IGIHE

Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

  • WFP receives European Union Funding to boost nutrition in Burundi

    {The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €5 million from the European Union (EU) to support the Home Grown School Feeding project and boost the nutrition of 20,000 children, mothers and pregnant women in central Burundi.}

    “We are very grateful to the EU for this important and timely support, which will contribute to the government’s efforts to improve the food and nutrition security in Burundi,” said Charles Vincent, WFP Burundi Country Director a.i. “The package we plan to provide in Gitega province will not only help children reach their full potential but also improve the overall food security of those we support.”

    The funds will contribute to the reduction of food and nutrition insecurity of rural populations affected by the ongoing socio-political situation in Burundi through a project combining support to education, promotion of agricultural production and prevention of malnutrition.

    “This financial support of the EU is part of the larger envelope provided to respond to the effects of climate change in developing countries,” said Wolfram Vetter, Head of the European Delegation to Burundi. “In Burundi, it will contribute to improve the living conditions of populations who were severely affected by climatic shocks and the recent socio-political situation in the country.”

    The EU contribution will enable WFP to purchase food commodities from local smallholders in Gitega province and distribute them to school children through hot school meals made of rice, beans and locally fortified maize flour. The distribution of fresh milk will also be piloted in schools receiving assistance.

    School feeding has proven to be effective in increasing attendance rates and was commended by the Government of Burundi during last year’s WFP portfolio evaluation. School feeding is also expected to bring back children who had quit school due to a lack of food at home. At the same time, the market provided to smallholders through purchase of their produce will boost food production and the local economy.

    In a country where the chronic malnutrition rate is a shocking 58 percent, the project will seek to prevent malnutrition and stunting by focusing on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to a child’s second birthday. Inadequate nutrition during this crucial period can lead to irreversible damage to minds and bodies, affecting a child’s ability to grow, learn and eventually rise out of poverty. People affected by stunting, or reduced growth, are more likely in later life to be ill, to perform poorly at school or drop out of classes, to be less productive at work and even to die early.

    Specialized nutrition products, enriched with protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, will be provided by WFP to pregnant and nursing women and children from 6 to 59 months. This is part of a full package of services including nutrition, hygiene and sanitation education.

    Source:Relief Web

  • DRC group responds to Global Witness on royalties issue

    {Johannesburg (miningweekly.com) – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) group Fleurette has responded to criticism directed at it on the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) royalties issue.}

    The issue in question centres on the sale by DRC State mining company Gecamines of royalties from Katanga’s KCC project to a Fleurette-owned entity.

    Dan Gertler’s Fleurette states in a media release that international nongovernmental organisation Global Witness has either misunderstood or ignored the basic economics of the deal, which it says produced significant value for DRC State mining company Gecamines and a loss to Fleurette.

    The company points out that $3-billion was paid in tax by the Mutanda and KCC assets and laments the failure to note that Gecamines had to use the royalty to cover a pre-existing debt, and also that the DRC government continues to be entitled to royalty payments for KCC and Mutanda.

    Owing to Gecamines selling the royalty right before operations at KCC were suspended, Fleurette says that, in addition to the loss of the royalty deal, it lost $190-million on the sale of its equity stake in Katanga.

    It explains that Gecamines gave directions to KCC to make the payments due to it direct to Africa Horizons Investment in partial payment of the historic loan.

    Fleurette describes as disappointing the jumping to conclusions rather than accepting the demonstrable benefit to Gecamines and the DRC.

    Diversified mining and marketing company Glencore last month bought the remaining 31% stake in Mutanda for $922-million and a further 10.25% stake in Katanga for $38-million from Fleurette, its former joint venture partner.

    The all-cash transaction, net of loans, resulted in Glencore paying Fleurette $534-million in cash, after taking into account the settlement of outstanding loans payable by Fleurette to Glencore and shareholder loans owed to Fleurette by Mutanda, now operating at full capacity of more than 200 000 t of copper a year.

    Gertler said at the time that with the mine operating at full capacity, it was opportune for Fleurette to exit its investment and to reinvest in further brown and greenfield opportunities in the DRC.

    Source:Engeneering News

  • Kenya:Inter-Religious Council to file report on doctors’ strike talks

    {The final report on the negotiations to end the 93-day-old strike by doctors in public hospitals is set to be presented in the Court of Appeal today.}

    The Inter-religious Council of Kenya, who are leading the mediation, officials of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU and their lawyers are in already court in Nairobi.

