Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

Ghana leader defends decision to appoint 110 ministers

{Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Friday defended his controversial decision to appoint a 110-minister government, calling it a “necessary investment” in the small west African country.}

The new government nominated Wednesday — which includes dozens of lower-level and regional ministers — is a record for Ghana and has sparked a storm of commentary on social media and radio talk shows.

“I’m aware that people are concerned about what they see as maybe the cost of this large government,” Akufo-Addo admitted in an interview on national television Friday.

“It is a necessary investment to make.”

Akufo-Addo, who was elected in December on a promise to fix a host of economic problems and fight corruption, stressed that his ministers “are coming to work, it is not going to be a holiday”.

And he insisted the costs of his new government would not be as high as people might think.

“The number, for instance, among the deputy ministers — 42 out of 50 are all parliamentarians, and in effect converting them from parliamentarians into ministers, the marginal cost of that transformation is minimal in terms of the public exchequer,” he said.

The ministers are needed for the “rapid transformation of this country”, Akufo-Addo said.

George Lawson, deputy general secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), told AFP that the increase in the number of ministers was “not proper” and charged that Akufo-Addo was giving out “jobs for the boys”.

“It’s a drain on the Ghanaian economy,” he added.

Akufo-Addo came to power in January after beating the NDC’s John Dramani Mahama in December’s election.

The new president says he has inherited an economy reeling from huge fiscal deficits, rising inflation and high unemployment despite an IMF programme designed to stimulate growth.

Source:AFP

March 18, 2017
42 Somali refugees shot dead on Red Sea

{More than 40 people including women and children have been shot dead aboard a boat carrying Somali refugees in the Red Sea off war-torn Yemen, officials said.}

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

The refugees were hit by light weapons fire in waters off rebel-held Hodeida, but the boat managed to dock in the city’s port, an official there said.

The International Organization for Migration, which has operations in Yemen, said 42 bodies had been recovered.

The port official said dozens of Somalis who survived the attack, as well as three Yemeni traffickers, had been taken to the city’s prison.

{{WAR ZONE}}

More than 30 wounded were reported to have been taken to hospital.

The rebel-controlled Saba agency accused the Saudi-led coalition battling the insurgents of attacking the refugees from the air but did not provide further details.

Major General Ahmed Assiri, spokesman for the coalition, dismissed the accusation and told AFP that the force had not been involved in fighting in Hodeida.

“There has been no firing by the coalition in this zone,” he said.

The coalition has been backing pro-government forces waging an offensive from the south to retake Yemen’s Red Sea coast from Huthi rebel forces.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said 140 passengers were believed to have been aboard the vessel.

{{CIVILIANS BEAR THE BRUNT}}

The attack drew condemnation from UN agencies and the International Committee for the Red Cross, with the ICRC also demanding an immediate investigation.

Despite a war that has cost more than 7,000 lives since March 2015 and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa.

The UNHCR says that Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees.

Several refugee camps in southern Yemen host Somali refugees, although not in the Hodeida area.

The UNHCR said that as conditions worsen in Yemen, refugees are starting to use areas further to the north as a transit route.

It called on all sides in Yemen’s war to protect civilians.

“UNHCR is appalled by this tragic incident, the latest in which civilians continue to disproportionately bear the brunt of conflict in Yemen,” it said.

{{GRUESOME}}

The ICRC’s Eric Christopher Wyss, quoting survivors at the scene, said many people on the boat “were refugees from Somalia or Yemen, fleeing the conflict”.

“It was a gruesome and heartbreaking scene. I saw many men, women and children either killed or horribly wounded,” he said.

The IOM said it believed the boat had been headed for Sudan.

“We strongly condemn this attack and deplore such a tragic loss of life,” the ICRC’s director of operations, Dominik Stillhart, said in a statement.

“These people were themselves fleeing conflict, in search of safety and a better life. We call on the warring parties to conduct an immediate investigation into what happened.”

The coast south of Hodeida has seen violent clashes over the past 24 hours, leaving 32 dead including 10 civilians, according to military and medical officials.

The fighting killed 14 rebels and eight soldiers supporting the UN-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, military sources said.

{{SAUDI-LED COALITION}}

That came as pro-Hadi forces sought to advance northwards from the port town of Mokha in an offensive to retake Yemen’s western coast from Huthi rebel forces.

Saudi-led coalition aircraft had taken part in the assault, the same sources said.

