Author: IGIHE

Man jailed for pregnant woman attack at Bletchley Co-op

{A “shabby racist” who repeatedly kicked a pregnant Muslim woman, resulting in her losing her unborn baby, has been jailed for almost four years.}

David Gallacher, 37, of no fixed address, attacked Samsam Haji-Ali, 34, and her husband outside a Co-op in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, in August.

He admitted actual bodily harm, assault by beating and two counts of racially or religiously aggravated assault.

The judge called him a “thug and a racist to boot.”

Aylesbury Crown Court heard Somali Ms Haji-Ali was racially abused by Gallacher in the Water Eaton Road shop on 4 August.

He swore at her and said: “You come here with your clown outfit on…”

As her husband Abdullah Sulamain, 40, attempted to calm him down in the car park outside, Gallacher hit him on the head with a bottle of wine and a bag of ice.

He then kicked Ms Haji-Ali in the stomach.

Judge Francis Sheridan said: “She told him she was pregnant and he continued to kick her again, after he was told she was pregnant.

“She is left rolling around on the ground in agony and later found there is bleeding, before she lost the baby.”

Ms Haji-Ali miscarried on 24 August.

Judge Sheridan said her pregnancy had been “absolutely fine” before the attack, and in his view “the loss of that baby was a direct result of a kick to the stomach of a pregnant woman”.

He told Gallacher: “There was a racial element to this attack.

“The defendant is a shabby racist on the language that he used towards this lady.

“It is time you learnt that your vile conduct and abhorrent views are a thing of the past.”

Gallacher admitted two counts of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm and three counts of assaulting a police officer during his arrest in September last year.

He was jailed for three years and seven months for the race attacks and four months for the officer assault, to run consecutively.

Source:BBC

May 23, 2017
WHO says fourth person dies from Ebola in the DRC

{A fourth person is suspected to have died after succumbing to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of (DRC) Congo.}

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Sunday that the person had died in a remote part of north-eastern DRC, bringing the total number of cases in Africa to 37.

Two of the 37 cases were confirmed as Ebola, while three, including the latest death, are considered probable of being Ebola, while 32 were suspected, WHO’s Congo spokesman Eugene Kabambi told media.

Mobile laboratories have been dispatched to the zone where the disease is prevalent by the health authorities who are monitoring 416 people who had come into contact with sufferers, Kabambi added.

Source:Enca

May 23, 2017
China ‘At the Bedside’ of Burundi

{The Chinese Vice President made a three-day visit to Burundi last week. A breath of fresh air for Bujumbura.}

Strengthening its cooperation in the fields of education, energy, mining and infrastructure was Beijing’s priority for a three-day visit to Bujumbura. But it goes well beyond that since China has always changed its attitudes. In addition to infrastructures such as schools, roads, bridges, and very recently the presidential palace, Beijing promised budgetary and humanitarian aid without any compensation. Two agreements were signed at the end of the visit.

There is first of all this budgetary support of more than 200 million yuan, or $ 30 million and a humanitarian donation of 5 thousand tons of rice, in addition to the 5200 tons that China has granted to Burundi at the end of 2016.

“It is true that these 30 million dollars are not very much compared to the amount given by the European Union, but it is a fine sum for Bujumbura in serious lack of currency,” said one analyst. “And with the drought, the harvest has not been good, hence the need for this cereal support”, he said.

{{Money, rice, but not only that}}

This three-day visit of four Chinese Government officials is a strong symbol for Bujumbura. Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Education Du Zhanyuan alongside Assistant Foreign Minister Qian Hongshan. There was also Wang Bingnan, assistant to the trade minister as well as Xu Yanhao, Vice president of Science and Technology Association.

Burundian Foreign Affairs Minister Alain Aimé Nyamitwe hastened to say “a high-level delegation” speaking of “a historic visit”. According to him, this visit is a testimony of a country that has recovered its security.

