IGIHE

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  • EU pushes plan to bar aid to Israelis in West Bank

    {{The European Union, over Israeli protests, said on Friday it was pushing ahead with plans to bar EU financial aid to Israeli organizations operating in the occupied territories, but insisted the decision would not affect peace efforts.}}

    New European Commission guidelines on EU financial support were published in the EU’s Official Journal as planned, despite intense lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has denounced them as meddling in Israel’s relations with the Palestinians.

    Under the guidelines, Israeli “entities” operating in the occupied territories will not be eligible for EU grants, prizes or loans starting next year.

    The Israeli government discussed its concerns over the EU rules with the British and French ambassadors and the German deputy ambassador on Thursday, an Israeli official said.

    “This was an invitation, not a summons, to exchange views on the EU directive. We expressed our censure of the move – not least because it was a violation of the express assurance we had from the EU that Israel would first be consulted about it,” the official told Reuters.

    The Israeli government kept up its criticism of the EU move, with Finance Minister Yair Lapid saying it would bolster Palestinians who balk at direct peacemaking with Israel.

    “This isn’t just hypocrisy, it’s also stupidity … They (the EU) came along and did a service for the most extremist forces in Palestinian society,” he told Israel’s Channel Two TV.

    The EU guidelines will apply to Israeli companies, universities or other bodies operating in areas occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War, including the Golan Heights, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

    The move was intended to underline EU opposition to Israeli settlement-building and its stance that it will not recognize any changes to Israel’s pre-1967 borders, except those agreed to by both Israelis and Palestinians in peace talks.

    {wirestory}

  • Election Officials Kidnapped in Northern Mali

    {{Four electoral officials and a deputy mayor were kidnapped by suspected Tuareg separatists in northern Mali on Saturday, officials said, adding to tensions stirred by ethnic clashes before next week’s presidential vote.}}

    Earlier on Saturday, Mali’s government accused the MNLA rebels of violating a ceasefire deal this week after four people died in clashes between pro-separatist Tuareg youths and black Africans in the northern town of Kidal.

    The local representatives of Mali’s Independent National Electoral Commission and the deputy mayor of Tessalit were kidnapped by armed men just outside the desert town on Saturday morning, the prefect said.

    “It is the MNLA who are responsible. They are the only armed group here aside from the French and the Chadian army,” he said by telephone. “They are trying to sabotage the elections.”

    The July 28 presidential vote, pushed for by France and Western donors, is meant to draw a line under a military coup last year that led to a 10-month seizure of northern Mali by al Qaeda-linked rebels.

    A French-led campaign launched in January broke the Islamists’ grip over northern Mali.

    Civic advocacy groups and some local politicians have warned that, with government administration in northern Mali in tatters, the country is not yet ready to hold an election.

    The two days of clashes in Kidal also saw shops looted and vehicles burned. Malian troops and U.N. peacekeepers restored calm on Friday.

    “Armed men attacked the population favorable to Mali in the town of Kidal, killing four people,” the government said in a statement.

    The clashes were a violation of June’s truce signed in Ouagadougou, the capital of neighboring Burkina Faso, it said.

    The MNLA separatist group said on Saturday its fighters were not involved in the violence and that they had honored the Ouagadougou agreement.

    {reuters}

  • India ignored warnings in free meal program

    {{The village school in India where 23 children died by poisoning last week had been providing lunch under a government-sponsored scheme without checks or monitoring by local officials to see if the food was stored carefully or cooked properly.}}

    Although it is the first such disaster in the “midday meal” project that feeds about 120 million children every day across India, a Reuters review of audit reports and research papers shows officials have long ignored warnings of the lack of oversight and accountability in the program.

    “You only come and do checks when you get complaints or when there are serious cases,” said Rudranarayan Ram, the local education administrator for the village of Gandaman in Bihar state, where the children died. “This was the first time.”

    The poisoning, which police suspect was caused by storing cooking oil in a used pesticide container, killed the children so quickly that some died in their parents’ arms while being taken to hospital.

    Ram, who was tasked with monitoring the program, said the headmistress of the school, who has fled, bought the food and the oil in which it was cooked. He just doesn’t know from where nor how the items were stored.

    Although fatal contamination is extremely rare in the midday meal scheme, auditors in several states have described unhygienic conditions in which the food under the program is prepared and served, and the poor quality of food itself. Two audit reports by the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have said the food in the scheme was often laced with stones and worms.

    Another survey by the Indian Institute of Management noted children in Gujarat state were made to wash up after their meals by “rubbing the playground soil on the plates and then giving a quick rinse”.

    “If the government checks, they will find that the children who have been eating midday meals are under great physical threat,” said Ajay Kumar Jha, professor at A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies, who led a team to monitor the program in Bihar in April.