Seven fishermen were also killed off Hodeida by gunfire from an unidentified source, while a further seven were killed in a car near Mokha, hospital workers said.

The UN’s humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien has called Yemen “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world”, with two-thirds of the population in need of aid.

On Friday, a rebel missile attack killed at least 26 members of the pro-government forces in a camp east of the capital Sanaa, officials at a hospital in Marib town said.

Source:AFP

March 18, 2017
Swede kidnapped in DRC was investigating suspected massacre

{A Swede and an American working for the UN in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were investigating allegations of soldiers murdering civilians when they were kidnapped, the New York Times reports.}

The two UN officials and four Congolese nationals accompanying them were kidnapped on Sunday in the conflict-ridden province of Kasaï-Central, the United Nations said on Monday.

The DRC government suspects that the group had travelled to the province by motorcycle and were stopped at a bridge and abducted by unidentified individuals near the Ngombe village.

A spokesperson said they were investigating the disappearance and criticized the UN.

“It’s not normal for people to come here and start moving around like this,” said Lambert Mende.

“If the government had been informed of the activities of these officials, perhaps they would have had an escort for their safety.”

The New York Times writes that the group were investigating reports of human rights violation after a video appeared to show soldiers opening fire on at least a dozen civilians during a counterinsurgency operation.

A spokesperson for the Swedish foreign ministry told The Local this week they had no new information.

“There is a Swede being looked for in Congo. But we won’t go into details about how the search is going,” said Patric Nilsson on Tuesday.

The Swedish foreign ministry has since 2006 advised against travelling to the DRC, where there is a conflict between security forces and militias.

Source:The Local

March 18, 2017
Direct flights from Kenya to US to start in May

{Flights from Nairobi to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport will be launched in early May.}

This is after Kenya Airways formally requested the US federal aviation department for a licence to fly directly to the US.

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia told Saturday Nation that the application was presented at the US Embassy in Nairobi.

Kenya Airways aircraft and its crew will be rated and reviewed before the licence is issued.

“Getting Category One status was a milestone for Kenya since in Africa only South Africa, Senegal, Cape Verde and Ethiopia enjoy that status. Our inclusion means more business for airlines using the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as a hub,” he said.

Mr Macharia said the flights would give Nairobi increased human and cargo traffic, fresh cut flowers and clothes for export from Kenya.

Kenya has been pushing for certification for direct flights for a while now.

The Cabinet secretary said airlines running through Nairobi would also enjoy increased traffic as more people from African countries heading to the US or coming home would prefer using Nairobi, shortening the Kenya-US journey from 19 hours via Amsterdam to nine hours.

He said Jomo Kenyatta Airport’s licence as a last point of departure means that foreign airlines can apply to Kenya Civil Aviation Authority for permits to Kenya directly.

Mr Macharia said that America’s Delta Airlines, which had been granted approval for direct flights in 2009, would enjoy automatic renewal of its licences, but the US government rescinded the licence citing security issues in Kenya.

“Kenya invested billions of shillings to improve infrastructure at Jomo Kenyatta airport from runways and perimeter wall. The departure and arrival terminals were also separated and modern security equipment installed,” said Mr Macharia.

On the standard gauge railway, Mr Macharia said tests for the Mombasa-Nairobi journey were ongoing 18 months ahead of schedule.

The railway would move 22 million 20 foot containers annually up from 1.5 million today.

He said no lorries will still be in business since the port will handle more cargo that requires to be moved to factories and shops across East Africa.

Source:Daily Nation

March 18, 2017
Tanzania joins globe on climate change action

{Tanzania will join 172 other countries across the globe in taking action on climate change, ten years after the world’s first earth hour public celebration, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), organisers confirmed.}

WWF Tanzania Country Director, Dr Amani Ngusaru, said every individual has a role to play in changing climate change because climate change is not only an environmental issue.

It cuts across through all other aspects, be it political, Social, economic even health. “The effects of climate change threaten our path to sustainable livelihoods. We hold the power to change climate action,” he said.

Expounding further, he said Earth Hour will work closely with the government in Kisarawe to revive a big part of the protected Pugu forest that was destroyed by fire last year. He said a total of 1,000 trees will be planted at Pugu Forest.

This will go hand in hand with the introduction of improved cooking stoves. “These stoves are very efficient as they use very little charcoal, they are convenient and households will reduce a great amount of charcoal,” read in part, a statement released by WWF Country Communication Manager, Ms Joan Itanisa.