Beyond the prestige of this move, Bujumbura can also boast of having a friend in the UN Security Council. In this regard, China Vice President said that his country has always supported the efforts of all developing countries including Burundi, in order to defend their national sovereignty and combat any external interference.

Since the beginning of the Burundi crisis in 2015, several motions for resolutions on Burundi have been submitted to the UN Security Council. Most of them have been blocked by China which vetoed.

{{Coincidence with the European Union Day
}}

The Chinese delegation arrived in Bujumbura on 10 May, while the EU delegation was celebrating the European Union Day, a coincidence that did not escape observers. Some even compared the dissimilarity of the languages of these two powers.

The Head of the European Union delegation, Ambassador Wolfram Vetter, has noted that the situation in Burundi has not yet normalized. He referred to security which is superficial and fragile, a rhetoric very different from the Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao, who says Burundi is safe and stable. An echo to the rhetoric of the government in place that always says that peace is a reality and that there is no crisis in Burundi.

The country is under sanctions taken by the EU since March 2016. The European Union, whose aid accounted for 20% of the budget decided to freeze the direct aid granted to the Burundian government. The European Union has always demanded the respect of the Cotonou Agreement by Bujumbura. The agreement was signed by African states, including Burundi on the one hand, and the European Union on the other hand. Article 96 stipulates that the parties undertake to respect democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law.

For the Head of the European delegation, conditions have not yet been met to resume budget support to the Government of Burundi. “Human rights violations, cases of torture, disappearances continue to be reported. The political and media space as well as civil society are greatly reduced, “said Vetter.

In any case, since the European Union has suspended its financial aid, Burundi seems to be looking for new allies. It began to attract Cuba, Venezuela, Russia and of course China, a campaign of seduction that has not yet filled the gap created by the EU.

It is worth reminding that Burundi has had significant visits since the beginning of the crisis .On 22 February 2016, the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon visited the country. Shortly after him, from 24 to 25 February 2016, a high-level delegation of the African Union, with the presidents of Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania, South Africa and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, arrived.

{{And China in all this?}}

The great world economic power that sends its Vice President more or less “at the bedside” of Burundi which fights against bankruptcy may seem on the face of it unlikely. It’s known that apart from its concern to help widows and orphans, China also works in terms of profit.

So, why is China interested in Burundi, the poorest country in the world?

“It is not as poor as that,” says an analyst. The discovery of rich soil, minerals like coltan, nickel in addition to Lake Tanganyika makes it coveted. Without forgetting and perhaps we had to start with that: its strategic geographical position. Burundi has a door that opens towards its rich neighboring country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. It also has a key to the East African Community. And its advantages have not gone unnoticed; China takes advantage of the inaction of the European Union and the United States to “position itself” to conquer the Great Lakes and the EAC.

Source:Iwacu

May 23, 2017
Kenya:Political nominees face supreme integrity test

{Dozens of political nominees, ranging from members of county assemblies to governors, have a reason to worry after the Supreme Court on Monday took charge of a case filed by the national agency on human rights, seeking to lock out contestants who are either under investigation by anti-graft units or are facing court charges.}

On Monday, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights appeared before the Supreme Court’s deputy registrar for the mention of its case, which seeks to block leaders with questions surrounding their integrity from contesting the August elections.

The commission has sued the Attorney-General and listed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, 12 political parties, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Auditor-General as interested parties.

The political parties are Jubilee, Orange Democratic Movement, Wiper, Democratic Party, Amani National Congress, Ford-Kenya, Kenya African National Union, Labour Party, National Rainbow Coalition, Narc Kenya, Maendeleo Chap Chap, and Chama Cha Mashinani.

{{Personal responsibility }}

The KNCHR, through lawyer Nani Mungai, argues that the Constitution stipulates that persons entrusted with public funds should take personal liability for any losses or acts that are contrary to the law, and therefore should be of proven integrity.

It faults both the Appellate and High courts for shying away from interpreting Chapter Six of the Constitution, which deals with the leadership and integrity qualifications of civil servants, whether elected or appointed.

