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  • Inventor of computer mouse dies at 88

    {{Douglas Engelbart, a technologist who conceived of the computer mouse and laid out a vision of an Internet decades before others brought those ideas to the mass market, died on Tuesday night. He was 88.}}

    His eldest daughter, Gerda, said by telephone that her father died of kidney failure.

    Engelbart arrived at his crowning moment relatively early in his career, on a winter afternoon in 1968, when he delivered an hour-long presentation containing so many far-reaching ideas that it would be referred to decades later as the “mother of all demos”.

    Speaking before an audience of 1,000 leading technologists in San Francisco, Engelbart, a computer scientist at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), showed off a cubic device with two rolling discs called an “X-Y position indicator for a display system”. It was the mouse’s public debut.

    Engelbart then summoned, in real-time, the image and voice of a colleague 48 km away. That was the first videoconference. And he explained a theory of how pages of information could be tied together using text-based links, an idea that would later form the bedrock of the Web’s architecture.

    At a time when computing was largely pursued by government researchers or hobbyists with a countercultural bent, Engelbart never sought or enjoyed the explosive wealth that would later become synonymous with Silicon Valley success. For instance, he never received any royalties for the mouse, which SRI patented and later licensed to Apple.

    He was intensely driven instead by a belief that computers could be used to augment human intellect. In talks and papers, he described with zeal and bravado a vision of a society in which groups of highly productive workers would spend many hours a day collectively manipulating information on shared computers.

    “The possibilities we are pursuing involve an integrated man-machine working relationship, where close, continuous interaction with a computer avails the human of radically changed information-handling and -portrayal skills,” he wrote in a 1961 research proposal at SRI.

    His work, he argued with typical conviction, “competes in social significance with research toward harnessing
    thermonuclear power, exploring outer space, or conquering cancer.”

    He is survived by Karen O’Leary Engelbart, his second wife, and four children: Gerda, Diana, Christina and Norman. His first wife, Ballard, died in 1997.

    aljazeera

  • Snowden Waiting for Sovereign Backer

    {{As U.S. intelligence analyst Edward Snowden remains in territorial and legal limbo at Sheremetyevo Airport and has apparently abandoned any attempt of staying in Russia, his opportunities for seeking asylum have significantly narrowed, given the obstacles in his path.}}

    According to government officials and experts interviewed by The Moscow Times, Snowden’s fate is now in the hands of a few countries that can afford the political risk and offer him official legal status, while Russia could continue to support him behind the scenes.

    But while Russia and other governments have cited technical issues as one of the main obstacles preventing Snowden from gaining travel documents or refugee status, political will from a sovereign backer seems to be the key ingredient that is lacking.

    “The problem is that if he stayed in Russia, his disclosures would be compromised, so for now the Kremlin will support his public image and look for a third way to solve the problem,” said Andrei Soldatov, a well-connected intelligence analyst.

    Federal Migration Service head Konstantin Romodanovsky suggested Wednesday that the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) could help Snowden, who was stripped of his U.S. passport and apparently has no valid identification or travel documents. Similar suggestions were made Tuesday by Kremlin human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin and Kremlin human rights council head Mikhail Fedotov.

    “I believe Russia definitely should not extradite Snowden to the U.S., where he can then be executed. This is not possible for us as members of the Council of Europe,” Lukin said. “I think two organizations should deal with his problems: the airline that carried him from Hong Kong and the UN, in particular its High Commissioner for Refugees.”

    But officials at UNHCR’s Moscow office were perplexed on how they could help.

    “We can only offer legal help and guidance for refugee applicants, but it is up to a sovereign state to decide what to do,” Ivan Saleyev, legal adviser for the UNHCR in Russia, said by telephone. “Being a developed country, Russia has its own system of refugee protection. We can only facilitate the way it works.”

    If Snowden had not withdrawn his asylum application to Russia, the Russian government, even without accepting the request, could have issued him a temporary refugee status claimant document that would have allowed him to enter the country from Sheremetyevo’s transit zone and visit foreign embassies in Moscow. But even that could have carried political risk for Russia.

    According to the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and a subsequent protocol, a person unable to avail himself of the protection of his home country while fearing persecution there on the basis of political opinion is classified as a refugee.

    But Vladimir Rucheinikov, head of the refugee department at Russia’s Federal Migration Service, said it was still up to another sovereign country to grant such a person this status or even to put it under consideration.

    Former migration service deputy chief Konstantin Postavnin said that by revoking Snowden’s passport, the U.S. government had severely limited his options. “They are compelling him to come back to the U.S,” he said.

    Historically, Russia has been one of the least refugee-friendly countries in the world.

