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  • EU Condemns ‘Horrific Murder’ in Nigeria

    {{The European Union has condemned the “horrific murder by terrorists” of dozens of people, mostly students, in an attack on a secondary school in Nigeria.}}

    The attack, blamed on the rebel group Boko Haram, happened on Saturday at a school in Mamudo, Yobe, one of three states where the government declared a state of emergency in May in a push to rein in the group.

    “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific murder by terrorists of some 30 innocent children and a teacher early on Saturday morning in a school in Mamudo town in northeastern Nigeria,” Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, said on Sunday in a statement.

    Ashton promised Nigerians her “solidarity and determination to help them bring security, peace and reconciliation to the north”, and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

    Survivors of the dawn attack said gunmen rounded up students and staff at the school in Nigeria’s restive northeast and placed them in a dormitory before throwing explosives inside and opening fire.

    A hospital official in nearby Potiskum said 42 people were killed. A spokesman for Nigeria’s military, which often underplays casualty figures, said 20 students and one teacher were killed.

    Boko Haram, which means “Western education is a sin”, has killed hundreds of students in attacks on schools in the region in recent months.

    Nigeria launched a major offensive against Boko Haram on May 15, battling anti-government fighters in the states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno.

    The ongoing offensive has forced thousands of Nigerians from their homes into refuge in neighbouring countries of Niger and Cameroon.

    {{wirestory}}

  • EU/IMF says Outlook for Greek Bailout Program Uncertain

    {{The outlook for Greece’s bailout program remains uncertain, with differences still to be worked out between the Greek government and its creditors, the European Union and International Monetary Fun said on Monday.}}

    “While important progress continues to be made, policy implementation is behind in some areas,” the so-called “troika” of creditors said in an update on Greece’s bailout program, which will be discussed later by euro zone finance ministers.

    “The authorities have committed to take corrective actions to ensure delivery of the fiscal targets for 2013-14 and achieve primary balance this year,” it said, but added:

    “The mission and the authorities agreed that the macroeconomic outlook remains broadly in line with program projections, with prospects for a gradual return to growth in 2014. The outlook remains uncertain, however.”

    {agencies}

  • China ex-railway Minister Convicted for Graft

    {{China’s former railways minister Liu Zhijun has given a suspended death sentence for his role in a huge corruption scandal, state media reports.}}

    Liu was accused of using his position of influence to help about 11 business associates win promotions and project contracts and accepted 64.6 million Chinese yuan ($10.5 million) in unspecified bribes between 1986 and 2011.

    Under Chinese law the death penalty can be imposed for taking bribes exceeding 100,000 yuan ($ 16.000). The official Xinhua News Agency on Monday said the sentence was with a two-year reprieve by a court in Beijing.

    After two years, such sentences typically are commuted to life in prison if the inmate shows good behaviour.

    The court also ordered all of Liu’s personal property to be confiscated and issued a separate sentence of 10 years in prison for abuse of power.

    Liu’s lawyer Qian Lieyang said his client would likely not appeal the sentence.

    Once hailed as the “father” of China’s flagship high-speed rail network, Liu was sacked as railways minister in 2011 after eight years in the post,

    The country boasts the world’s longest high-speed network, but a high-speed crash killing some 40 people in 2011, sparked public criticism that authorities compromised safety in their rush to expand the network.

    The railways ministry was disbanded with its administrative functions handed to the transport ministry.

    {reuters}

  • Cuba’s Raul Castro criticizes U.S on Snowden

    {{Cuban President Raul Castro on Sunday backed offers of asylum by Venezuela and other Latin American countries to fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden and criticized the United States for what he described as bullying other nations.}}

    Castro, speaking behind closed doors to Cuba’s National Assembly, said Venezuela and other countries in the region have the right to grant asylum “to those persecuted for their ideals or struggles for democracy, according to our tradition,” according to the official Prensa Latina News Agency.

    Foreign journalists were barred from the parliament meeting.

    Castro’s remarks were his first public comment on the Snowden affair.

    Cuba over the years has given refuge to various U.S. fugitives it considers political refugees, most notably members of the Black Panthers group decades ago.

    Communist-run Cuba’s leftist allies Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua have stated that their doors are open to Snowden.

    Castro did not say if Cuba had received an asylum request and what the country’s position would be if it does.

    Snowden, 30, is believed to be holed up in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport and has been trying to find a country to give him sanctuary since he landed there from Hong Kong on June 23.

