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  • Norway Rejects U.N. Experts Claims on Somalia Assistance

    {{Norway has complained to the U.N. Security Council that accusations by U.N. experts that Oslo’s assistance to Somalia was a cover to promote the commercial interests of Norwegian oil companies were “completely unfounded and simply wrong.”}}

    The U.N. Monitoring Group’s annual report to the Security Council’s sanctions committee on Somalia and Eritrea suggested Norway’s development assistance to Somalia could be used “as a cover for its commercial interests there.”

    In a letter to the Security Council, dated Monday, Charge d’Affaires of Norway’s U.N. mission Knut Langeland rejected those allegations.

    “Let me reassure you that these allegations are completely unfounded and simply wrong,” he wrote. “To imply that the Norwegian government’s assistance to Somalia may be ‘a cover for commercial interests’ is therefore totally unfounded.”

    Somalia is struggling to rebuild after decades of conflict and a U.N.-backed African Union peacekeeping force is trying to drive out al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group al Shabaab. Piracy off the Somali coast is also a problem.

  • President Kiir Sacks Cabinet Amid Party Power Struggle

    {{South Sudanese President Salva Kiir sacked his cabinet, the deputy president and suspended his top negotiator at talks to defuse tensions with Sudan on Tuesday, state media said, amid talk of a succession struggle in the African oil producer.}}

    Analysts said Kiir was trying to stem dissent and divisions inside his ruling party over an economic crisis, largely the result of disputes with Sudan that have prevented it exporting its lifeblood crude oil, and endemic corruption.

    But the timing for the biggest shake-up since winning independence two years ago could not be worse as South Sudan grapples with multiple challenges – the confrontation over oil flows with its former civil war foe to the north, as well as escalating rebel and tribal violence.

    State television cited a presidential decree saying Vice President Riek Machar had been sacked, and Machar’s spokesman James Gatdet Dak confirmed this.

    The decree also said Kiir had suspended Pagan Amum, Secretary General of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and South Sudan’s top negotiator at talks with Sudan.

    Machar had recently hinted in an interview that he might challenge Kiir for the SPLM leadership before the 2015 national elections, and Kiir had already stripped Machar of some his duties in April in what seemed to be a move to curb his profile.

    The men were on opposing sides of a split within the SPLM during much of the 1983-2005 civil war with Khartoum.

    Political analyst Andrea Mabior said Kiir had dismissed his cabinet to remove Kiir. “It’s a way to fire the vice president. He can say, ‘I have fired the whole cabinet’ – not just the vice president,” Mabior said.

    Since the SPLM has no political rivals of any standing, the battle for leadership of the SPLM is effectively the race to be president.

    Amum, for his part, had recently criticized Kiir for suspending two ministers in a fraud probe, according to local media. The decree said a party committee would investigate him.

    No more details were immediately available. It was also not clear when Kiir would appoint a new cabinet. The ministries would be run for now by their under-secretaries, the decree said.

    Barnaba Marial Benjamin, until now information minister, said he had only learned about his sacking from the evening television news. Amum, one of the most prominent officials abroad, also said he had been caught by surprise when Reuters reached him on his mobile phone.

    “I don’t have all elements at hand,” he said, giving no more details of the evening’s dramatic events.

    Kiir also removed 17 police brigadiers. There were no signs of increased military presence in the capital Juba after the announcement. The army, an umbrella of former civil war militias, is the power broker in the African country.

    Still, the United Nations and aid groups told their staff to stay indoors until further notice, U.N. sources said.

    {agencies}

  • Jeans & Shoes Show Criminal Underbelly of China–EU Trade

    {{The importer, a front man for the Calabrian mafia, tells the Chinese seller, who speaks fluent Italian and lives in Rome, that he wants to fix a lower price on the next shipment.}}

    Their business is not drugs or weapons, but Chinese T-shirts, jeans and shoes. The buyer for the mob in Italy’s impoverished south wants to declare a falsely low price to reduce the customs duties he must pay because, as he says in a wiretap, “it goes to the state”.

    This police recording offers a glimpse of the criminal underbelly of trade between the European Union and China, whose mind-boggling size – worth well over 1 billion euros a day – makes it fiendishly hard to police.

    Making matters worse, the EU is a single market of 300 million people but which has 28 national customs authorities with differing priorities.

    Italy, a high-fashion Mecca and home to a culture obsessed with elegant appearances, was the top EU importer of low-cost Chinese clothing a decade ago, before Italian customs agents cracked down on the illicit practice of undervaluation.

    Criminal groups trying to evade tariffs by lying about the real value of clothing sold in the EU, China’s biggest export destination, had singled out the southern Italian port of Naples as their entry point.