“Some of the nominees are either suspects or have been taken to court over offences which involve misuse or misappropriation of public funds, or other heinous crimes which negatively impact on their integrity,” argues the commission.

KNCHR further alleges that some candidates have already been found to have acted in gross misconduct by way of their profession, business or private lives.

“This advisory is crucial in light of the fact that we are in an election year and some of the persons who are responsible for ensuring that public funds are lawfully and properly applied have offered themselves to be elected in the forthcoming polls.”

{{No chance for appeal }}

The Supreme Court’s decision will be final, with no chance for appeal.

That could deal a blow to the political careers of individuals implicated in violence, voter bribery and other election malpractices.

However, activist Okiya Omtatah has filed an objection to the hearing and determination of the matter at the top court, saying that he has filed a similar case before the High Court that is still ongoing.

In his suit at the High Court, Mr Omtatah is protesting against the fact that 15 institutions — dubbed the Chapter Six Working Group on Election Preparedness — have joined forces to ensure that law is enforced for those intending to vie.

The IEBC has a special vetting panel to weed out aspirants with integrity issues.

It has been meeting since May 10, and has been forwarding reports to various agencies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Judiciary, the Attorney-General, and the Commission for Higher Education, which is validating the authenticity of the academic certificates of all aspirants.

{{Received complaints }}

“Upon receiving feedback from the agencies, we will then write to our presiding officers not to clear candidates who will not meet the requirements of the Constitution,” a source in the panel said.

When releasing its assessment report on party nominations last week, KNCHR said it had received more than 50 complaints touching on some candidates’ integrity.

Attorney-General Githu Muigai said the Chapter Six Working Group will leave nothing to chance, and will use this election to raise the bar on leadership and integrity.

“I want the Judiciary to help us weed out elements that we all agree ought not to be on leadership positions,” said Prof Muigai.

Source:Daily Nation

May 23, 2017
19 killed in terror blast at UK pop concert

{Nineteen people have been killed in a suspected terrorist attack during a pop concert by US star Ariana Grande in the northwest English city of Manchester, police said Tuesday.}

There were scenes of panic as Grande’s audience of youthful fans fled the 21,000-capacity venue after what eyewitnesses described as a “huge bomb-like bang” in the foyer area at the end of the concert.

A fleet of ambulances was seen rushing to the venue and bomb disposal teams were dispatched soon after, as city residents opened up their doors to stranded concert-goers after train services were shut down.

“So far 19 people have been confirmed dead, with around 50 others injured. This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise,” police said in a statement.

{{Appalling attack }}

British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the “appalling terrorist attack”.

“All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected,” she said in a statement.

The first unconfirmed reports of an explosion emerged shortly after 2145 GMT on Monday.

Gary Walker from Leeds told BBC Radio 5 Live he was hit by shrapnel in his foot and his wife sustained a stomach wound as they waited for their daughters to come out of the concert.

“We heard the last song go and then suddenly there was a massive flash and then a bang and smoke,” he said.

Manchester Arena said the incident “took place outside the venue in a public space”.

{{Shaken }}

Isabel Hodgins, an actress who had been attending the concert, told Sky News: “Everybody was panicking, there was pushing up the stairs.

“The corridor was full, it smelled of burning, there was quite a lot of smoke as we were leaving.

“It’s just shocking and we just feel very shaken up. We’re just lucky to have gotten away safely,” she said.

Majid Khan, 22, who was attending the concert with his sister, said: “A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena”.

Calvin Welsford, 18, from Bristol told the BBC: “It almost sounded like a gunshot”.

“I looked around and people were just spilling down, heading out of the building”.

{{Screaming and running }}

“I was actually having an asthma attack. It was sheer panic,” he said.

Police carried out a controlled explosion in a small park near the venue a few hours after the blast but said the item turned out to be only abandoned clothes.