    There are no direct commercial flights between Moscow and Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and the usual route involves changing planes in Havana. It is not clear if Cuban authorities would let him transit. There was no sign of Snowden aboard the flight to Havana on Saturday.

    Castro denounced U.S. threats of economic sanctions against any country that harbors Snowden and also denounced this week’s incident in which some European countries banned Bolivian President Evo Morales’s plane from their airspace on suspicion that it was carrying the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor.

    “These actions demonstrate we live in a world in which the powerful feel they can violate international law, violate the national sovereignty of other states and trample on the rights of citizens,” he said, accusing the United States of employing a “philosophy of domination.”

    Castro downplayed Snowden’s revelations of secret U.S. spy programs, stating Cuba had been one of the countries most spied upon on the planet. “We already knew about the existence of these systems,” he said, as he closed the parliament meeting.

    {agencies}

  • Rwandans in South Africa Celebrate 51st Independence Day

    {{As part of the celebration of 51st Anniversary of Rwanda’s Independence and 19th Year of Rwanda’s Liberation, The High Commission of Rwanda organized an event that attracted about 250 Rwandans and friends of Rwanda living in South Africa.}}

    The event was a moment to reflect on the past, to think about the future while enjoying what has so far been achieved in Rwanda.

    In his speech to the gathered audience, The High Commissioner Vincent Karega highlighted Rwanda’s achievement and its important role in the African agenda.

    The High Commissioner stressed the importance of Pan Africanism and Africa Renaissance.

    He called upon Rwandans and Africans to take up their own destiny. “No country in Africa can go very far alone if the continent lags behind.” He said.

    The speech was followed by Q&A in which questions were raised on the cessation clause, diaspora representation in the Rwandan parliament.

    A projection on Rwanda’s achievements in key sectors such as Agriculture, Infrastructure, education, health, tourism, ICT and urban development was shared with those who have been away from Rwanda for years.

    The event was also marked by performances of Jean Roger Munezero, Angel Uwamahoro as well as a special cultural troop composed of children living in South Africa.

    The culture troop has been a recent initiative meant to promote Rwanda’s culture in South Africa.

  • Military Attaches in Rwanda for a Workshop & Study Tour

    {{Twenty-nine (29) members of the Addis Ababa-based Military Attaché Association (MAA) from 27 different countries arrived in Rwanda today, 8th July 2013 to attend a one-week workshopand study tour.}}

    Four Military Attaches resident in Rwanda and some RDF officers will also attend the workshop.

    The visit to Rwanda is part of the annual program called “African Tour Project” that the Association initiated last year. The tour to Rwanda is the first of its kind to be organized by the Association.

    The Rwanda African Tour will comprise a workshop that will be held at the Rwanda Peace Academy Training facility in Musanze and a field study tour.

    The resource persons for the workshop comprise policy makers, practitioners and academics from Rwanda and abroad.

    The realization of the regional tour is a result of collaborative effort of various stakeholders namely; The Military Attaché Association IN Addis Ababa, the Ministry of Defence and the Rwanda Peace Academywith support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

    The workshop and study tour is funded by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in partnership with the Government of Rwanda.

    The objective of the workshop and study tour is “to gain common understanding of Africa’s conflict situation; their mitigation, resolution and post-conflict peace building and sharing such experiences with a view to enhance the ability to contribute to conflict mitigation and conflict resolution.”

    The workshop and study tour will undoubtedly familiarize the members of the Association with issues of peace and security in the region.

    The members of the Military Attaches’ Association comprise a number of Military Attachés/Advisors and Liaison Officers accredited to Ethiopia, to a number of African countries and organizations but mostly to the African Union.

    One of the objectives of the Association is to enhance exchange of ideas, interaction and ability to influence peace and security issues and policies affecting the African continent.

  • Mandelas demand CNN funeral deal – report

    {{Makaziwe Mandela and her niece Ndileka held a sensitive meeting at the end of last month with officials from the SABC and the presidency over broadcasting rights for former president Nelson Mandela’s eventual funeral.}}

    The Sunday Independent reported that the meeting was convened to discuss the coverage of Mandela’s funeral, of which the SABC is the official broadcaster. However the Mandelas demanded that CNN be given “preferential” access and status throughout.

    One of the officials that attended the meeting slammed the conversation as “inappropriate” coming from family members about a “funeral deal concerning one of their own”.