In a press statement yesterday, Ms Itanisa said in her press statement released yesterday that the WWF’s landmark movement is set to once again unite millions of people around the globe to shine a light on climate action.

“The planet continues to witness climate records being broken and the need for greater ambition and commitment acceleration, the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment is mobilizing individuals, communities and organisations globally to do their part to help change climate change,” she said.

She also said in her statement that since 2007 as a single-city event, Earth Hour is now celebrated across all continents. In the past decade, as global climate efforts gained momentum, “Earth Hour has helped bridge the gap between the grassroots and the corridors of power,” Ms Itanisa said.

Earth Hour Global Executive Director, Mr Siddarth Das, explained that the Earth Hour that started in 2007 to show leaders that climate change was an issue people cared about.

The director also said that for that symbolic moment to turn into the global movement it is today, is really humbling and speaks volumes about the powerful role of people in issues that affect their lives.

“Every flick of a switch or click online is a reminder that people see themselves as an integral part of climate action and it is this kind of collective determination we need to tackle the most pressing environmental challenge our planet has ever faced,” he said.

The director said in 2017, WWF and Earth Hour teams around the world will be using the movement to shine a light on the climate issue most relevant in their country or region.

Source:Daily News

March 18, 2017
Local leaders convene in Bugesera retreat

{The Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) has convened a district leaders’ retreat, Kigali city leaders, province governors and directors of institutions within Minaloc to evaluate last year’s performance. }

The retreat which will last three days in Bugesera district,Eastern Province has been attended by administrative boards, executive secretaries, social affairs, advisory committee members among other leaders on district level and Kigali city.

“The retreat is meant to look back to evaluate last year’s performance, faced obstacles and weaknesses, ” tweeted MINALOC.

The retreat will be held annually chaired by the Minister of Local Government.

It has also been attended by State Ministers in MINALOC including Dr Mukabaramba Alvera, Minister of State for Community Development and Social Affairs and Munyeshyaka Vincent, Minister of State in charge of Socio-Economic Development at the same Ministry.

The retreat in which various discussions will be held has begun with the talk of the Minister of Sports and Culture, Uwacu Julienne on preparations of 23rd commemoration of 1994 genocide against Tutsi.

They also discussed upcoming presidential elections in August 2017 where the executive secretary of National Electoral Commission, Munyaneza Charles took them through the progress of their preparations.

March 18, 2017
Three arrested over theft of fertilizers

{Police in Gakenke District have arrested three men in connection with theft of fertilizers and seeds that government had allocated to farmers.}

According to the Northern Region Spokesperson, Inspector of Police (IP) Innocent Gasasira, the suspects in custody are; Telesphore Ngarukiye, Alain Safari and Focus Maniradukunda. They are local leaders in Gahinga Cell and Rutabo Cell of Mugunga Sector.

“We received information from residents that they were being supplied lower quantities than they were expected to receive. When our officers took up the case, they discovered that the trio had stolen 172 kgs of fertilizers and 204 kgs of beans and maize seeds,” said the spokesperson.

The missing seeds and fertilizers were found in the homes of the three men who are in charge of social economic development in their respective areas.

IP Gasasira said that that; “people occupying public offices should always refrain from such kind of malpractices. They should always know that anyone who attempts to misuse or abuse his office will be punished by the laws.”

He further thanked residents that provided information and urged them to always follow up whenever they realize any mishaps.

IP Gasasira expressed disappointment over the trio’s alleged actions, which he said are against articles 325 and 609 of the Rwandan penal code.

Embezzlement, under article 325, attracts an imprisonment of up to ten years in prison and a fine of two to five times the value of the embezzled or destroyed property.

Article 609 states that “any person who forges or alters documents by forged signature or fingerprint, falsifying documents or signatures or impersonation, forging agreements, its provisions, obligations, discharged obligations shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than five years to seven years and a fine of Rwf300, 000 to Rwf3 million.”

Source:Police

March 18, 2017
Link between Vitamin D treatment and autism prevention

{Giving vitamin D supplements to mice during pregnancy prevents autism traits in their offspring, University of Queensland researchers have discovered.}

The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Professor Darryl Eyles, from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute.

“Our study used the most widely accepted developmental model of autism in which affected mice behave abnormally and show deficits in social interaction, basic learning and stereotyped behaviours,” Professor Eyles said.

“We found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop these deficits.”

