{{Starting October, the East African Community will use a single customs territory to collect taxes.}}
Once implemented, the single customs territory is expected to eliminate barriers to trade by adopting a central model of clearing goods whereby taxes and assessments will be done only at the first point of entry; thus, saving time and reducing the cost of doing business.
A single customs territory follows an earlier East proposal where Heads of states are seeking a single political head.
{{RwandAir has launched direct flights to South Sudan which will commence on September 21st 2013. The airline has opted to launch with three weekly flights on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. }}
The first flight is set to attract passengers many passengers from both ends, Kigali and Juba.
RwandAir, the national carrier of Rwanda is set to have its maiden flight to Juba on a Saturday with landing time confirmed at 16:00 at the Juba International Airport.
RwandAir has chosen to operate the Bombardier CRJ 900NG, the only of its kind in the region.
This 75 seats aircraft is one of two that were purchased fromfactory in November of 2012 and serves daily flights to Nairobi and Entebbe via Kigali.
It also serves on the Dar es Salaamleg with five weekly flights as well astwo weekly flights to Bujumbura and Brazzaville.
Juba will be the 15th destination that RwandAir opens since it rebranded to its current operating name in 2009. The representing office in Juba is located at the ground floor of the Airport Business Centre in Tong Piny’ Area.
The airline has been the subject of much awe and appreciation for its sustained and fast growth.
It is already ranked among one of the airlines with the youngest fleet in Africa, after being dubbed one of the fastest growing airlines on the continent.
RwandAir is also famous for conveniently connecting passengers through Kigali International Airport.
All flights from Juba to either Tanzania or West Africa will be offered a free night in Kigali. Still relatively small in size, the airport and the airline are able to provide seamless transfers and a much more personalized service to Entebbe, Nairobi, Dubai,Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, and many more
{{Laywers representing Genocide Suspect Jean Bosco Uwinkindi 61, need about Frw103Million to facilitate them in meeting with the witnesses in a period of six months. }}
Over Frw60 million is required to pay for the defence lawyers.
Uwinkindi is charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and extermination as well as crimes against humanity committed in current Bugesera District.
The suspects defence lawyers Gatera Gashabana and Jean Baptiste Niyibizi had written to the Bar Association and the Ministry of Justice, asking for money to reach 70 witnesses, including 32 who are outside the country.
Niyibizi said, “The trial cannot continue before hearing from the witnesses to corroborate our evidence for a strong defence.”
However, prosecution, represented by Jean Bosco Mutangana and Bonaventure Ruberwa, submitted that defence had failed to submit their request before end of the 2012/13 fiscal year as it had been agreed with the Ministry of Justice and it was a delaying tactic which court should not entertain.
{{Kenya and Nigeria have signed agreements aimed at strengthening areas of agriculture, fisheries and livestock.}}
The agreements were signed in Nairobi after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria met in Nairobi Friday.
According to a joint communiqué, the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding in the area of immigration that will see visa exception, trans-national crime, drug abuse and improving trade between the two countries.
The two leaders agreed to increase trade and investments by creating a better environment for cultural and tourism exchange between their countries.
“Kenya and Nigeria have agreed to improve their cooperation in increasing trade with Nigeria on West Coast of Indian Ocean and Kenya on the East Cost of India Ocean and we can achieve a lot,” said President Kenyatta.
“We want to see Africa going beyond being the primary source of material that service foreign companies but a continent that can add value to its products and export to other countries,” said President Jonathan.
He said that the trade level between members of the European Union is at 70% and between Asian nations at 50% but Africa countries was still at 11%, which he said was not healthy.
{{President Paul Kagame and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania have defused diplomatic tensions following a private face to face meeting they held in Uganda on the sidelines of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).}}
According to Tanzania Presidency statement, Mr Kikwete and Mr Kagame “had fruitful talks and were all satisfied”.
The two presidents agreed to continue cooperating in building the “good and historical” relations between the two countries, according to the statement.
The meeting of two leaders was eagerly awaited after Mr Kikwete had asked President Museveni to help resolve the tensions between the two countries.
{{Rwanda has mantained its global position at 63rd among 144 economies surveyed for competitiveness. Rwanda was ranked at the same position in 2012.}}
The survey conducted by the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index and released this week also says Rwanda is the third most competitive economy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Reacting to the rankings, the acting chief executive officer of the Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi said, “The government is committed to increasing innovations and improving the skills of our people to enhance the country’s competitiveness globally.”
Akamanzi noted that Rwanda was getting ready to leap out of the set of 38 development-factor-driven economies into the efficiency-driven economies in the world.
According to the report Rwanda came close to South Africa, which was ranked 52nd, topped sub-Saharan countries followed by Mauritius (54th).
Compared to performance of East African member states; Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi were ranked 106th, 120th, 123rd and 144th, respectively.
Switzerland topped the list followed by Singapore and Finland as the most competitive countries in the world.
{{The government of Rwanda will not tolerate any human trafficking especially targeting young girls, women and children—President Paul Kagame Said Friday while launching the Judicial year 2013/2014 at a function held at Parliamentary buildings.
