Author: IGIHE

160 Police officers train on response to environmental crimes

{A total of 160 Police officers attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, yesterday, completed two-day training on fighting environmental crimes including implementation of laws and policies.}

The training was organized by Rwanda National Police (RNP) in partnership with Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA).

It covered environmental laws and policies, awareness on protection and reporting offences committed in mining sector as well as interview and interrogation of witnesses and suspects of environmental crimes.

Others include investigation techniques, evidence collection, arrest, detention and rights of suspects, and service delivery in investigations.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana, while officiating at the closing of the training, said that the national vision, to which the force derives its mission, should be a guiding tool in their policing duties including fighting environmental crimes.

“Discipline and the overall factor of professionalism define service delivery. The values you stand for should be respected, implemented and sustained,” IGP Gasana said.

The training comes at the time when RNP, through its Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) that operates under CID, is actively involved in environmental related activities including community awareness but also implementing policies and laws through operations.

The operations have mainly been in fighting illegal mining, implementing the law on the ban of plastic bags as well as deforestation and preventing wildfire.

Last week, Police in Gatsibo District arrested 30 people who were mining illegally in a cassiterite concession in Rugarama Sector.

Source:Police

June 26, 2017
Video games can change your brain

{Scientists have collected and summarized studies looking at how video games can shape our brains and behavior. Research to date suggests that playing video games can change the brain regions responsible for attention and visuospatial skills and make them more efficient. The researchers also looked at studies exploring brain regions associated with the reward system, and how these are related to video game addiction.}

Do you play video games? If so, you aren’t alone. Video games are becoming more common and are increasingly enjoyed by adults. The average age of gamers has been increasing, and was estimated to be 35 in 2016. Changing technology also means that more people are exposed to video games. Many committed gamers play on desktop computers or consoles, but a new breed of casual gamers has emerged, who play on smartphones and tablets at spare moments throughout the day, like their morning commute. So, we know that video games are an increasingly common form of entertainment, but do they have any effect on our brains and behavior?

Over the years, the media have made various sensationalist claims about video games and their effect on our health and happiness. “Games have sometimes been praised or demonized, often without real data backing up those claims. Moreover, gaming is a popular activity, so everyone seems to have strong opinions on the topic,” says Marc Palaus, first author on the review, recently published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

Palaus and his colleagues wanted to see if any trends had emerged from the research to date concerning how video games affect the structure and activity of our brains. They collected the results from 116 scientific studies, 22 of which looked at structural changes in the brain and 100 of which looked at changes in brain functionality and/or behavior.

The studies show that playing video games can change how our brains perform, and even their structure. For example, playing video games affects our attention, and some studies found that gamers show improvements in several types of attention, such as sustained attention or selective attention. The brain regions involved in attention are also more efficient in gamers and require less activation to sustain attention on demanding tasks.

There is also evidence that video games can increase the size and efficiency of brain regions related to visuospatial skills. For example, the right hippocampus was enlarged in both long-term gamers and volunteers following a video game training program.

Video games can also be addictive, and this kind of addiction is called “Internet gaming disorder.” Researchers have found functional and structural changes in the neural reward system in gaming addicts, in part by exposing them to gaming cues that cause cravings and monitoring their neural responses. These neural changes are basically the same as those seen in other addictive disorders.

So, what do all these brain changes mean? “We focused on how the brain reacts to video game exposure, but these effects do not always translate to real-life changes,” says Palaus. As video games are still quite new, the research into their effects is still in its infancy. For example, we are still working out what aspects of games affect which brain regions and how. “It’s likely that video games have both positive (on attention, visual and motor skills) and negative aspects (risk of addiction), and it is essential we embrace this complexity,” explains Palaus.

Source:Science Daily

June 26, 2017
Star’s birth may have triggered another star birth, astronomers say

{Astronomers using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) have found new evidence suggesting that a jet of fast-moving material ejected from one young star may have triggered the formation of another, younger protostar.}

“The orientation of the jet, the speed of its material, and the distance all are right for this scenario,” said Mayra Osorio, of the Astrophysical Institute of Andalucia (IAA-CSIC) in Spain. Osorio is the lead author of a paper reporting the findings in the Astrophysical Journal.

