reporters at Khartoum airport that the summit agreed to discuss Ugandan support to the rebel groups that “destabilize peace and security in Sudan”.

    Wansi further described the decision as “positive step” in order to stop the Ugandan support adding that “this support has led the escalation of rebel attacks in Darfur, which caused the death of a number of Tanzanian soldiers operating within the UNAMID forces in Darfur”.

    In January 2013, rebel groups and opposition parties adopted a political charter to overthrow the regime in a big hotel in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

    The event pushed Khartoum to lodge a complaint to the African Union, IGAD and ICGLR. At the time, Khartoum pointed out it has no intention to file a complaint with the UN Security Council stressing on the primacy of African solutions.

    In March, the ICGLR decided to include the complaint in a report about the security situation in the region. At the time Sudan saw the decision a diplomatic victory saying Uganda sought the dismissal of the complaint.

    Also, in February Khartoum objected to the election of Uganda to the position of a vice-president at the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and demanded to include its accusations against Uganda in the final communiqué of the meeting.

    Last week, Uganda’s Minister of State for International Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem dismissed in statement to media the accusation and termed it as “the usual rubbish from Khartoum”. He also accused the Sudanese government of supporting the LRA rebels.

    Wansi said the security meeting which is expected to discuss the complaint will be held at the level of defence ministers, adding the extra-ordinary summit insisted on the need to stop support to rebel groups in the region.

    Recently the American Administration accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, but Kigali denied the accusations.

    ST

  • Frost Damages nearly fifth of Brazil Sugar Cane Crop: Analyst

    {{Last week’s frosts in southern Brazil damaged nearly a fifth of the unharvested cane crop in the principal growing region, an event likely to cut sugar exports from the world’s largest producer, agriculture research company Datagro said Wednesday.}}

    Severe early morning frosts on July 24 and 25 in three of Brazil’s top sugar-cane states devastated large areas, Datagro President Plinio Nastari told Reuters. The cold blight comes at the peak the crushing season when more than half of Brazil’s expected record 590-million-tonne crop remains unharvested.

    Although Nastari was unable to say how much mill-output will drop or reduce a global sugar glut that has pushed prices to three-year lows, he said 65 million metric tons, or 18 percent of the cane standing uncut in fields was damaged by the frost.

    Frost in tropical Brazil has long been a weather risk for global coffee markets. This frost, though, is the first in recent history that threatens to significantly cut sugar output and it’s impact will likely extend into the next harvest too.

    “We don’t know how much of the affected … cane has been lost yet; we should know in about a week,” Nastari said by telephone. “In some cases the ratoons (young shoots) were hit and will need to be replanted, so the impact will carry over into next year’s crop.”

    New York ICE front month sugar futures recovered from an early morning low of 16.68 cents/lb soon after Reuters reported news of the potential frost damage. Prices later pierced the 17-cent threshold for the first time in a month to settle nearly flat with Tuesday at 16.92.

    Alphaville, Brazil-based Nastari, one of Brazil’s most respected sugar experts, has a PhD in agricultural economics from Iowa State University and hosts widely attended sugar and ethanol conferences in Brazil and abroad.

    Saving the crop will depend on speed, Nastari said, as some fields, where frost has killed the core, or gem, of the cane plants, will likely rot before they can be harvested.

    “The most serious damage from the two days of frost occurred over 70 to 80 percent of the cane still standing in the states of Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul,” Nastari said. “A cane plant’s gem is its center of growth. When the frost kills the top gem of a cane plant, it stops growing and begins to die.”

    He added that 15 million to 16 million metric tons in Brazil’s fourth-largest cane state Parana and 16 million to 18 million metric tons in Mato Grosso do Sul, the fifth-largest cane producer, were seriously affected.

    {reuters}

  • China reiterates opposition to U.S. sanctions on Iran

    {{China, Iran’s largest trading partner and top oil customer, repeated its opposition on Friday to tougher U.S. sanctions on Iran after the House of Representatives approved a bill aimed at halting Iran’s oil exports.}}

    The bill seeks to cut Iran’s oil exports by a further one million barrels per day to near zero over a year, an attempt to reduce the flow of funds to Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

    The legislation provides for heavy penalties for buyers who do not find alternative supplies.

    “China has long advocated resolution through dialogue and negotiations and opposes unilateral sanctions from one nation based on its domestic laws,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a faxed statement to Reuters.

    “In particular, it opposes sanctions that will hurt the interests of a third party,” it added, without elaborating.

    The success of any toughening of the sanctions will depend on China, Iran’s top customer, which has repeatedly said it opposes unilateral sanctions outside the purview of the United Nations.

    China reduced oil purchases from Iran by 21 percent last year, but that was partly on account of differences in the first quarter over the renewal terms of annual contracts and shipping delays.

    Chinese oil industry officials have said refiners are likely to cut shipments 5-10 percent this year from last. They cut imports 2 percent in the first six months of the year.