President Kagame reminded the participants, “you are aware of the human trafficking cases but we will not tolerate such cases. Human trafficking is not a business but a crime that we should not tolerate”.}}
The head of state urged the judiciary to also quickly handle cases of Drug trafficking,commercial wrangles and embezzlement of public funds and vandlism of public infrastructure.
{more to follow}
{{A bodyguard to the stars known as the “Dutch Giant” was killed by US police on Monday night under bizarre circumstances. }}
According to an article by Mail Online Norman Oosterbroek, 43, died after being tasered in his neighbour’s house.
Oosterbroek was allegedly found stark naked on Markus and Christiane Jung’s property in Miami.
“When police arrived they found Oosterbroek allegedly pounding a neighbour with one hand while gobbling suspected drugs with the other,” the Miami Herald reported.
According to the report, officers said they saw Oosterbroek ingest an unknown substance during the fight before he violently resisted arrest.
They tasered him in the chest and he collapsed at the scene. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Baptist Hospital.
Oosterbroek was a bodyguard to stars like Jay Z, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Rihanna, but began his career in South Africa as a bodyguard to Nelson Mandela.
He later formed his own international security firm, RAD, which is based in the Netherlands.
Despite his success, he suffered from drug problems, authorities said, and had been in and out of rehab over the years.
news24
{{Pope Francis came under fire from victims groups on Thursday following news that he had quietly sacked the Vatican’s envoy to the Dominican Republic over allegations of paedophilia.}}
“Like all of his predecessors, Pope Francis is acting belatedly, secretively and recklessly,” said Barbara Dorris, outreach director for the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
“Catholic officials act only when forced to do so by media pressure,” she said in a statement.
“When they do act, they act secretively — in this case, by not disclosing the allegations, the suspension or the reason for the suspension.”
On August 21 Monsignor Josef Wesolowski, the papal nuncio in Santo Domingo, was sacked without the Vatican sharing the news with the public.
On Wednesday, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the I.Media news agency on Vatican affairs that an investigation was underway in Rome into allegations of child sex abuse against him.
The Dominican press said the diplomat had sex for money with underage boys in the “Zona colonial”, the historic centre of Santo Domingo.
Wesolowski, a 65-year-old Pole who has been the papal envoy in Santo Domingo for five years, was ordained in 1972 by the then Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II.
John Paul II appointed him nuncio to Bolivia, his first posting. Wesolowski also worked in several countries in Central Asia and was appointed to the Dominican Republic by Pope Benedict in 2008.
Pope Francis has vowed to crack down against abuse in the Catholic Church, reiterating the zero-tolerance approach eventually taken up by his predecessor Benedict following a wave of revelations.
In July, Francis bolstered criminal legislation against child abuse in the Vatican, issuing a decree that included “a broader definition of the category of crimes against minors” including child prostitution, sexual acts with children and child pornography.”
The new laws introduce specific forms of crime that are indicated in international conventions that the Vatican has already ratified including against racism and war crimes and on children’s rights.
{France24}
{{Following the approval of a Motion by Parliament for Kenya to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the US government is calling for the fulfilment of promises made to victims of the 2008 post election violence.}}
According to the US State Department, there is need for the government to support the rule of law and work to ensure accountability for crimes against humanity.
“We urge the government of Kenya to fulfil its commitments to seek justice for the victims of the 2007-2008 post-election violence. In that regard, we note President Kenyatta’s recent statements affirming his commitment to ensure that Kenya meets its international obligations as a party to the Rome Statute,” a statement from the department said.
The move by Members of Parliament has drawn criticism from various human rights organisations.
Amnesty International pointed out that the vote would deny justice to those who were affected by the post election violence.
In a statement, the organisation’s African Director Netsanet Belay said that the move set a dangerous precedent for the future of justice in Africa.
“The vote is a disturbing attempt to deny justice to the hundreds of thousands of people who were driven from their homes or killed in the post election violence in 2007-8,” he said.
He described it as unacceptable to try and protect those facing prosecution for alleged crimes against humanity and allow them to evade justice.
Human Rights Watch on the other hand pointed out that the motion to withdraw from the ICC can’t stop the current cases facing the President and his Deputy.
“The Trial of Kenya’s deputy President William Ruto begins next Tuesday in The Hague. Every time the ICC process inches forward to deliver a justice denied Kenyans by their own government, the country’s political establishment scrambles furiously to block the way,” the organization said in a statement.
“A motion by lawmakers calling for Kenya to withdraw from the ICC can’t stop these cases. Kenya’s obligations to cooperate with the ICC in the cases before it remain intact.”
There was a charged debate in Parliament on Thursday as MPs approved the Motion that sets the stage for Kenya’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
The Motion came barely five days before Deputy President William Ruto begins his trial for crimes against humanity at Hague.
The Leader of Majority Adan Duale introduced the Motion but it was later amended by nominated MP Johnson Sakaja and seeks to introduce a Bill within the next 30 days to repeal the International Crimes Act (No 16 of 2008) and that the Government urgently undertakes measures to immediately withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC adopted by the UN Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on July 17, 1998.