The scientists studied a giant cloud of gas some 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion, where numerous new stars are being formed. The region has been studied before, but Osorio and her colleagues carried out a series of VLA observations at different radio frequencies that revealed new details.

Images of the pair show that the younger protostar, called HOPS (Herschel Orion Protostar Survey) 108, lies in the path of the outflow from the older, called HOPS 370. This alignment led Yoshito Shimajiri and collaborators to suggest in 2008 that the shock of the fast-moving material hitting a clump of gas had triggered the clump’s collapse into a protostar.

“We found knots of material within this outflow and were able to measure their speeds,” said Ana K. Diaz-Rodriguez also of IAA-CSIC.

The new measurements gave important support to the idea that the older star’s outflow had triggered the younger’s star’s formation process.

The scientists suggest that the jet from HOPS 370 (also known as FIR 3) began to hit the clump of gas about 100,000 years ago, starting the process of collapse that eventually led to the formation of HOPS 108 (also known as FIR 4). Four other young stars in the region also could be the result of similar interactions, but the researchers found evidence for shocks only in the case of HOPS 108.

While the evidence for this triggering scenario is strong, one fact appears to contradict it. The younger star seems to be moving rapidly in a way that indicates it should have been formed elsewhere, apart from the region impacted by the older star’s outflow.

“This motion, however, might be an illusion possibly created by an outflow from the newer star itself,” explained Osorio. “We want to continue to observe it over a period of time to resolve this question,” she added.

Source:Science Daily

June 26, 2017
UN Secretary-General Special Representative hails Rwanda Peacekeepers pro-active response to South Sudan crisis

{The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan, David Shearer has praised Rwanda Peacekeepers serving under United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for their quick response in support of humanitarian assistance in Aburoc Internally Displaced Persons camp, in Upper Nile Region, South Sudan.}

Mr Shearer made the comment last Wednesday, after visiting Aburoc camp that accommodates 25,000 IDPs.

At the beginning of April 2017, UNMISS helicoptered in 80 Rwandan peacekeepers together with armored vehicles to Aburoc, to create better security conditions for the humanitarian assistance. After the rapid deployment of the Peacekeepers, the Humanitarian Community arrived in the area two days later.

“The presence of peacekeeping troops undoubtedly provided the security and confidence that humanitarian agencies needed to operate in this remote and dangerous area,” said Mr Shearer. He noted that the demonstrated nimble and pro-active peacekeeping response should be emulated to other crisis situations in South Sudan.

“A cholera outbreak was stopped and hundreds of lives were saved as a result of this combined action together with a highly effective response by humanitarian agencies”, he added.

“With the possibility that Aburoc was going to become a humanitarian disaster area, it was important that everyone moved quickly,” Mr Shearer underlined. “I was very pleased that peacekeepers were ready to deploy nimbly and proactively. A light and effective footprint on the ground was what was needed”, he concluded.

The Aburoc village that numbered some 5,000 people only before the arrival of the IDPs was lacking water, food and health service; but now humanitarian agencies are safe to provide life-saving services to the needy.

Source:Minadef

June 26, 2017
Rwanda objects to cargo charges

{Rwandan shippers are protesting at Kenya’s continuing to charge fees for its electronic cargo tracking system in spite of the free integrated system being in place.}

Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda integrated their electronic cargo tracking systems, replacing the old, individual country-owned ones.

However, Kenya has maintained the old system that is run by private providers at a fee.

“We buy each electronic seal from private vendors in Kenya at $700, without which cargo cannot be released at the Mombasa port,” said Abdu Ndaru, CEO of the Kigali-based transport and logistics company TransAfrica Ltd.

