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  • Kenya’s August Inflation Up to 7%

    Kenya’s August Inflation Up to 7%

    {{Kenya’s overall inflation has gone up once again in the month of August to stand at 6.67 percent from July’s figure of 6.02 percent.}}

    Kenya National Bureau of Statistics(KNBS) attributes the development to increase in restaurant and hotel index by 0.85 percent on account of marginal rises in the cost of café’ and kiosks foods as well as hotel accommodation.

    Housing, water and electricity index also rose by 0.99 while transport index increased by 0.84percent.

    Food and non alcoholic drinks index increased marginally by 0.10 percent.

    “This marginal increase in the index (Food and non alcoholic drinks) was as a result of aggregate rises that outweighed falls in the average prices of various food items,” KNBS said in a statement, “The transport index went up due to increases on the pump prices of petrol, diesel and public transport fares.”

    The price of a 500ml packet of milk went up by 2.71 percent from Sh38.88 in the month of July to Sh39.94 in August while a kilogram of beef rose to Sh342.87 to Sh346.61, representing a 1.09 percent.

    A basic meal of ‘Ugali Mboga’ increased by 0.34 percent to sell at average price of Sh81.79 in August from Sh81.52 with motorists paying more at the pump by 1.88 percent from an average price of Sh109 in July to Sh112 in August.

    However the price of 2kg sifted maize flour decreased by 1.64 percent from 108.09 to Sh106.33.

    {standardmedia}

  • US Spying ‘black budget’ Detailed

    US Spying ‘black budget’ Detailed

    {{A breakdown of US intelligence’s multi-billion dollar “black budget” has been revealed in files disclosed by leaker Edward Snowden to the Washington Post.}}

    The CIA’s budget is the most expensive, $14.7bn (£9.5bn) out of $52.6bn in total for 16 intelligence agencies, according to the files.

    Two of those agencies are also actively hacking into foreign computer networks, reports the Washington Post.

    The US has not made public a breakdown of the total intelligence budget.

    The newspaper published charts detailing the budget, but did not post all the documents, citing “sensitive details” after US officials expressed concerns about risks to methods and sources.

    According to the Washington Post, the CIA’s budget has grown more than 50% since 2004.

    ‘Priority’ intelligence targets

    The files also reportedly show the budget of the National Security Agency (NSA), America’s electronic spying organisation – it apparently requested $10.8bn for 2013, making it second only to the CIA.

    Nearly $5bn of the CIA’s budget is allocated to human intelligence operations, with almost $67m of that total reserved for funding the false identities of its overseas spies, according to the files.

    The CIA and the NSA have also launched “offensive cyber operations” to hack into or sabotage enemy computer networks, according to the files.

    The documents reportedly refer to China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Israel as “priority” counterintelligence targets. Israel is an American ally, though it has previously conducted espionage against the US.

    The NSA is denying one part of Friday’s report – that the agency planned to investigate up to 4,000 cases of possible internal security breaches before Mr Snowden made his disclosures to the media.

    {agencies}

  • US Open 2013: Dan Evans knocked out

    US Open 2013: Dan Evans knocked out

    {{A battling Dan Evans could not take his surprise US Open run into the second week as he lost to Spanish 19th seed Tommy Robredo in four sets.}}

    The Briton, 23, had two set points on his own serve to force a decider but could not convert, and Robredo won the third-round match 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 4-6 7-5 in three hours and 13 minutes.

    Robredo, who struggled with a leg injury in the closing stages, fought back superbly from 5-3 down in the fourth set to claim victory.

    Evans, ranked 179th, earned £60,000 in prize money for his efforts and enough points to get close to the world’s top 150, but missed out on a possible dream fourth-round match against Roger Federer.

    “It was a tough one, especially to go down in the fourth set after serving for it and having two set points,” Evans told media.

    “I felt in pretty much total control of the match. The last point is always the hardest one and I couldn’t get that last point of the set to take it to a fifth.

    “I just played two really loose points – that’s all it was. They came at the wrong time. I just have to learn on that for next time.”

    It was the British number three’s sixth match in 10 days at Flushing Meadows after coming through three rounds of qualifying, then beating 11th seed Kei Nishikori and world number 52 Bernard Tomic.

    He had never won a match in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament before New York, and playing under lights on the Louis Armstrong Stadium, albeit in front of a sparse crowd, was a far cry from the Challenger events he is more used to.

    {agencies}

  • Congolese Armed Forces Occupy Rebel Positions

    Congolese Armed Forces Occupy Rebel Positions

    {{Government troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo have occupied strategic locations in the hills overlooking the eastern city of Goma, as rebel M23 fighters withdrew.}}

    The M23 rebels, who have fought an 18-month uprising in the eastern borderlands of DR Congo, said they quit the Kibati hills to allow an independent investigation into shelling that has killed civilians in Goma and the lakeside town of Gisenyi in neighbouring Rwanda.

    The Congolese troops, backed by an armed UN force with an expansive mandate, took the positions on Saturday.

    Congo’s army troops have been buoyed by the intervention of a new UN brigade fighting alongside them to drive back the M23 rebels. “We won!” they chanted in Kibati, which was, until Thursday, a rebel outpost on the frontline overlooking Goma.

    “They did not leave by choice, they were confronted with the power of the army,” Lieutenant Colonel Olivier Hamuli, a spokesman for Congo’s armed forces, told reporters.

    {agencies}

  • Rape Cases Soar in Somali Camps

    Rape Cases Soar in Somali Camps

    {{There has been a rise in incidents of rape and sexual abuse of women and young girls in Somalia.