    {{HOPEFUL }}

    This follows a series of closed-door meetings over the weekend that ran until Monday evening, when the doctors’ union officials met with religious leaders.

    Present from the Inter-religious Council of Kenya were Catholic Church head John Cardinal Njue, ACK Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit, Sheikh Adan Wachu and Lodwar Catholic Bishop Dominic Kimengich.

    As he left the venue of the meeting at around 3pm Monday, Cardinal Njue said he was “hopeful that the talks will come up with something”.

    The words were echoed by Bishop Kimengich, who added that they were “seeking divine intervention to get to a solution”.

    The court gave the parties two days to agree after mediation talks led by the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights failed to break the stalemate.

    KMPDU officials, members and their lawyers appear before the Court of Appeal in Nairobi on March 7, 2016.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Libyan shareholders blame Uganda govt for UTL failure

    {The Libyan Post, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Company (LPTIC) has blamed the Uganda government for failure to adopt the planned strategy that would have turned around Uganda Telecom.}

    Last week on Wednesday, Mr. Matia Kasaija announced that the government had taken operations and management of UTL, after the majority shareholder, LPTIC confirmed to the government that it was no longer going to fund the operations of the telecom confirmed. On Sunday, the LPTIC finally spoke out for the first time since the government takeover and questioned the Uganda government commitment to turnaround UTL.

    “Despite every effort by the Majority Shareholder to save UTL, and in addition to its readiness to fund the implementation of a Transformation Business Plan, it was not possible to conclude negotiations with the Government of Uganda. In straightforward terms, the process could not continue in the face of a protracted lack of substantive engagement with senior stakeholders within the Government of Uganda,” reads a press statement issued by LPTIC on Sunday evening.

    LIPTIC through UCOM owned a 69 percent stake in UTL, with the government owning another 31 percent.

    Since 2006, UCOM has been responsible for key decisions in the company but has also been committing cash to UTL. LPTIC noted with concern that it was no longer willing to use money from of the Libyan people to finance an entity where the other shareholder was non-committal.

    “Therefore, given the institutional unwillingness of the Government of Uganda to commit to a transformation plan for UTL in addition to its lack of contributions, the Majority Shareholder, as a responsible investor ultimately accountable to its Libyan Government stakeholders, had no choice but to cease further funding of UTL,” the statement goes on to read.

    The decision to halt any funding to LPTIC was made on 24th February 2017. This decision caught the government off-guard but allowed them time to opt to take over and start a nationalization plan of the assets of UTL. The two shareholders have been negotiating the turnaround strategy for UTL for the last 14 months.

    UTL was in such a sorry state that had reached a point where it could no longer even have working capital to run day-to-day operations. LPTIC says it did this on a monthly basis. It also blamed the government for failing to honor its debt obligations estimated to be about Shs16bn from the provision of services like data and fixed lines.

    UTL is in dire need of a capital injection of about Shs100bn in the short term if it is to be able to generate returns. Kasaija last week when announcing the closure said “UTL’s performance since 2007 has been characterized by heavy indebtedness, the decline in market share and losses” and that this “…was due to inadequate investment, competitive pressure, a dilapidated network and governance challenges.”

    LPTIC is also the largest creditor of UTL because it extended shareholder loans that have accumulated to almost Shs170bn. LPTIC says it wants to recover the money once the government completes nationalization or brings in a new investor.

    “Moving forward and notwithstanding the decision to discontinue funding UTL, the Majority Shareholder expects the Government of Uganda to fully comply with applicable laws and best practice concerning the protection of its investment interests in UTL, including with respect to its rights as UTL’s largest creditor. As a Majority Shareholder, the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company will contest any plans or efforts to undermine its position,” the statement further reads.

    One of the UTL offices in Kampala.

    Source:Daily Monitor

  • UPDF’s long battle to save Somalia from destruction

    {On this day, 10 years ago, the first batch of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) landed in the war-torn Mogadishu where they have been fighting the Al-Shabaab Islamic militants in one of the most daring peace support operations in the world today.}

    By mid-2007, the UPDF, which was the first and only force at that time to deploy there under the African Union Mission for Somalia (Amisom), was controlling less than 10 per cent of the battered capital Mogadishu. However, subsequently other countries joined the AU peace operations and deployed troops to reinforce the UPDF in Somalia with each force or group of forces allocated designated areas for own command and control. Today, the UPDF has pushed the Al-Shabaab to the farthest point—about 200km away from Mogadishu.