Robert Mugabe, the deputy commissioner of the Revenue Investigation and Enforcement Department, confirmed that he had received Mr Ndaru’s complaint, and said that it was a one-off error that KRA has since rectified.

“I called my counterpart in KRA about it. We agreed that cargo coming to Rwanda will either have the Rwandan seal or the regional seal,” said Mr Mugabe.

He said he was told by his Kenya counterpart that the private e-seals are used for risky domestic market cargo to monitor its movement.

Chief executive of Kenya Shippers Council Gilbert Langat said they had not received any complaint from the Rwandan shippers.

“This is a free service because it is a cost taken over by TradeMark East Africa, and until later, when shippers will be notified on the amount to pay, the service remains free,” said Mr Langat.

TradeMark funded the project to enable the owners of the goods and clearing agents to get real-time feedback on location of a vehicle, its speed, status of the container, and whether the seals have been tampered with or not.

Patience Mutesi, the country manager of TradeMark East Africa-Rwanda said, “It is expected that the tracking device armed in Kigali will be used along the Northern Corridor from Kigali to Mombasa.”

{{Additional cost}}

Ms Mutesi said it is costly for the business community to arm two seals — one regional free seal and the privately managed ones — when Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda were facilitated jointly to track cargo from the port to destination.

“The private players are requiring that their tracking system be used in addition to the regional tracking devices, subjecting transporters to an extra cost; this should not be the case,” she said.

Tanzania chose to remain on the old electronic cargo tracking system to protect private business interests.

In the EAC, only Rwanda and Uganda are implementing the project.

Rwanda Trade, Industry and EAC Minister Francois Kanimba said Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya’s revenue bodies should charge transporters uniform fees.

Source:The East African

June 24, 2017
The mere presence of your smartphone reduces brain power, study shows

{Your cognitive capacity is significantly reduced when your smartphone is within reach — even if it’s off. That’s the takeaway finding from a new study from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.}

McCombs Assistant Professor Adrian Ward and co-authors conducted experiments with nearly 800 smartphone users in an attempt to measure, for the first time, how well people can complete tasks when they have their smartphones nearby even when they’re not using them.

In one experiment, the researchers asked study participants to sit at a computer and take a series of tests that required full concentration in order to score well. The tests were geared to measure participants’ available cognitive capacity — that is, the brain’s ability to hold and process data at any given time. Before beginning, participants were randomly instructed to place their smartphones either on the desk face down, in their pocket or personal bag, or in another room. All participants were instructed to turn their phones to silent.

The researchers found that participants with their phones in another room significantly outperformed those with their phones on the desk, and they also slightly outperformed those participants who had kept their phones in a pocket or bag.

The findings suggest that the mere presence of one’s smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity and impairs cognitive functioning, even though people feel they’re giving their full attention and focus to the task at hand. “We see a linear trend that suggests that as the smartphone becomes more noticeable, participants’ available cognitive capacity decreases,” Ward said. “Your conscious mind isn’t thinking about your smartphone, but that process — the process of requiring yourself to not think about something — uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It’s a brain drain.”

In another experiment, researchers looked at how a person’s self-reported smartphone dependence — or how strongly a person feels he or she needs to have a smartphone in order to get through a typical day — affected cognitive capacity. Participants performed the same series of computer-based tests as the first group and were randomly assigned to keep their smartphones either in sight on the desk face up, in a pocket or bag, or in another room. In this experiment, some participants were also instructed to turn off their phones.

The researchers found that participants who were the most dependent on their smartphones performed worse compared with their less-dependent peers, but only when they kept their smartphones on the desk or in their pocket or bag.

Ward and his colleagues also found that it didn’t matter whether a person’s smartphone was turned on or off, or whether it was lying face up or face down on a desk. Having a smartphone within sight or within easy reach reduces a person’s ability to focus and perform tasks because part of their brain is actively working to not pick up or use the phone.

“It’s not that participants were distracted because they were getting notifications on their phones,” said Ward. “The mere presence of their smartphone was enough to reduce their cognitive capacity.”