Manchester residents opened up their homes to people who could not get home after the incident, sending messages with the hashtag #RoomforManchester.

Robert Tempkin, 22, from Middlesbrough, told the BBC: “Everyone was screaming and running, there were coats and people’s phones on the floor. People just dropped everything.

“Some people were screaming they’d seen blood but other people were saying it was balloons busting or a speaker had been popped.

“There were lots of ambulances. I saw somebody being treated. I couldn’t tell what had happened to him.”

{{Huge bang }}

The Manchester ambulance service warned people only to call “for life threatening emergencies” as it had “a large number of resources at the incident”.

Suzy Mitchell, whose flat is opposite the venue said she heard “a huge bang” and came out of her flat to see “everyone was running away in big crowds”.

Train services to and from Manchester Victoria Station — located under the Arena — had been cancelled.

“Disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day,” National Rail said in a statement.

British Transport Police said in a statement: “Officers are at Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion within the foyer area of the stadium at 10.30pm this evening.

The incident caused transport chaos, with traffic jams outside the venue.

“Emergency services are dealing with an incident near Manchester Victoria, resulting in all lines being closed,” operator Northern Railway wrote on its website.

Source:AFP

May 23, 2017
Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh ‘stole $50m’, assets frozen, says minister

{The Gambia’s longtime former ruler Yahya Jammeh stole at least $50-million from the state, the country’s justice minister said Monday, in the first major anti-corruption move by the country’s new president.}

It is the first time the new government of the small west African nations has put a figure to the amount it believes Jammeh plundered from state coffers before leaving for exile in Equatorial Guinea in January after 22 years in power.

“President Yahya Jammeh personally or under his instructions directed the unlawful withdrawal of at least $50 million,” said Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou, describing withdrawals from The Gambia’s central bank and linked with state-owned Gamtel between 2013 and 2017.

“We have today obtained a court order freezing or placing a temporary hold on the known assets in the country of former President Yahya Jammeh and companies directly associated with him,” Tambadou added.

The court order concerns 88 bank accounts in Jammeh’s name or those of his associates, Tambadou said, along with 14 companies linked with the former strongman.

Jammeh ran everything from bakeries to farms during his tenure and was regularly accused of taking over successful businesses for his own gain.

Monday’s order was designed to prevent Jammeh “liquidating or dissipating assets,” the minister added, confirming the order applied only to the former leader’s assets in The Gambia.

{{Theft charges }}

Last Tuesday Gambian police said three cousins of the former president would face theft charges after selling off his cattle, raising suspicions that his contacts still in the country were under scrutiny.

“These discoveries are just a tip of the iceberg,” Tambadou told a press conference. Interior Minister Mai Fatty accused Jammeh of taking $11 million after leaving in January, adding he also took luxury cars piled onto a Chadian cargo plane, but the claim was not backed up by the rest of the cabinet.

The Gambia’s longtime opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections in April, easily defeating Jammeh’s party which has been cast into the electoral wilderness by his departure.

That came after the stunning ouster of Jammeh by President Adama Barrow in a December presidential election, a result which the defeated leader fought for weeks until the threat of a regional military intervention.

Meanwhile police continue to investigate dozens of forced disappearances under Jammeh’s rule, with victims clamouring for justice.

The Gambia’s National Assembly was long derided for acting as a rubber stamp for Jammeh’s decisions, but hopes are high for a revitalised chamber with a raft of fresh faces elected.

Source:AFP

May 23, 2017
Remote Estates facilitating Kigali tenants to own houses

{Being a tenant, renting a dwelling place, has never been anyone’s wish; yet almost all people in the journey of their lives usually do rent. Every tenant always dreams of owning a house, dreams that remain unattainable to many, forcing them to endure the life-time burden.}

Having noticed such a nightmare of house tenancy in Kigali, Remote Estates has started a ‘Be Your Own Landlord’ campaign that will avail 282 affordable housing units by 2019.