    In the west of Mogadishu, UPDF has bases in Lego, Afgooye and in southwest, they have forward bases in Baraawe, about 190km from Mogadishu.

    Ugandan troops are deployed in Sector One in Benadir region and Banadir, and Lower Shabelle regions while Kenyan troops are responsible for Sector Two comprising Lower and Middle Jubba regions.

    Sector Three comprising Bay and Bakool as well as Gedo (Sub Sector 3) is under Ethiopian command. Djiboutian forces are in charge of Sector 4, which covers Hiiraan and Galgaduud areas while Burundian forces are in charge of Sector 5, which covers the Middle Shabelle region.

    Djiboutian forces are in charge of Sector 4 that comprises Hiiraan and Galgaduud areas while Burundian forces control Sector 5, which covers the Middle Shabelle region.

    The entry of the Ugandan troops into Mogadishu triggered a turnaround of the capital ruined by war and anarchy. The hitherto deserted Mogadishu streets are now buzzing business hubs. Shops open early and close late. The beautiful beaches that were once no-go zones are now coveted leisure centres. Streets have flashing lights, the displaced people are returning home and new high-rise buildings are decorating the horizons of the capital.

    However, it would be reckless to say or believe that Al-Shabaab is beaten and baked. Although they have lost their main bases, they remain resilient and capable of inflicting harm of significant havoc. They still possess capacity to carry out deadly attacks of enormous proportions in the captured areas and direct raids on isolated or far-flung AMISOM defensive positions.

    The foregoing notwithstanding, the overall security situation in Somalia and particularly Mogadishu has continued to improve every passing day. This is manifested in the diminishing Al-Shabaab activities in the capital and other key centres across the country.

    This has been brought about by the work of the UPDF and AU counterparts from other troop contributing countries.

    Today livestock exports have resumed after 21 years in limbo; the capital city has seen the first gas station and flight arrivals of up to 40,000 per month; commercial maritime arrivals have increased and air traffic grows at an average of 20 per day.

    To achieve this has not been a simple task. It’s no mean feat. The Amisom, which was initially a peacekeeping mission, had to metamorphose into a war-fighting operation because there was “no peace to keep”. They could not keep what did not exist. They had to first create the peace and think out how to keep it.

    “We had to prepare for the worst. The environment was hostile. What we found on the ground was different from the expectations,” said Maj Gen Peter Elwelu, the commander of UPDF Land Forces, the commander of the first Ugandan contingent in Somalia in 2007.

    The Al-Shabaab hostility in Mogadishu meant that the UPDF had to deploy combat artillery which are rarely applied under normal peacekeeping operations. The UPDF also had to deploy more troops to counter the Al-Shabaab viciousness. In 2007, Uganda had only 1,600 troops in Somalia but currently, there are more than 6,000 troops.

    {{Commanders}}

    Maj Gen Elwelu was followed by commanders: Brig Geoffrey Golooba; Brig Bakasumba; Brig Katsigazi; Brig Michael Ondoga; Brig Paul Lokech; Brig Sam Okiding; Brig Dick Olum; Brig Sam Kavuma; and Brig Kayanja Muhanga.

    According to UPDF records, a total of 44,999 soldiers have served in Somalia for the last 10 years both on repeat deployment and first-time deployment. Many have been to Somalia several times while others have served there once, but it could not be readily established how many of them have served on repeat deployment or first-time deployment. Some have served there twice or thrice.

    The number of UPDF troops in Somalia started increasing in 2010 when Al-Shabaab intensified attacks against Uganda-manned bases. In 2010, the force was increased from 1,600 to 4,723. The number was increased again in 2011 as AMISOM prepared for the final assault on Al-Shabaab in Mogadishu and later spread its operations outside the capital. The UPDF increased its troop strength from 4,723 to 6,223. The same number remained until 2014 when it was reduced to 6,040.

    Wages and revenue
    Each of the 22,000 Amisom soldiers is entitled to $868 (Sh3,038,000) every month. However, the respective governments deduct $200 from each soldier as administration costs. This means a soldier takes home $668 per month. Earlier, between 2012 and 2014, each soldier was entitled to $1,028 before the European Union, which is the chief AU financier of AMISOM, cut the budget by 20 per cent.