Source:Science Daily

June 24, 2017
Police advises on fire outbreak prevention

{Rwanda National Police (RNP) has called upon the general public to exercise extreme precaution against any activity that may lead to fire outbreaks, which may result into loss of lives and property.}

The Commanding Officer of the Fire and Rescue Unit in RNP, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jean Baptiste Seminega, made the call in reaction to the recent wildfire in Nyungwe National Park on June 21.

It is believed that the fire that gutted a section of the national reserve was caused by individuals, who were harvesting honey in the national park.

“Investigations are still underway to ascertain all circumstances surrounding the fire which destroyed about 21 hectares of the park,” ACP Seminega said.

“These are reckless traditional ways of harvesting honey that should be stopped to prevent such environmental degradation acts,” he added, calling for immediate reporting in cases anyone witnesses fire outbreak.

Honey harvesting, littered lit cigarette butts as well as burning garden wastes, are some of the causes of wildfire.

He urged the public to possess fire extinguishing equipments and acquire basic firefighting and detection skills.

“Preventing such disasters includes doing away with what can cause it but also reporting as soon as fire breaks out to prevent mass damage,” he said.

Some of the RNP contacts for fire and other responses to disasters include 111 (fire and rescue brigade) 112 for emergency, 07888311224, 07888311120 and 0788311335.

On fire outbreak in houses, he advised people to always use professional electricians, acquire fire extinguishers, keeping flammable products in the house or need fire, avoid overloading electric installations, and leaving lit candles in attendance of children.

In response to disasters and fire outbreak in particular, RNP has been conducting awareness campaigns, but also acquiring modern hi-tech equipment.

RNP in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government acquired firefighting trucks, which are stationed at the regional level, with plans to acquire more for districts for efficient response.

Source:Police

June 24, 2017
Lowering health risks of cannabis use with new public health guidelines

{Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, released with the endorsement of key medical and public health organizations, provide 10 science-based recommendations to enable cannabis users to reduce their health risks. The guidelines, based on a scientific review by an international team of experts, are published in the American Journal of Public Health.}

The guidelines address the fact that, despite the health risks of cannabis use, the rate of cannabis use in Canada is among the highest in the world. More than 10 per cent of adults and 25 per cent of adolescents report cannabis use over the past year. The health risks range from problems with memory and physical coordination, to motor vehicle accidents and mental health or dependence problems.

As Canada moves towards legalization with the introduction of the federal Cannabis Act, it provides an opportunity not only to regulate the use and supply, but also to educate and inform cannabis users to prevent or reduce cannabis-related health problems.

“Factual, science-based information can provide guidance to cannabis users to make choices that reduce both immediate and long-term risks to their health,” says Dr. Benedikt Fischer, Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), who led the development of the guidelines. They are a project of the Ontario site of the Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse (CRISM), a national initiative funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

“Cannabis use carries with it real health risks, and mitigating those risks for Canadians — particularly young Canadians — must be the first priority,” says Dr. Laurent Marcoux, President-Elect of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). “The CMA continues to recommend a broad public health policy approach focused on preventing problematic drug use; ensuring the availability of assessment and treatment services for those who wish to stop using; and harm reduction to increase the safety for those who are using.”

While the first guideline recommendation is to abstain from cannabis use to avoid all risks, the remaining recommendations address the elevated potential of risks related to initiating use at a young age, high potency products, alternative delivery systems, heavy use and driving, as well as identifying people at higher risk of problems — with concrete recommendations for risk reduction in each case.

“These guidelines are an important tool supporting a public health approach to cannabis use,” says Ian Culbert, Executive Director of the Canadian Public Health Association. “People who use cannabis and cannabis-derived products, front-line practitioners, and public health professionals can all benefit from having access to evidence-informed guidelines that can help reduce the potential negative health effects associated with cannabis use. Through their widespread adoption, the guidelines will provide people who use cannabis with the information they need to manage their use and protect their health and well-being.”