    There they were declaring pairs of jeans for as little as a euro each and T-shirts for 50 cents.

    “The profit margins are high, the volumes are huge and the laws are lax,” said Rocco Burdo, the top intelligence officer at the Italian customs agency’s anti-fraud unit.

    “Undervaluation is a grave threat to all of Europe, and so EU integration should be accelerated to make a unified fight against fraud across the region,” he told Reuters at his office’s headquarters on the outskirts of Rome.

    After the crackdown led by Burdo, the savvy dealers simply re-routed goods through other EU ports such as Hamburg. Italy dropped to number six as importer of Chinese clothing in the region, but it became the top collector of textiles duties, customs data show.

    National authorities collect customs duties, which vary but amount to 12 percent of the value of a pair of denim jeans or cotton T-shirts made in China, but hand three-quarters of the revenue to the EU’s central budget.

    Europe has become a bonanza for trade gangs which exploit the free movement of goods within the EU by importing where there are fewest controls.

    The increasingly sophisticated practice of undervaluation costs taxpayers billions in lost duties, and it is often accompanied by counterfeiting and value-added tax (VAT)
    evasion.

    Undervaluation accounts for only a small fraction of overall customs fraud, and European officials stress that criminal gangs, not the Chinese government or state-owned companies, perpetrate this type of fraud.

    Nevertheless, it illustrates broader trends in an often difficult trade relationship, where China’s aggressive business strategy has brought on more than 50 EU trade defense measures for unfair practices.

    Duty-dodging is made easier by the Chinese strategy of controlling both production and distribution to maximize profit.

    Diverging opinions between EU countries on trade disputes, such as in a recent row over Chinese-made solar panels, also reflect an inconsistent approach to fighting undervaluation.

    {agencies}

  • People with vision Impairment Worried of Negative Perceptions About Them

    {{People living with vision impairment have said they are unable to create income generating projects citing negative perceptions about them from the general public.}}

    They say their experiences show once assisted they can achieve self-reliance, the Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB) has declared.

    ‘’The problem is that society‘s perception makes that these people do not seize opportunities or benefit sponsorships or assistance offered to other people engaged in income generating projects,’’ Said Rachel Musabyimana, RUB Communication and advocacy officer.

    Musabyimana urged local leaders to take into account income generating projects of people living with disability while there is any opportunity offered by the government or sponsors.

    ‘’Our experience shows that the blind have achieved personal economic development through agriculture and breeding, as they have generated income through cultivating groundnuts, cassava and maize and the same is seen in their breeding projects,’’ Musabyimana said.

    The Blinds’Union said this on Wednesday at Kigali during a meeting with local leaders at sector level, in the places where the cooperatives of the disabled people operate.

    Obed Rugerero with vision impairment, Musenyi sector, Bugesera district , blamed local leaders especially at cell level for not involving the blind in the government programs of fighting poverty like Vision 2020Umurenge Programme, Girinka, and shelters.

    Joyce Murebwayire in- charge of social affairs in Musenyi sector, Bugesera district noted that some people with disability do not declare themselves to local leaders, thus the leaders cannot help whom they do not know.

    Murebwayire said the families of the disabled are to blame when they keep the disabled at home without letting local leaders know.

    The health and counseling officer at National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPD) Marcel Nkurayija said the challenge becomes serious when even the disabled consider they are not able to do any Income generating activity, then mindset change is needed.

    Furthermore, Eugene Twizeyimana who represented the National Union of Disabilities’ Organisations of Rwanda (NUDOR) noted the disabled should not take anything done for them as a favor while it is their right.

    Musabyimana said RUB has financed small income generating projects of 26 cooperatives of persons with disabilities throughout the country, with a total loan of Frw10 million

    ‘’We must encourage the blind on the culture of self-reliance,’’ Musabyimana said,

    ‘’The blind and their families must bear in mind that the blind have right to property, have household, and can be self-reliant.’’ People with vision impairment complain perception of self-development inability.

  • Senior Command & Staff Course intake II opens in RDF CS College

    {{Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) has started its second Academic intake of Senior Command and Staff Course (SCSC). }}

    The Course was opened officially on 22 July 2013 by Hon. Minister of Defence, Gen. James Kabarebe in Nyakinama, Musanze District.

    In his opening remarks Hon. Minister of Defence urged the Students to work hard during the course for the benefit of their Defence Forces. Course Two has 48 Senior Officers with eight allied students from East Africa Community Partner States.

    “ I wish to welcome allied students and urge you to harness your potentials for the benefit of your Defence Forces in particular and the region in general”, said Minister Gen. James Kabarebe.