    In the case of Uganda, which has over 6,000 troops in Somalia, the government earns $1,208,000 every month from the soldiers’ allowance deductions. At the beginning of 2007, government was deducting $100 from $500 each soldier was earning. The allowances were later increased to $800 in 2009 and to $ 1,028 in 2012. The government accordingly also increased the monthly deductions to $200 that year, with each soldier taking home $828 between 2012 and 2015.

    Between 2007 and 2011, government deducted a monthly fee of $100 from 14,246 who served in Somalia during that period. In the last 10 years, government has received $90,892,800 [Shs319 bn] as deductions from the soldiers’ allowances. The net pay to the soldiers in the last 10 years has grown to $385m [1.347 trillion].
    Government also gets reimbursements from the UN for the wear-and-tear of its military equipment. According to sources, the United Nations pays $6 per day for a Sub-Machine Gun (SMG).

    Every bullet that is fired is also paid for by the United Nations. According to the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and Uganda, the UPDF manages and maintains all the equipment under the arrangement of Wet Lease arrangement. Different weapons including heavy equipment like tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) are deployed in Somalia.

    However, sources say heavy weapons like tanks are not paid for because they are not on the list of UN-agreed weapons to be deployed in Somalia.

    It’s not clear how much Uganda is paid for these military hardware but the Deputy Army Spokesperson Maj Henry Obbo said it’s money from these UN reimbursements that UPDF is going use to construct a modern hospital worth about Shs100bn for the army.

    “The money we receive from the UN for use of our equipment will be used to construct a hospital in Mbuya,” he said.

    {{Casualties}}

    There are no publicly available records of Uganda’s casualties in Somalia because the issue has been kept a secret by all Troop Contributing Countries yet the soldiers who die on duty as agreed to by the UN Security Council and AU deserve to have their sacrifice publicly recognized.

    There have been speculation that between March 2007 and January 2015, Amisom lost “perhaps over 4,000” troops but the figure has been disputed by the troop contributing countries.

    Maj Obbo said they cannot reveal the number of deaths among their troops nor the casualties of the enemy killed in battle.
    “We cannot reveal the number [on our side] nor can we tell you how many Al-Shabaab fighters we have killed because we didn’t go to Somalia to kill but to help Somalis get peace,” he says. However there is some information about the Amisom casualty toll available at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) yearbooks published for 2009 and 2014. Mr Paul Williams, a professor of international affairs at George Washington University who has done research projects on Amisom fatalities, says a study done by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in 2014 found that between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013, Amisom lost 1,039 soldiers.

    The figure was broken down as: 200 in 2009; 300 in 2010; 94 in 2011; 384 in 2012, and 261 in 2013.

    Besides, during 2014, Amisom told SIPRI that it had suffered a further 69 fatalities as a result of hostile action, bringing the overall casualty total to 1,108 troops.

    {{The six key points }}

    1. 44,999 soldiers have served in Somalia for last 10 years including those on repeat deployment.
    2. 59 Battalions have been deployed and fought in Somalia.
    3. 10 Contingent commanders have served since 2007.
    4. The net pay to the soldiers in the last 10 years is $385m [about1,385 trillion].
    5. Government has made $90,892,800 (Shs327b) as deductions from the soldiers’ allowances.
    6.Commanders: Maj Gen Elwelu was followed by commanders; Brig Geoffrey Golooba, Brig Jack Bakasumba, Brig Geoffrey Katsigazi, Brig Michael Ondoga,Brig Paul Lokech, Brig Sam Okiding,Brig Dick Olum, Brig Sam Kavuma, and Brig Kayanja Muhanga.

    Uganda AU soldiers in Mogadishu, the Somali capital recently.

    Source:Daily Monitor

  • EAC Chief Instructors meet in Kigali to harmonise Cadet Course Curriculum across regional Military Academies

    {Chief Instructors from the East African Community Partner States’ Military Academies are holding a one week meeting to develop a harmonised curriculum for the Officer Cadet Training. The meeting that kicked off yesterday at Sports View Hotel in Remera will be closed on 10 March 2017.}

    The meeting was officially opened by Brigadier General Anderson Msuya P Ghulia (Chairperson) from Tanzania People’s Defence Forces.