Units’ buyers are allowed to pay in five installments starting from groundbreaking to completion, according to Remote Estates, a subsidiary of Remote Group of companies which is widely known as an engineering, construction and project management firm.

The company has started with dwelling units adjacent to Masaka Hospital in Kicukiro District which include modern apartments, townhouses and single-family homes, all designed to provide a comfortable, green and affordable lifestyle.

Speaking to IGIHE, Claudette Rubangura, the Corporate Relations and Marketing Officer at Remote Estates, said the firm is committed to providing decent housing at affordable prices.

“Our vision is to pioneer a model of privately developed affordable housing adapted to Rwanda housing market, using cost effective building technology, ecologically driven urban design, and cultural responsive housing designs,” she said.

Rubangura said the units include 162 apartments, 54 attached townhouses, 24 semi-detached units, seven detached units as well as 34 units for shops or offices. The five-hectare site also offers 219 parking spaces and nice green space that covers 29% of the site.

Registration of buyers gets underway

Remote Estates has opened registration of units’ buyers and a number of clients have already got on the list.

“Many people have turned to us to ask about the requirements to own one among the upcoming houses in Masaka. We are now registering them,” she said.

She said that a client pays an advance of $100 for reservation of a unit of their choice while the unit’s cost will be paid in five installments with the first installment due at the beginning of construction works.

“Considering the quality of our units and the facilitation of paying in installments, the units are undoubtedly affordable. For example, the cost of a three-bedroom apartment with its facilities starts $35,000 (around Rwf30 million) and the apartment is incremental to allow the owner to customize the inside walling the way they want,”

‘Be Your Own Landlord’ campaign ongoing

Remote Estates has started a campaign dubbed “Be Your Own Landlord” that calls Rwandans to strive for owning houses and get rid of renting pressures.
Through the campaign, Remote Estates educates people on the possibilities of having their own houses.

Interested clients can find further information on www.remoteestate.com and by visiting Remote Estates’ offices at Bodifa Mercy House, 2nd floor, opposite the Ministry of Justice (MINIJUST). You can also email them via estates@remotegroup.com or phone +250 788 316 777

By Mugabo Jean d’Amour

May 22, 2017
Nootri products acquire standards certification

{Africa Improved Foods (AIF) has received a major boost following Rwanda Standards Board’s decision to award the plant’s Nootri products with the S-Mark. }

According to Athanasie Mukeshiyaremye, the Acting Division Manager of National Standards at RSB, the S-Mark is a proof that Nootri products conform to standards requirements.

The certification is a timely development for the $60-million plant which is keen on expanding its footprint in the region more especially to Ugandan and DR Congo markets, according to Prosper Ndayiragije, AIF Rwanda’s Country Manager.

“This could not have come at a better time and goes a long way to prove what we have always told our customers. The RSB certification is an official ‘stamp of approval’ in terms of Nootri’s high standards of quality and proves to consumers that Nootri products are ideal for consumption,” he says.

AIF Rwanda’s Quality Manager, Lillian Umuhumuza says the plant is committed to provide customers with products that meet their needs as well as meeting statutory and regulatory requirements.

Today, conformity assessment is increasingly becoming part and parcel of world trade. Many products require testing and subsequent compliance to respective standards or regulations before getting access to certain markets.

Nootri’s range of products include NootriMama which is produced for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers while NootriToto is produced for young children between six months and two years.

AIF Rwanda is a joint venture between the Government of Rwanda and four international partners namely DFID, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Dutch Development Bank (FMO) and Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials with solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance.

By Mugabo Jean d’Amour

May 22, 2017
WHO travel costs ‘outstrip’ disease budget

{World Health Organization’s spending on travel exceeded its expenditure on public health problems, report says.}

The World Health Organization spent about $200m in 2015 and 2016 on travel, a figure that far exceeds what it spends on public health problems such as AIDS, the Associated Press (AP) news agency has reported.