    “There are only 800 people in Russia who have refugee status,” said Svetlana Gannushkina, a prominent Russian migration rights activist.

    “For such a big country, it basically means that the refugee mechanism is not working at all. There is a clear government directive to reject most applications,” Gannushkina said.

    The only alternative seems to be for Snowden to seek asylum in other countries. On Monday, he sent applications to some 20 countries including France, Germany, Ireland, China and Cuba.

    Five of the countries Snowden has applied to have rejected his request, while seven have said they would consider his application if made on their soil. Eight have said they had either not made a decision or not received a request.

    The Moscowtimes

  • Youth unemployment to top EU summit

    {{The number of jobless youth in the European Union is now at an all-time high and Germany’s Chancellor wants action.

    Angela Merkel is inviting EU leaders to a summit in Berlin where they will try to come up with a plan to get Europe’s under 25-year-old’s back to work.}}

    {EU youths protesting against rising unemployment }

  • Guinea govt, Opposition Agree to end-September Election

    {{Guinea’s government and opposition parties reached a deal on Wednesday to hold long-delayed legislative elections at the end of September to complete the mineral-rich nation’s transition to civilian rule.}}

    Elections scheduled for June 30 were postponed after a wave of protests, with the opposition accusing President Alpha Conde of planning to rig the poll. Conde won a 2010 election in Guinea’s first democratic transition of power, but his victory was contested by the opposition.

    “We have reached an agreement,” Mouctar Diallo, one of the opposition’s leaders, told Reuters. “I hope the international community will guarantee the implementation of this deal.”

    Political instability following a 2008 military coup deterred some investors from Guinea despite its large deposits of iron ore, bauxite, gold and other minerals.

    The election, originally due to take place in 2011, is essential to unlock nearly 200 million euros of European Union funding.

    Wednesday’s agreement means elections should be held within 83 days. With Guinean electoral law specifying voting must take place on a Sunday, this would make the date of the election September 29, Diallo said.

    The U.N.-mediated talks were aimed at securing the participation of the opposition after some 50 people were killed and about 300 wounded during protests in the past three months.

    “This agreement allows progress towards projects in the interest of the country,” U.N. special envoy Said Djinnit told delegates at the talks. “Despite your differences, you are in agreement on the essential.”

    Under the terms of the agreement, South African company Waymark, which the opposition had accused of favouring Conde, will keep its contract for compiling the voter register. Waymark has denied any bias.

    Neither Waymark nor its local partner Sabari will compile the election results, which will be counted by hand, the deal specified. For the 2015 presidential election, a public tender will be launched to find a technical operator.

    The government conceded to demands that Guineans overseas – a group regarded as largely favouring the opposition – should be allowed to vote.

    A committee composed of representatives of the opposition and the government will be put in place to oversee the activities of the national electoral committee (CENI).

    wirestory

  • Nigeria turns to Agriculture after Oil Curse

    {{Nigeria is considering to revive its Agriculture sector on a large scale to deal with the effects of oil curse. }}

    When President Goodluck Jonathan was elected two years ago, he pledged reforms that would transform the lives of tens of millions of farmers who live on less than $2 a day despite occupying some of Africa’s most fertile land.

    Oil remains the main source of foreign currency and state revenues, but agriculture is by far the biggest contributor to GDP, making up 40% of Africa’s second largest economy.

    With 170 million mouths to feed and a growing food import bill thanks to the disarray in the farming sector, agriculture ministry officials say there’s no time to lose.

    If productivity does not improve Nigeria could face a food crisis within a decade, its current account surplus would be wiped out and the credit worthiness of Africa’s second biggest debt issuer would be under threat.

    “If we did nothing, it would be a disaster,” Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina told Reuters in the capital.

    “We don’t eat oil, we don’t drink it … We cannot sustain the amount of money we use to import food,” Adesina said, a Nigerian flag hanging behind his office chair.

    In some cases, the imports substitute for things Nigerians are growing but can’t get to market or lack the means to process.

    The country is the second largest grower of citrus fruit in the world after China and yet it spends $200 million a year on imported fruit juice while its own produce rots, Adesina said.

    It also produces 1.5 million metric tons (1 metric ton = 1.1023 tons) of tomatoes annually of which 45 percent perish, while consumers spend $360 million on tomato paste imported from countries such as Italy and China.

    {Additional reporting, Agencies}

  • BRD’s U$10M to Boost SMEs

    {{Rwanda’s Small Medium Enterprises ( SMEs) are expected to grow stronger with an extra financial boost worth U$10million secured by the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) from the East African Development Bank (EADB).}}

    The U$10million credit will facilitate the BRD’s long-term financing of development projects that target expansion of SMEs throughout Rwanda.