    “We are aggrieved and understandably so,” said the official. “But there appears to be little we can do as the family appears to have their own plans.”

    Another official said “this wasn’t a request. It was a demand. The CNN deal seems to be done and dusted”.

    news24

  • WHO Wants HIV Patients Treated Sooner to Save Lives

    {{Doctors could save three million more lives worldwide by 2025 if they offer AIDS drugs to people with HIV much sooner after they test positive for the virus, the World Health Organisation said on Sunday.}}

    While better access to cheap generic AIDS drugs means many more people are now getting treatment, health workers, particularly in poor countries with limited health budgets, currently tend to wait until the infection has progressed.

    But in new guidelines aimed at controlling and eventually reducing the global AIDS epidemic, the U.N. health agency said some 26 million HIV-positive people – or around 80 percent of all those with the virus – should be getting drug treatment.

    The guidelines, which set a global standard for when people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should start antiretroviral treatment, were drawn up after numerous studies found that treating HIV patients earlier can keep them healthy for many years and also lowers the amount of virus in the blood, significantly cutting their risk of infecting someone else.

    “We are raising the bar to 26 million people,” said Gottfried Hirnschall, the WHO’s HIV/AIDS department director.

    “And this is not only about keeping people healthy and alive but also about blocking further transmission of HIV.”

    Some 34 million people worldwide have the HIV virus that causes AIDS and the vast majority of them live in poor and developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa is by far the worst affected region.

    But the epidemic – which has killed 25 million people in the 30 years since HIV was first discovered – is showing some signs of being turned around. The United Nations AIDS programme UNAIDS says deaths from the disease fell to 1.7 million in 2011, down from a peak of 2.3 million in 2005 and from 1.8 million in 2010.

    Swift progress has also been made in getting more HIV patients into treatment, with 9.7 million people getting life-saving AIDS drugs in 2012, up from just 300,000 people a decade earlier, according to latest WHO data also published on Sunday.

    Indian generics companies are leading suppliers of HIV drugs to Africa and to many other poor countries. Major Western HIV drugmakers include Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson and ViiV Healthcare, which is majority-owned by GlaxoSmithKline.

    {{“IRREVERSIBLE DECLINE”?}}

    Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director general, said the dramatic improvement in access to HIV treatment raised the prospect of the world one day being able to beat the disease.

    “With nearly 10 million people now on antiretroviral therapy, we see that such prospects – unthinkable just a few years ago – can now fuel the momentum needed to push the HIV epidemic into irreversible decline,” she said in a statement.

    The WHO’s guidelines encourage health authorities worldwide to start treatment in adults with HIV as soon as a key test known as a CD4 cell count falls to a measure of 500 cells per cubic millimetre or less.

    The previous WHO standard was to offer treatment at a CD4 count of 350 or less, in other words when the virus has already started to damage the patient’s immune system.

    The guidelines also say all pregnant or breastfeeding women and all children under five with HIV should start treatment immediately, whatever their CD4 count, and that all HIV patients should be regularly monitored to assess their “viral load”.

    This allows health workers to check whether the medicines are reducing the amount of virus in the blood. It also encourages patients to keep taking their medicine because they can see it having positive results.

    “There’s no greater motivating factor for people to stick to their HIV treatment than knowing the virus is ‘undetectable’ in their blood,” said Gilles van Cutsem, the medical coordinator in South Africa for the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

    MSF welcomed the new guidelines but cautioned that the money and the political will to implement them was also needed.

    “Now is not the time to be daunted but to push forward,” MSF president Unni Karunakara said in a statement. “So it’s critical to mobilise international support… including funding for HIV treatment programmes from donor governments.”

    The WHO’s Hirnschall said getting AIDS drugs to the extra patients brought in by the new guidelines would require another 10 percent on top of the $22-$24 billion a year currently needed to fund the global fight against HIV and AIDS.

    {agencies}

  • Mexico volcano spits 2 mile-high ash cloud

    {{The Popocatepetl volcano just east of Mexico City has spit out a cloud of ash and vapor 2 miles (3 kilometers) high over several days of eruptions, and Mexico City residents awoke Saturday to find a fine layer of volcanic dust on their cars.}}

    It has been years since the center of the nation’s capital has seen a noticeable ash fall because prevailing winds usually blow the volcanic dust in other directions. Ash fell earlier this week in some neighborhoods on Mexico City’s south and east sides.

    The city’s legion of car washers quickly wiped the fine coating from cars on Saturday with no apparent ill effects.