    In his opening remarks he underlined the importance of the meeting that is set to come up with harmonised content of core areas in training of Officer Cadets in EAC Partner States (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda).

    “I thank the EAC Partner States for their commitment to harmonise core areas in training of Officer Cadet as directed by the EAC Sectoral Council on Cooperation in Defence meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania on 27 May 2016”, Gen Msuya underlined.

    The Council approved last year some military training areas as core subjects for the Officer Cadets Course package in EAC Military Academies.

    Those subjects include; tactics, physical training, weapon training, map reading/using, signal communication, military leadership, first aid as well as army hygiene and drill.

    Participants to the just opened meeting in Kigali include Chief Instructors and Defence Liaison Officers from EAC Partner States.

    Source:Minadef

  • Rutsiro man arrested over currency counterfeit

    {Police in Rutsiro District have arrested a 39-year old man in connection with circulating fake currency notes.}

    Obed Mpayimana was arrested on Sunday in Nganzo Cell, Kivumu Sector in possession of counterfeit currency notes amounting to Rwf35, 000, in Rwf5, 000 denominations.

    Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Theobald Kanamugire, Police spokesperson for the Western Province, said that Mpayimana was reported by the would-be victim.

    “Mpayimana tried to clear a bill of soda he had taken using a fake note of Rwf5, 000, fortunate enough, the attendant noticed it,” said CIP Kanamugire.

    “The would-be victim, after noticing that the currency note was fake, he pretended to be looking for a change, during which he called the police and officers arrived shortly, arrested and searched Mpayimana and found on him another counterfeit note of Rwf5, 000. When they searched his house, they recovered other five fake notes also in the denominations of Rwf5, 000,” he added.

    He commended the resident for the vigilance and reporting the suspect, adding that “ownership and information sharing are crucial in crime detection, prevention and fighting.”

    Under article 601 of the Rwandan penal code, any person who fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins, which are legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, bills issued by the State and bearing its stamp or emblem, banknotes, authorised notes or any other related effects used in Rwanda or abroad, or any person who introduces or issues on the Rwandan territory bills or notes which are legal tender with knowledge that they are counterfeit or altered, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than five years to seven years.

    In article 603, any person who knowingly acquires or receives coins or notes, circulates them to any person, even if he or she is not one of counterfeiters or importers of such monies shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of one to three years.

    Source:Police

  • Head injuries can alter hundreds of genes and lead to serious brain diseases

    {Head injuries can harm hundreds of genes in the brain in a way that increases people’s risk for a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, UCLA life scientists report.}

    The researchers identified for the first time master genes that they believe control hundreds of other genes which are linked to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, depression, schizophrenia and other disorders.

    Knowing what the master genes are could give scientists targets for new pharmaceuticals to treat brain diseases. Eventually, scientists might even be able to learn how to re-modify damaged genes to reduce the risk for diseases, and the finding could help researchers identify chemical compounds and foods that fight disease by repairing those genes.

    “We believe these master genes are responsible for traumatic brain injury adversely triggering changes in many other genes,” said Xia Yang, a senior author of the study and a UCLA associate professor of integrative biology and physiology.

    Genes have the potential to become any of several types of proteins, and traumatic brain injury can damage the master genes, which can then lead to damage of other genes.

    That process can happen in a couple of ways, said Yang, who is a member of UCLA’s Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences. One is that the injury can ultimately lead the genes to produce proteins of irregular forms. Another is to change the number of expressed copies of a gene in each cell. Either change can prevent a gene from working properly. If a gene turns into the wrong form of protein, it could lead to Alzheimer’s disease, for example.

    “Very little is known about how people with brain trauma — like football players and soldiers — develop neurological disorders later in life,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and of integrative biology and physiology, and co-senior author of the new study. “We hope to learn much more about how this occurs.”

    The research appears in EBioMedicine, a journal published by Cell and The Lancet.

    The researchers trained 20 rats to escape from a maze. They then used a fluid to produce a concussion-like brain injury in 10 of the rats; the 10 others did not receive brain injuries. When the rats were placed in the maze again, those that had been injured took approximately 25 percent longer than the non-injured rats to solve it.

    To learn how the rats’ genes had changed in response to the brain injury, the researchers analyzed genes from five animals in each group. Specifically, they drew RNA from the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that helps regulate learning and memory, and from leukocytes, white blood cells that play a key role in the immune system.