    This is the second time BRD has secured such funding from EADB. In October 2009, BRD secured $5m and has since been well serviced.

    According to Jack Kayonga (former) Chief Executive of BRD, the credit facility will complement efforts by the government and the private sector in the promotion of SME’s.

    Duncan Mwesigye the EADB Uganda country Manager noted, “We have a deliberate focus on women and youth, as well as massive investment in rural areas. Rwanda depends on the capacity of SMEs to innovate and access new markets.”

  • U.S. Embassy Kigali Celebrates the 4th of July

    {{The U.S. Embassy staff and Rwandans gathered at the U.S. Embassy on July 3 in Kigali to celebrate the 237th anniversary of the Independence of the United States.
    The service began at 6:30 pm and was held at the U.S. Embassy compound. }}

    This important U.S. holiday is marked annually on July 4, but the U.S. Embassy has always celebrated it a day earlier in Rwanda because it coincides with Rwanda’s Liberation Day.

    The event was hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Donald W. Koran and his wife, Ms. Cynthia Goodson, and the guest of honor was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda, the Honorable Louise Mushikiwabo.

    The diverse guest list included Rwandan government officials, members of the business, education and arts communities, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and other friends of the United States from all over Rwanda.

    Ambassador Koran and Minister Mushikiwabo delivered remarks and the Embassy’s U.S. Marine Security Guards presented the U.S. flag during the ceremony.

    In his remarks to the guests, Ambassador Koran said: “This celebration is particularly meaningful here in Rwanda, as this week holds special significance not only for [the United States], but for our Rwandan hosts, who commemorate their independence and liberation from the horrors of genocide this week.”

    Noting that this year also marks the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous march on Washington for civil rights, he added that “just as we have seen momentous changes in the last 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, and in the last 50 years since Dr. King’s march on Washington, my country will continue to grow and welcome people of all races, faiths, national origin, and sexual orientation as full, equal members of the community. ”

    In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 4, 1776.

  • Egypt President Overthrown by Military

    {{After the Egyptian military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, Sources say the Head of Egypt constitutional court will be sworn in as interim head of state on Thursday}}

    After a day of drama in which tanks and troops deployed near the presidential palace as a military deadline for Mursi to yield to mass protests passed, the top army commander announced on television that the president had “failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people”.

    Flanked by political and religious leaders and top generals, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a roadmap for a return to democratic rule under a revised rulebook.

    The president of the supreme constitutional court will act as interim head of state, assisted by an interim council and a technocratic government until new presidential and parliamentary elections are held.

    “Those in the meeting have agreed on a roadmap for the future that includes initial steps to achieve the building of a strong Egyptian society that is cohesive and does not exclude anyone and ends the state of tension and division,” Sisi said in a solemn address broadcast live on state television.

    After he spoke, hundreds of thousands of anti-Mursi protesters in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square erupted into wild cheering, setting off fireworks and waving flags. Cars drove around the capital honking their horns in celebration.

    But a statement published in Mursi’s name on his official Facebook page after Sisi’s speech said the measures announced amounted to “a full military coup” and were “totally rejected”.

  • Body of Albino Stolen from Grave

    {{Residents of Macuba sector in Nyamasheke district have been shocked by a bizarre incidence in which unknown people exhumed and stole the body of an albino eight months after burial.}}

    The grave in which late Nyirahakuzimana Consolee had been buried eight months ago has been found empty.

    Nyamasheke district mayor Habyarimana Jean Baptiste confirmed the grave tampering but noted it was difficult at the moment to determine those behind the incidence.

    “We were informed on July 2 that the grave in which late Nyirahakuzimana had been buried had been tampered with. In about 700meters away from the grave, a coffin and cloths of the deceased were found scattered.”

  • Two Arrested for Smuggling Narcotics into Sunrise School

    {{Two suspects aged between 20 and 27 are currently awaiting trial at the Musanze district court after they were arrested while delivering illegal substances including narcotics and alcohol into Sunrise Secondary school in Cyuve sector within the district.}}

    Chief Sup. Francis Gahima the Police spokesperson in the Northern Province confirmed the arrest of suspects who were found in possession with four bottles of Blue Sky illegal gin and four pallets of marijuana on Saturday.

    The two male and female suspects were arrested by school guards that later handed them to Police for further investigations.

    The female suspect admitted to police that a student at school had asked her to deliver the four bottles of gin.

    However, the male suspect denied any wrong doing saying the guards that searched him stuffed pallets of narcotics into his pockets and lied that he had attempted to smuggled the narcotic substance into the school.