    China has consistently advocated resolving the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program through talks and has opposed what it views as unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union made outside the framework of the United Nations.

    Agencies

  • Major Storms Strike Caribbean Region

    {{A series of major storms have hit Puerto Rico over the last few weeks, destroying hundreds of homes, sweeping away cars and leaving tens of thousands of people without power.}}

    The US island territory is used to tropical weather, but this year Puerto Rico has seen the rainiest July ever recorded, with 35cm so far drenching the capital San Juan.

    People fled homes and cars as water rushed through doors and windows.

    Rising floodwaters stranded drivers on highways. Some commuters were forced to use kayaks and paddle boards.

    The storms have severely damaged about 500 houses and caused about $1.5m in losses, according to initial estimates, Carmen Yulin Cruz, San Juan’s mayor, said.

    The territory is just over two months into a seven-month rainy season, and it is already the second wettest start of the year for the region, even though no major tropical storm or hurricane has hit.

    Nearly 127cm of rain have fallen so far, and more is likely on the way.

    Other wet years

    Remnants of Tropical Storm Dorian were projected to move through the Caribbean, north of the island, by Monday or Tuesday.

    The deluge follows hard on a string of other wet years.

    The rainiest year on record was 2010, when 227.33cm fell.

    The island’s totals have been trending upward, in part because of warmer ocean temperatures and frequent occurrences of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina, which leads to a more active hurricane season, according to the National Weather Service.

    Nearby Cuba has been drenched as well.

    Authorities reported that June was the wettest on record for the western part of the island.

    In the first six days of that month alone, 42.16cm of rain fell, 188 percent of the historic average for the full month, with isolated accumulations as high as 55.88cm.

    Hundreds of homes were flooded along with croplands, highways and tobacco leaf-curing buildings in the western province of Pinar del Rio, known as the cradle of Cuba’s tobacco industry.

    Source: Agencies

  • Tunisian Union Issues Ultimatum to Government

    {{Tunisia’s powerful union federation has given the governing Ennahda party of one week to reach a deal for creating a new technocrat government.}}

    The 600,000-strong Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) issued the ultimatum on Friday and said that it would be “forced to consider” other options of the government failed to act.

    The union has has been trying to mediate between the moderate Islamist-led government and the secular opposition, which has demanded Ennahda’s exit and the dissolution of a transitional Constituent Assembly that is weeks away from completing the country’s new draft constitution.

    The Ennahda party is facing mounting pressure even from its coalition partners and opposition figures have not relinquished their calls to dissolve the Assembly, and there have been calls for Ali Larayedh, the prime minister, to resign.

    Bou Ali Mbarki, deputy leader of the UGTT, said that the union would continue to hold talks on the issue.

    “If our demands of changing the government and implementing a time frame for the Constituent Assembly, then we will have other options that we will be forced to consider,” Mbarki told local Nesma TV, without giving further details.

    Ennahda’s junior coalition partner, the secular Ettakatol party, has threatened to withdraw if a unity government is not formed.

    Tensions have risen in Tunisia since the murder last week of a leftist politician, the second political assassination in six months.

    The tense political climate, along with clashes between the army and armed groups near the Algerian border, risk disrupting the democratic transition that began after Tunisians toppled an autocratic president in 2011.

    {agencies}

  • Italy ex-PM Berlusconi in Angry tirade at Jail Ruling

    {{Italy’s former PM Silvio Berlusconi has broadcast an angry video message after his prison sentence for tax fraud was upheld by the country’s highest court.}}

    Berlusconi said he was the innocent victim of “an incredible series of accusations and trials that had nothing to do with reality”.

    The court also ordered a further judicial review on whether he should be banned from holding public office.

    Berlusconi, 76, is unlikely to go to jail because of his age.

    While he is expected to serve out his sentence as house arrest, he has the option of asking to do community service instead, with the deadline for the application not expected to fall until mid-October.

    The ruling by Rome’s Court of Cassation, against which he cannot appeal, came after a three-day hearing. Berlusconi was not in court.

    In an emotional nine-minute video, Berlusconi denounced the decision as “based on nothing, and which deprives me of my freedom and political rights”.

    “No-one can understand the onslaught of real violence that has been directed against me following an incredible series of accusations and trials that don’t have any foundation in reality,” he said.

    He described the more that 50 court cases he has faced as “genuine judicial harassment that is unmatched in the civilised world”.

    “In exchange for the commitments I have made over almost 20 years in favour of my country and coming almost at the end of my public life, I have been rewarded with accusations and a verdict that is founded on absolutely nothing, that takes away my personal freedom and my political rights.”

    He criticised the country’s judicial record, saying: “Is this the Italy that we want? Is this the Italy that we love? Absolutely not.”

    It is the billionaire businessman’s first definitive conviction after decades of criminal prosecutions.

    The case concerns deals that his firm Mediaset made to purchase TV rights to US films.

    BBC