    The midday meal scheme of giving school pupils a free lunch is the largest such program in the world. It has been widely lauded as one of the most successful welfare measures in India, home to a quarter of the world’s hungry, because it also boosts school enrolments and helps children to continue studies.

  • 4 Rwandan Schools Ready for East African Post-primary Games

    {{Four Rwandan schools including; Huye-based groupe scolaire officiel de Butare (GSOB), hosts Saint Joseph Kabgayi, Nyanza-based Lycée de Nyanza and Rusumo high school are set to compete in this year’s East African Post-primary Games set for August 23-30 in Lira, Uganda.}}

    The category’s finals come a month after other national finals were held in different sports disciplines but were delayed due to the Under-19 national team’s participation in the World Youth Championship held in Mexico this month.

    The Rwanda School Sports Federation’s (RSSF) executive secretary Florent Rwigema told Saturday Sports that the best two schools, winners and first runners-up are joining the other 17 schools which have already secured their ticket to compete in the regional tournament.

    Today, Hosts Saint Joseph Kabgayi face Lycée de Nyanza at 9am; GSO Butare takes on Rusumo high school at 10.30am.

    In the afternoon, St Joseph Kabgayi will take on GSO Butare before Lycée de Nyanza faces Rusumo high school in the day’s final game.

    Action will continue tomorrow with GSO Butare playing Lycee de Nyanza while hosts Saint Joseph Kabgayi will take on Rusumo high school.

    The champion and first runner-up will be known after Sunday’s final game.

    The already qualified teams include: APE Rugunga and ESI Gisenyi (boys’ football), Solidarity academy and APAER Kabuga (girls’ football), ES Kigoma and Saint Aloys Rwamagana (boys’ handball), ET Mukingi and APAPEKI Cyuru (girls’ handball), Lycee de Kigali and College Amis des Enfants (boys’ basketball) and APE Rugunga (girls’ basketball).

    Others are: G.S Indangaburezi and Saint Joseph kabgayi (girls’ volleyball), Groupe Scolaire Gahini in netball (girls), Ecole Technique Mukingi in rugby (boys) and two athletics teams (boys and girls), each team will be made up of twenty athletes.

    {Newtimes}

  • Zimbabwe Threatens to Block ‘Pirate’ TV Beaming From SA

    {{The Zimbabwe Government has threatened to cripple a new television station that was expected to start broadcasting from neighbouring South Africa on Saturday.}}

    Sponsors of the new station — 1st TV — said it will be accessible to Zimbabweans through the free-to-air satellite platform.

    The station has promised to “provide impartial, factual news to the people of Zimbabwe as well as broadcasting popular films, soap operas and comedies”.

    Zimbabwe only has one state broadcaster, which controls two television channels and four radio stations.

    Two commercial radio stations were licensed last year but they have close links with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party.

    Zanu PF also maintains a tight grip on the state broadcaster that has been accused of spreading hate speech against the party’s opponents.

    President Mugabe’s spokesman today told state media that the government was exploring ways of crippling the new television station.

    He said the government would also engage the South African government over the matter, which he said was against Zimbabwe’s interests.

    “We will be taking decisions mindful of the need to cripple this pirate television broadcast station,” Mr George Charamba said.

    “We have been aware of the technical corroboration between VOA (Voice of America) and Sentech. What we did not expect was this expansion of the corroboration.

    “Also we are not very sure if the South African Government is aware of what its parastatal is doing to hurt Zimbabwean interests.”

    VOA hosts a radio station — Studio 7 — that beams into Zimbabwe through shortwave and is run by journalists forced out of the southern African country by repressive media laws.

    There are two other “pirate” radio stations operating from South Africa and the United Kingdom, which broadcast into Zimbabwe.

    Zanu PF claims that the stations are sponsored by governments that want to topple President Mugabe from power.

    {agencies}

  • Beef sold in Zambia Contained Harmful Chemical

    {{Beef products imported from Europe and distributed in Zambia by leading meat company Zambeef have tested positive for aromatic aldehyde, a chemical which can cause cancer, the health minister said Friday.}}

    Zambeef last month recalled from its retail outlets all imported products after concerns that they contained the chemical, which is also used to embalm dead bodies, prompting laboratory tests.

    “I can confirm that the presence of formaldehydes has been confirmed in the samples that were taken to South Africa for further investigations,” Health Minister Joseph Kasonde told media.

    He said the chemical was found in offals and hooves which Zambeef imports from Europe.

    It is prohibited for use as a food preservative in Zambia.

    “Formaldehyde is in a group of aldehydes and is a compound mainly used in embalming corpses for preservation,” he said.

    A medical doctor, Robert Mtonga, said prolonged exposure to the chemical could cause organ cancers.