    In his remarks, the Commandant of RDF CSC, Brig. Gen. Charles Karamba said that the College, in partnership with the National University of Rwanda, will offer Masters Degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Security Studies to its successful graduates for the first time.

    He further noted that the course intends to equip the graduates with operational level command and staff training to be able to execute their responsibilities.

    The course “will empower and improve their capacity in establishing linkage between strategic thought and guidance to tactical deployment of Armed Forces”.

    RDF CSC was inaugurated on 23 July 2012 by HE Paul Kagame and Commander-in-Chief of the RDF. Course Two comprises of 38 RDF Senior Officers and two Rwanda National Police.

    Directing Staff (DS) under exchange program from the EAC Partner States, from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda join their colleagues from Ghana and RDF to offer a wide and diverse experience to the second intake of Senior Command and Staff Course in RDFCSC rated at international standards.

    MOD

  • Ruhango Children Abandoning School for Odd Jobs

    {{Despite local admnistration efforts, more pupils of Ruhango sector in Ruhango District are allegedly abandoning school to engage in various jobs to earn some money.}}

    Some pupils who spoke to media cited poverty and sometimes disobedience that contribute largely to dropping out of school.

    Ruhango sector official Gasore Richard says alot has been done to contain the pupils in school but not much success has been registered.

    Its a common sight in Ruhango sector having shool going children hired to carry construction materials, local brew among other jobs during class hours.

    source: RBC

  • Karongi District Hosts Environmental Museum

    {{Government is constructing a new Environmental museum in Bwushyura sector, Karongi district seeking to conserve and preserve environment.}}

    The poject seeks to also train area residents on how to conserve the environment which including Lake Kivu, the steep of the hills among others.

    The facility will share some of the historical fossils of reptiles from neighboring countries such as Burundi, so as to attract more regional tourism.

    Once complete in October 2014, the project is valued at Frw1.3Billion consisting of 2 floors, a traditional herbal medicine garden with 127 tree species based on the rooftop.

    Kayumba Bernard, the district Mayor hailed the project saying the museum will create jobs to local residents and will attract tourists.

    The environment museum is the 6th branch of the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda.

  • Unregistered SIMCARDs to be Discontinued on July 31

    {{There will be no extension of deadline for simcard registration. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has said the 31st July deadline to register SIM cards will not be extended.}}

    RURA warns that Simcards that won’t be registered by then will be discontinued.

    The remarks were made by Jean Baptiste Mutabazi , Head of Communications and Media Regulation department at RURA during a press conference with telecommunication companies on Monday.

    Mutabazi says there will be no extension on the deadline for registration being done by MTN, TIGO AIRTEL telecommunication companies in the country.

    RURA says that up to date over 5 million SIM cards, 87% of those in use have been registered, the remaining over 800,000 including those of people abroad who were provided with the option of online registration are yet to be registered.

    MTN’s website has an option of online SIM card registration for those in foreign countries, other companies said they have no clients who stay for long durations abroad.

    Those carrying out the registration process said more people were participating in the exercise than before.

    “More people are currently participating in the exercise because they are aware its coming to an end, they now realize its importance.” He said.

    The advantages of SIM card registration include protection from theft, telephonic crimes and overall maintenance of security of a customer’s phone and number as stated by telecommunication companies.

    SIM card registration begun 04 of February this and year and is set to end on the 31 of July 2013.

  • Few Girls Enrolled in Technical Schools

    {{Rwandan Girls enrolling into Technical schools are still low in mumber compared to their male counterparts says Albert Nsengiyumva the minister of State in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).}}

    He said , “the number of girls pursuing technical and vocational education is still too low.”

    The minsiter noted that Rwanda has positioned itself as a country that champions and guarantees gender equality and equity in all domains.

    While launching Rubengera Technical Secondary School in Karongi District, Nsengiyumva noted, “The future of this country lies in the capacity of these young people to sustain themselves.”

    Girls make up 25% of students enrolled at Rubengera Technical Secondary School.

  • Kagame tells HRW, ‘You are Dead Wrong’

    {{President Paul Kagame has criticised the Human Rights watch (HRW) telling them outrightly to stop blaming Rwanda for the mess in Eastern DRC.

    He told HRW in a tweet message, “ you are just dead wrong and biased. Get facts right and place the blame where it should be. ..if you want to be helpful.”}}

    HRW claims that two former M23 fighters told HRW that some of the Rwandan fighters in their units told them they had served in Somalia or Dafur as part of the Rwandan army’s peacekeeping contingent.

    However, Rwanda is not part of the AMISOM peacekeeping force in Somalia. A fact that confirms HRW allegations as aimed at tarnishing Rwanda.

    {Pictured above, Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch (HRW.. below is a detailed exchange on twitter over the matter)}