In human studies, QBI researchers recently found a link between pregnant women with low Vitamin D levels and the increased likelihood of having a child with autistic traits.

Autism — or autism spectrum disorder — describes lifelong developmental disabilities including difficulty or inability to communicate with others and interact socially.

Sun exposure is the major source of vitamin D — which skin cells manufacture in response to UV rays — but it is also found in some foods.

Dr Wei Luan, a postdoctoral researcher involved in the study, said vitamin D was crucial for maintaining healthy bones, but the active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing fetus.

“Recent funding will now allow us to determine how much cholecalciferol — the supplement form that is safe for pregnant women — is needed to achieve the same levels of active hormonal vitamin D in the bloodstream,” said Dr Luan.

“This new information will allow us to further investigate the ideal dose and timing of vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women.

It was previously thought vitamin D had a protective anti-inflammatory effect during brain development, but the study didn’t find this to be the case.

New funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council will allow researchers to continue to study how vitamin D protects against autism.

Source:Science Daily

March 18, 2017
Police warns against illegal mining as one dies in Rwamagana

{Rwanda National Police (RNP) have asked members of the public to desist from all activities related to illegal mining because the conduct is contrary to the law and dangerous to life.}

The call was made by the Eastern Region Police Spokesperson, Inspector of Police (IP) Emmanuel Kayigi after it was reported that on March 16, a seventeen years old boy died after a concession collapsed on him as he attempted to dig up minerals.

The incident happened at a mining site in Musha sector in Rwamagana when a cliff fell on him as he was mining at night.

“The deceased and his colleagues were looking for cassiterite, when the mine collapsed and buried the boy underground while others survived” he said.

He said it was even unethical to do excavation at night without protective attire and illegal to use children for such activities.

“Besides that, illegal mining pose serious threats to lives because these people go in without protective gears, they don’t also know the topography of the soils,” IP Kayigi said.

He also asked legitimate mining companies to take precaution and professional measures to prevent likely disasters that might arise out of negligence and carelessness.

“Companies should go further and sensitize communities about the dangers involved in illegal mining” he noted

There is also need to always be vigilant against any likely dangers like unsupported or weakened cliffs by heavy rains and take preventive measures,” he added.

Illegal mining is punishable under article 438 of the Rwandan Penal Code, which attracts a jail term of one year in prison and a fine between Rwf3million and Rwf10million.

Source:Police

March 18, 2017
Is spring getting longer? Lengthening ‘vernal window’

{With the first day of spring around the corner, temperatures are beginning to rise, ice is melting, and the world around us is starting to blossom. Scientists sometimes refer to this transition from winter to the growing season as the “vernal window,” and a new study led by the University of New Hampshire shows this window may be opening earlier and possibly for longer.
}

“Historically, the transition into spring is comparatively shorter than other seasons,” said Alexandra Contosta, a research assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire’s Earth Systems Research Center. “You have snow melting and lots of water moving through aquatic systems, nutrients flushing through that water, soils warming up, and buds breaking on trees. Something striking happens after a very cold winter or when there’s been a lot of snow. Things seem to wake up all together, which is why spring seems to happen so quickly and can feel so dramatic.”

However, research shows that the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent has declined significantly in the past 30 years. To see if this may be influencing the so-called vernal window, or the transition from winter into spring, Contosta led a team of scientists that collected data from a network of New Hampshire EPSCoR soil and water sensors installed across the state. They monitored snow levels and the forest canopy for three years. Their information was supplemented with climate and satellite data along with precipitation and stream data collected by more than 100 volunteers across the state. They not only looked at dates when certain events occurred that marked the seasonal transition, such as the melting of snow and the emergence of leaves in trees, but also the time period between these events. Their findings, published early online in the journal Global Change Biology, showed that warmer winters with less snow resulted in a longer lag time between spring events and a more protracted vernal window.

This type of changing timetable for spring may have potential ecological, social, and economic consequences that Contosta and her team are currently investigating. Agriculture, fisheries, and even outdoor recreation activities can be highly dependent on the timing of springtime climate conditions. A longer spring could mean a longer mud season requiring more road repairs and truck weight restrictions, a possible shift in the duration of the sugar maple season, or earlier lake thaw which might have implications with migratory birds. The ice melts earlier, but the birds may not have returned yet, causing a delay, or lengthening, in springtime ecological events.

The researchers plan to test their conclusions with data from a larger geographic area and over longer periods.

Source:Science Daily

March 18, 2017