    “Among the acute effects of formaldehyde exposure are irritations of the eyes, the nose, and the throat,” he told media.

    But “there is also some evidence that constant formaldehyde exposure increases the chances of developing certain forms of cancer,” he said.

    Incidences of lung and nose cancer appear to be “significantly” higher among people who are regularly exposed to the chemical, said the doctor.

    The health minister said cabinet will meet to decide on sanctions to be imposed on Zambeef, one of the country’s largest employers.

    Phone calls to Zambeef’s officials went unanswered on Friday.

    {AFP}

  • Intra-African Trade Declines

    {{ Intra-African trade fell from 22 per cent in 1997 to 11 per cent in 2011, according to the 2013 Economic Development in Africa Report.}}

    The decline is attributed to problems such as poor roads and energy deficit.

    Businesspeople who attended the launch of the report titled ‘Intra-African Trade: Unlocking Private Sector Dynamism’, were also of common view that potential of the private sector had not been sufficiently exploited to boost trade relations in the resource-rich continent.

    Speaking during the launch of the report, Confederation of Tanzania Industries chairman Felix Mosha, said infrastructural woes were hindering progress in the industrial sector.

    Mr Mosha also said the decline in trade was compounded by the fact that there was no actual connection between various researches done by universities or other institutions and their application in solving problems facing the society today. To him, agriculture is still unexploited to enhance trade on the continent.

    “If Africa wants to excel in agri-business it must invest in research and development to improve innovations and creativity in solving some problems facing the continent,” he said.

    NMG

  • M23 Claims: Tanzania Soldier Captured Commanding FDLR Unit

    {{Although deployed as a peacekeeper attached to the MONUSCO special brigade in the volative Eastern Congo, a Tanzanian soldier has allegedly been captured on the frontline while commanding a FDLR rebel unit in the attack against M23 rebel base.}}

    The captured Tanzanian soldier has been identified as Christopher George Yohana, “The serial number of his assault AK47 rifle is 1372.”

    According to a statement released by M23 rebel Movement on saturday, “M23 have captured a Tanzanian soldier on front line today in Kinyandonyi, North Kivu.”

    {chimpreports}

  • Police Signs Crime Prevention MoU With Huye District

    {{Police has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Huye District. The agreement serves to bolster mechanisms of preventing and combating crimes in the district.}}

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Emmanuel K. Gasana said the partnership entered into will not only benefit the two parties, the country in general.

    He said this is an important agreement considering that it will establish proper and effitient mechanisms through which the two institutions will deal with relevant challenges, especially that Huye shares a porous border with Burundi.

    Indeed several reports of fraud and smuggling have been reported along the Akanyaru border which is shared by the two countries. With this MoU, efforts to combat transnational crime via this border will be scaled up.

    Huye Mayor Eugene Kayiranga Muzuka said the agreement will also help improve security and help cut down crime rates in his district.

    He promised Huye will improve community policing efforts through offering regular training to community policing committees.

    The IGP also promised to support all initiatives that focus on security, crime prevention, environmental protection and community service (Umuganda), which he said all contribute to development.

    The Huye MoU marks the 9th agreement after Police signed other MoUs with Bugesera, Gatsibo, Kicukiro, Burera, Nyanza, Nyamasheke, Rubavu and Rusizi.

    These MoUs are part of Rwanda National police’s broader efforts of preventing crimes and creating a safer environment for people living in Rwanda.

    RNP

  • 4 Rwandan Youths Shortlisted for ‘One Young World Ambassadorship’

    {{Four Rwanda youth leaders have been pre-selected for the ‘One Young World’ Ambassadorship. Only one will be selected from the four to represent Rwanda at the ‘One Young World’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa later this year.}}

    One of the four pre-selected candidates will be chosen to represent Rwanda and will be fully sponsored by MTN Rwanda to attend the Summit.

    After each Summit, the newly minted ‘One Young World’ Ambassador is meant to work on their own initiatives or lend the power of the ‘One Young World network to projects already in existence.

    The Rwandan youth leaders pre-selected include; Ntsinzi Ezer Ntabwoba a 21 year old young entrepreneur, Christian Kajeneri, a 29 year old Account Manager at Broadband Systems Corporation, Sylvere Mwizerwa a 27 year old Business Development Officer at Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) and Jean Leo Iragena a 22 year old graduate of University of Arkansas, a young CEO of Isaro.

    Esther Kunda a 23-year-old who runs her own company called OSCA Connect as another young CEO opted out of the pre-selection.

    All the Rwandan candidates were interviewed by a panel of MTN Rwanda officials with the search for one with qualities that included, ‘leadership potential and skills, concern about global issues, ability to generate and articulate impactful ideas and a commitment to volunteering most of which are in line with the MTN brand values.

    The best candidate that will represent Rwanda will be announced early next week.