    Most of the assaults go unreported because victims fear stigma and reprisals.

    The United Nations recorded 1,700 rapes in 500 camps for displaced people in the capital Mogadishu.}}

    Click to see video report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcZhqgRIsfM
    aljazeera

  • Body Found From 1968 India Plane Crash

    Body Found From 1968 India Plane Crash

    {{The body of an Indian soldier killed in an air crash in the Himalayas 45 years ago has been recovered, the army says.}}

    The remains of NCO Jagmail Singh were found on the Dhakka glacier in northern Himachal Pradesh state.

    The soldier’s identity was established by an identity disk, an insurance policy and a letter found in his pocket, the spokesman said.

    The army transport plane crashed in February 1968, killing all 98 soldiers on board.

    Nothing more was heard from the aircraft after it made radio contact near the Rohtang pass, which links Himachal Pradesh with Indian-administered Kashmir.

    According to media reports, the debris of the Antonov-12 was discovered by accident by a team on the Dhakka glacier in 2003.

    Four other bodies were recovered in subsequent search missions.

    The latest search operation started on 13 August.

    BBC

  • Mali Floods: Death toll Rises

    Mali Floods: Death toll Rises

    The death toll in floods which left thousands homeless in the Malian capital, Bamako, has risen to 34, officials said.

    More than 100 homes, mostly poorly constructed mud-brick buildings on drainage sites, were swept away as the river Niger burst its banks in torrential rain on Wednesday, bringing down bridges and submerging entire streets.

    “I have been told of 34 dead. Damage to property is widespread and the evaluation is ongoing,” Die Dao, deputy head of the Department of Civil Protection rescue mission, said on Friday.

    Mali’s independent newspapers have reported higher death tolls of up to 50 deaths.

    Flooding often leads to widespread displacements and casualties during West Africa’s June to October rainy season, as well as disease outbreaks due partly to poor sanitation.

    Local television broadcast images of homeless residents wandering Bamako’s streets, apparently in shock, as others waded through chest-high, fast-flowing muddy water to rescue stranded neighbours.

    The old hillside district of Taliko suffered the brunt of the flooding, with victims finding refuge in a primary school equipped with mats, kettles and mosquito nets.

    Headmaster Abdoul Konate said the victims were desperate for money and clothes.

    “They said that they have lost all their savings. There are 80 of them, about half of whom are children,” he told media.

    {agencies}

  • Delhi Gang Rape: Teenager Found Guilty

    Delhi Gang Rape: Teenager Found Guilty

    {{A teenager has been found guilty of taking part in the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus last year.}}

    He was convicted on charges of rape and murder over the crime, committed when he was aged 17.

    The teenager, who cannot be named, has been sentenced to three years in a reform facility, the maximum term possible for a juvenile.

    He had denied the charges, as do four adult men also on trial for the same attack.

    The victim’s mother left the court in tears, and told reporters that the teenager should be hanged.

    “By not punishing this teenager, this verdict is encouraging other teenagers to indulge in such acts and does not provide any safety to girls,” she said, according to Reuters news agency.

    The time that he has served in detention since his arrest will count towards his sentence, correspondents say.

    The four others accused in the case could face the death penalty.

    A fifth adult defendant was found dead in his cell in March and prison officials said they believed he hanged himself.

    The gang rape of the 23-year-old woman last December caused uproar across India and triggered a national debate about the treatment of women.

    The verdict in the case of the teenager – now aged 18 – had been deferred several times before.

    wirestory

  • Germany Merkel Faces Poll Rival in TV Debate

    Germany Merkel Faces Poll Rival in TV Debate

    {{German Chancellor Angela Merkel and centre-left election rival Peer Steinbrueck are due to take part in their only televised election debate.}}

    The event is seen as the Social Democrat (SPD) leader’s biggest chance to claw back Mrs Merkel’s lead in the opinion polls before this month’s vote.

    Although the chancellor’s conservative bloc is expected to win, her coalition partners are faring poorly.

    The 90-minute debate starts at 18:30 GMT and will be aired on main channels.

    With three weeks to go before the 22 September vote, the two candidates will be grilled by four journalists before an estimated TV audience of up to 20 million.

    Peer Steinbrueck will face the first question and Angela Merkel will have the final answer, with each answer limited to 90 seconds.

    So far, there have been few campaign issues that have exposed major policy differences between the two figures and the parties have focused on their personalities.

    Mr Steinbrueck is often witty but prone to gaffes, while Mrs Merkel often seems less than comfortable in the cut and thrust of live debatelocal media reports.

    {agencies}

  • Ship Attack on Suez Canal ‘Foiled’

    Ship Attack on Suez Canal ‘Foiled’

    {{Egyptian officials say they have foiled an attack on a container ship which was aimed at disrupting shipping in the busy Suez Canal.}}

    Canal authority head Mohab Mamish said a “terrorist element” targeted a Panama-flagged vessel on Saturday, but it was undamaged.

    There were reports of two blasts, but details of the attack are unclear.

    Egypt’s Sinai has been hit by a wave of violence since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power.

    The unconfirmed reports said there were two explosions at 12:30 GMT on Saturday as the ship, Cosco Asia, passed through the waterway.

    “The situation was dealt with strictly by the armed forces,” Adm Mamish said in a statement.

    The Suez Canal – between Port Said and Suez – is a vital global trade route between the Red Sea and Mediterranean.

    BBC