    Claudia Dominguez, spokeswoman for the Mexico City civil defense office, said the very fine ash had probably been floating around the city from eruptions in previous days and had been brought to Earth by a rainfall late Friday.

    She said no new ash fall had been reported Saturday, despite continuous eruptions of vapor and ash into the air from the 15,000-foot (5,450 meter) volcano.

    While city residents were surprised by the talcum-like ash, inhabitants of towns nearer the volcano have had to deal with much thicker accumulations that have coated their crops, homes and sidewalks.

    In San Pedro Nexapa, located about nine miles (15 kms) from the volcano, residents swept up small piles of ash from a few square yards (meters) of sidewalk. Some residents wore surgical masks to ward off the dust raised by passing vehicles.

    “The ash affects us a lot, because we get our water from the snow melt from Popocatepetl, and right now we can’t use the water for bathing, for cooking, we can’t even give it to our animals,” said Agustina Perez Gutierrez, a housewife in San Pedro Nexapa. “The children get sore throats from the ash, and it affects the few vegetables and corn crops we are able to plant.”

    Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention raised the volcano alert from Stage 2 Yellow to Stage 3 Yellow, the final step before a Red alert, when possible evacuations could be ordered. A Stage 3 Yellow alert had been in effect during eruptions earlier this year until early June, when it was lowered.

    Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention reported there had been three explosive eruptions at the peak late Friday and early Saturday — events that usually toss glowing-hot rock on the volcano’s flanks.

    It said that Popocatepetl has also continuously spewed clouds of ash into the air, most of which was headed northwest, toward Mexico City.

    {wirestory}

  • WTO Advises Tanzania on Gas Wealth

    {{The outgoing head of the World Trade Organisation, Mr Pascal Lamy, has advised Tanzania to go for an efficient regulation system if it is to benefit fully from its newly-discovered offshore natural gas.}}

    Mr Lamy said many developing countries that have discovered oil and gas–and are also rich in natural resources–face regulation and management challenges.

    Mr Lamy, who retires at the end of August, called for transparency in the sector worth billions of Dollars.

    “The key is to ensure that the regulatory structure–including government oversight–is sufficiently developed to promote the efficient, transparent and equitable awarding of extraction rights,” he added.

    Making the most of these resources will call for transparent and equitable ways of collecting royalties. Tanzania has yet to benefit meaningfully from its mining sector–mainly because it does not have the right regulation and supervisory skills. And this despite world class gold mines and other minerals.

    “Transfer of technology to local interests is vitally important but this will require a foundation of know-how among local engineers and workers,” Mr Lamy went on.“To develop this sort of institutional infrastructure will take time but it is an investment that will go a long way to ensure that gains from this wealth are invested wisely.”

    Initial estimates show that Tanzania has 41.7 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas reserves. It is expected that, along with Mozambique, Tanzania will be the world’s third-largest exporter of natural gas in the near future. This implies that the East African region is hot on the heels of Qatar and Indonesia, the first and second largest producers of liquid natural gas in the world respectively.

    According to Energy and Minerals minister Sospeter Muhongo, Tanzania’s reserves will reach 100 trillion cubic feet in the next two years. The gas finds stand at 53 trillion cubic, with an estimated value of far over $430 billion (about Sh688 trillion), which is nearly 40 times this year’s national budget.

    Leading the gas findings is British Gas Group, which has made eight consecutive offshore natural gas discoveries, two successful appraisal wells and one successful field test. Norway’s Statoil Statoil and its partner ExxonMobil have made their third high-impact large offshore gas discovery in a year. Exploration companies plan to drill 17 new wells in 2013/14. “You have almost an embarrassment of riches in Mozambique and Tanzania, in terms of the volumes of gas being discovered,” says Mr Philip Wolfe of UBS financial services, which advises Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production, now a major player in Mozambique.

    On the high economic growth and high poverty mismatch in resource-rich countries like Tanzania, Mr Lamy noted: “As Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank, said recently, African governments still need to translate growth into greater social inclusion. But this is not exclusive of Africa. It is a challenge faced by many countries in the world today, developed and developing.”

    Education is the key to it all, he said. “If you want to ensure the development of your economy and the most equitable allocation of national income, education must be available to the majority of the citizens. Beyond this, you must have a sound system of revenue collection so that wealth can be redistributed and the gap between rich and poor narrowed.”

    NMG