    In the rats that had sustained brain injuries, there was a core group of 268 genes in the hippocampus that the researchers found had been altered, and a core group of 1,215 genes in the leukocytes that they found to have been changed.

    “A surprise was how many major changes occurred to genes in the blood cells,” Yang said. “The changes in the brain were less surprising. It’s such a critical region, so it makes sense that when it’s damaged, it signals to the body that it’s under attack.”

    Nearly two dozen of the altered genes are present in both the hippocampus and the blood, which presents the possibility that scientists could develop a gene-based blood test to determine whether a brain injury has occurred, and that measuring some of those genes could help doctors predict whether a person is likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other disorders. The research could also lead to a better way to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury.

    More than 100 of the genes that changed after the brain injury have counterparts in humans that have been linked to neurological and psychiatric disorders, the researchers report. For example, 16 of the genes affected in the rats have analogs in humans, and those genes are linked to a predisposition for Alzheimer’s, the study reports. The researchers also found that four of the affected genes in the hippocampus and one in leukocytes are similar to genes in humans that are linked to PTSD.

    Yang said the study not only indicated which genes are affected by traumatic brain injury and linked to serious disease, but also might point to the genes that govern metabolism, cell communication and inflammation — which might make them the best targets for new treatments for brain disorders.

    The researchers now are studying some of the master genes to determine whether modifying them also causes changes in large numbers of other genes. If so, the master genes would be even more promising as targets for new treatments. They also plan to study the phenomenon in people who have suffered traumatic brain injury.

    In a 2016 study, Yang, Gomez-Pinilla and colleagues reported that hundreds of genes can be damaged by fructose and that an omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, seems to reverse the harmful changes produced by fructose. One of the genes they identified in that study, Fmod, also was among the master regulator genes identified in the new research.

    Not everyone with traumatic brain injuries develops the same diseases, but more severe injuries can damage more genes, said Gomez-Pinilla, who also is a member of UCLA’s Brain Injury Research Center.

    Examples of gene networks in the hippocampus affected by brain trauma. UCLA researchers report that the “master regulator” genes (in red) influence many other genes responsible for the effects of brain trauma.

    Source:Science Daily

  • Rwanda is proof that Africa can achieve a lot, Malian Minister

    {The Minister of Justice and Human Right for Mali, Mamadou Ismaila Konate, yesterday, said that Rwanda has a lot to offer to Africa adding that the country’s achievements are a proof that “when people are committed they can achieve a lot.”}

    The Minister who is in the country for a five-day study tour made the remarks after visiting Isange One Stop Center and the Kigali Forensic Laboratory based at Kacyiru District Hospital.

    He observed that currently, most African countries have to acquire scientific forensic evidences from the West or European countries.

    “With such a hi-tech laboratory, Africa will no longer have to go that far,” said Minister Konate.

    The current scientific laboratory – Kigali Forensic Laboratory – conducts only DNA sampling, document examination and fingerprint analysis.

    However, once complete, the new multi-million dollar laboratory will offer about ten forensic disciplines including DNA, toxicology fingerprint analysis and ballistics.

    Toxicology is a test done on a person who, for instance, was poisoned while ballistics are tests that involve arms and explosives.

    With the new facility, it means that even an ordinary Rwandan can also attain cheaper forensic services locally.

    According to Minister Konate, “very few African countries have laboratories that have all the judicial police elements like this one. The realization of this laboratory is proof that Africa can achieve a lot and when people are determined, nothing is impossible.”

    At the center that is about to be completed, Minister Konate was accompany by Rwanda’s Minister of State in charge of Constitutional and Legal affairs, Evode Uwizeyimana and Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, the Rwandan Ambassador to Mali with resident in Darkar Senegal.

    They were given a grand tour at the center by its director, Commissioner of Police (CP) Dr. Daniel Nyamwasa.

    Speaking about his country’s relations with Rwanda, Minister Konate said that the two countries are focused at building quality relations and that his visit to Rwanda is meant for him to learn from what Rwanda has achieved in the justice sector.

    The forensic center which he visited is expected to set standards and quality assurance, including certifying forensic experts.

    Criminal cases are time and again thrown out of court due to lack of proper forensic evidence to support them which the new lab seeks to solve.