The other organizations endorsing the guidelines are the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, and CAMH.

“Given the many people, especially young people, who use and may be harmed by cannabis use, we are pleased to recommend this evidence-based harm-reduction guidance to Canadians who do choose to use cannabis,” says Dr. David Allison, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Newfoundland and Labrador, speaking on behalf of the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health. “This document is a welcome addition to our tool box for protecting and promoting the health of Canadians.”

Using scientific evidence as the basis for public guidelines is similar to existing public health initiatives for low-risk drinking, or safer sexual behaviours to avoid infection or unwanted pregnancy.

In addition to the scientific paper, the guidelines are available as a public brochure for users and an evidence summary for health professionals.

Source:Science Daily

June 24, 2017
Third DASSO intake graduate at Police Training School

{At least 371 have joined District Administration Security Support Organ (DASSO), after completing a three-month training at the Police Training School (PTS) Gishari, yesterday.}

The pass-out was presided over by the State Minister in the Ministry of Local Government in charge of Socio-Economic Development, Vincent Munyeshyaka.

88 of the trainees were females.

It was also attended by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana and Deputy IGP in charge of Administration and Personnel, Juvenal Marizamunda as well as mayors of 15 districts where the graduands were recruited.

While emphasizing on professionalism and discipline, the State Minister said the two principles are very essential for service excellence in the security-related duties they are undertaking and efficiently serve the people.

“DASSO was created with a purpose; its success depends on what you will be doing individually and collectively. It is a duty to that you have undertaken to serve the people and the nation with maximum discipline, self-esteem but also working with the people and security institutions,” Munyeshyaka said.

He commended Rwanda National Police leadership for its continued commitment and support through extending skills to DASSO members and other partners in policing.

According to the Commandant of PTS, Commissioner of Police (CP) Vianney Nshimiyimana, the course covered key lessons that include Community Policing philosophy, Leadership and Management, Ethics and Integrity, Weapon Handling, Martial Art and enlightened them on various government development programmes.

One of the graduands, Anastase Bigina, who spoke on behalf of course participants, said they are “proud for having been given the trust and selected to serve their country.”

Established by a May 10, 2013 law, Dasso is a district organ that has been mandated to support law enforcement in districts.

The law tasks them to arrest any person involved in disruption of public order and hand them over to the Police; to inform an administration entity of any suspicious security threat, among others.

In a related development, IGP Gasana also officially closed a nine-month course of 159 Non-Commissioned Officers at PTS.

Source:Police

June 24, 2017
MTN Rwanda provides ‘Mutuelle de Sante’ to 500 from Rwandan Muslim Community

{MTN Rwanda yesterday donated Rwf 1.5M to 500 individuals from the Rwandan Muslim Community for their Mutuelle de Sante subscription to enable them access health care services. The event took place yesterday at the MTN Headquarters in Nyarutarama.}

According to the MTN Rwanda CEO, Mr Bart Hofker, the gesture was to join the Rwandan Muslim Community in and around Kigali to support them as they observe the Holy month of Ramadan.

“This is a show of continued support and making a difference in the lives of our customers and especially now, in the lives of our Muslim brothers and sisters as they come to the end of the holy month of Ramadan,” he said.

One of the four representatives from the Rwandan Muslim Community Mr Ntawiha Haridi on behalf of the Muslim community, heartily thanked MTN Rwanda for the donation they were given noting that it is not the first time MTN Rwanda is doing this to their community. He mentioned that the donation shall be used to enable 500 members of their community to access health care services.

‘Mutuelle de Santé’ is a community-based universal health care scheme launched in 2015 to ensure that all Rwandans have access to health care.

Alain Numa, the Head of Promotion, Sponsorship and Events at MTN Rwanda said, “This is not the first time we have supported the Muslim Community in Rwanda. As a company that ensures we make the lives of our customers brighter, MTN will continue with the spirit of association with its clientele in a show of solidarity and appreciation of support it has received over the years.”

June 23, 2017