Citing internal documents, AP reported on Sunday that the UN health agency is struggling to reign in travel expenses even as it pleads for more money to fund its responses to global health crises.

Despite introducing controls, members of staff have been breaking rules by booking business class plane tickets and rooms in five-star hotels, AP reported.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan came under heavy criticism, with AP citing three unnamed sources who said she often travelled first class. She is reported to have spent $370,000 on travel in 2015.

The WHO has denied the allegations against Chan, saying she “strictly abides by WHO’s travel policies”.

“Travel is an essential aspect of WHO’s global health work – convening experts for collective decision-making on health interventions or travelling experts anywhere in the world that requires technical assistance for global health,” the WHO told Al Jazeera in a statement.

The WHO, which employs 7,000 people worldwide, said that less than half of its travel costs were on its staff.

Rules ignored

The UN allocates an annual budget of $2bn for the WHO.

In 2016, the agency spent $200m on travel while the figure was $234m in 2015, the year of the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, according to AP figures.

In comparison, the report said, WHO spent about $71m on AIDS and hepatitis last year. On malaria, it spent $61m, and to slow tuberculosis, it invested $59m.

An internal analysis, obtained by the news agency, found that only two of seven departments at WHO’s headoffice in Geneva met their targets, and concluded the compliance rate for booking travel in advance was between 28 and 59 percent.

WHO’s transport costs were much higher than that of other comparable aid agencies, AP continued.

With 37,000 aid workers, Doctors Without Borders spends about $43m on travel per year, while the UN children’s agency UNICEF, which employs 13,000 people, said it spent $140m on global travel in 2016.

Experts who spoke to AP warned that WHO’s travel spending could have significant consequences for fundraising.

Dr Ashish Jha, the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, said: “If WHO is not being as lean as possible, it’s going to be hard to remain credible when they make their next funding appeal.”

The organisation has asked for about $100m to save people in Somalia from an ongoing drought and requested $126m to stop the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Source:Al Jazeera

May 22, 2017
Hamas decries Trump’s terror allegation

{Trump’s comments linking Hamas to ‘terrorism’ show his ‘complete bias’ towards Israel, says the group’s spokesman.}

Hamas Movement has rejected US President Donald Trump’s comments linking it to “terrorism” in his speech in Saudi Arabia, saying it shows his “complete bias” towards Israel.

“The statement describing Hamas as a terror group is rejected and is a distortion of our image and shows a complete bias to the Zionist occupation,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement on Sunday.

Barhoum dubbed the speech a “confirmation” that Trump is following the policy of previous US administrations.

Trump addressed the leaders of 55 Muslim countries in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and said they must take the lead in combating “radicalisation”.

“The true toll of ISIS [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant], al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead. It must also be counted in generations of vanished dreams,” said Trump in the speech.

Hamas says its battle is against Israeli occupation, not the West.

The movement presented a new political charter earlier this month that accepts the formation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, without recognising the statehood of Israel, and says that the conflict in Palestine is not a religious one.

Trump’s speech came on the second day of a visit to Saudi Arabia, part of Trump’s first foreign tour that will take him next to Israel and occupied Palestinian Territories and then to Europe.

Palestinian activists call for protests against Trump

Meanwhile, Palestinian activists have called for a “Day of Rage” when Trump visits the West Bank on Tuesday.

The call for mobilisation was put out by a group calling itself the Supreme National Leadership Committee, which includes various Palestinian political factions, including Abbas’s Fatah movement.

The committee was set up in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons.

The demonstrations are meant to draw attention to a month-long hunger strike by hundreds of prisoners being held by Israel and to protest what many Palestinians say is unfair US support for Israel.

In a statement, the group said on Sunday the Palestinian factions “affirm their rejection of the American position, which is biased in favour of the occupation”.

Trump’s visit to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories on Monday and Tuesday will be closely scrutinised as he seeks ways to restart peace efforts.

Source:Al Jazeera

May 22, 2017