    Rwanda National Police introduced forensic science and criminology courses at the National Police College in Musanze, to equip its officers with skills in criminal investigations.

    Forensic science is a discipline that applies scientific analysis to the justice system, often to help prove the events of a crime, by analyzing and interpreting evidence found at the crime scene. The evidence can include blood, saliva, fibres, tire tracks, drugs, alcohol, paint chips and firearm residue (cartridges) and others.

    L-R. Amb. Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, CP Daniel Nyamwasa, Mali's Minister of Justice, Mamadou Ismaila Konate and Rwanda's minister of State Evode Uwizeyimana, at Isange.

    Source:Police

  • Isoflavones in food associated with reduced mortality for women with some breast cancers

    {An epidemiological analysis of data from more than 6,000 American and Canadian women with breast cancer finds that post-diagnosis consumption of foods containing isoflavones — estrogen-like compounds primarily found in soy food — is associated with a 21 percent decrease in all-cause mortality. This decrease was seen only in women with hormone-receptor-negative tumors, and in women who were not treated with endocrine therapy such as tamoxifen.}

    The study, led by nutrition and cancer epidemiologist Fang Fang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, was published March 6 in Cancer.

    “At the population level, we see an association between isoflavone consumption and reduced risk of death in certain groups of women with breast cancer. Our results suggest, in specific circumstances, there may be a potential benefit to eating more soy foods as part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle,” said Zhang, who is also the 2016-2017 Miriam E. Nelson Tisch Faculty Fellow at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and an adjunct scientist in nutritional epidemiology at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts.

    “Since we only examined naturally occurring dietary isoflavone, we do not know the effect of isoflavone from supplements. We recommend that readers keep in mind that soy foods can potentially have an impact, but only as a component of an overall healthy diet,” she adds.

    Isoflavones have been shown to slow the growth of breast cancer cells in laboratory studies, and epidemiological analyses in East Asian women with breast cancer found links between higher isoflavone intake and reduced mortality. However, other research has suggested that the estrogen-like effects of isoflavones may reduce the effectiveness of endocrine therapies used to treat breast cancer. Because of this double effect, it remains unknown whether isoflavone consumption should be encouraged or avoided by breast cancer patients.

    In the current study, Zhang and her colleagues, including Esther John, Ph.D., senior cancer epidemiologist at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California, analyzed data on 6,235 American and Canadian breast cancer patients from the Breast Cancer Family Registry, a National Cancer Institute-funded program that has collected clinical and questionnaire data on enrolled participants and their families since 1995. Women were sorted into four quartile groups based on the amount of isoflavone they were estimated to have consumed, calculated from self-reported food frequency questionnaires. Mortality was examined after a median follow-up of 9.4 years.

    The team found a 21 percent decrease in all-cause mortality among women in the highest quartile of intake, when compared to those in the lowest quartile. The association between isoflavone intake and reduced mortality was strongest in women with tumors that lacked estrogen and progesterone receptors. Women who did not receive endocrine therapy as a treatment for their breast cancer had a weaker, but still significant association. No associations were found for women with hormone-receptor-positive tumors and for women who received endocrine therapy.

    While the study categorized women in the highest quartile as those who consumed 1.5 milligrams or more of isoflavone per day — equivalent to a few dried soybeans — the authors caution that individuals tend to underestimate their food intake when filling out questionnaires.

    “The comparisons between high and low consumption in our study are valid, but our findings should not be interpreted as a prescription,” Zhang said. “However, based on our results, we do not see a detrimental effect of soy intake among women who were treated with endocrine therapy, which has been hypothesized to be a concern. Especially for women with hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer, soy food products may potentially have a beneficial effect and increase survival.”

    The large size and diverse racial/ethnic makeup of the Breast Cancer Family Registry allowed the researchers to evaluate mortality risk across different subtypes of breast cancer and subgroups of patients, and adjust for confounding factors. However, the authors note that dietary isoflavone intake was correlated with socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, which may also play a role in lowering mortality. In particular, women who consumed higher levels of dietary isoflavone were more likely to be Asian Americans, young, physically active, more educated, not overweight, never smokers, and drink no alcohol. Although the team controlled for these factors in the analyses, the possibility of a partial confounding effect on the associations identified in the study cannot be ruled out.

    “Whether lifestyle factors can improve survival after diagnosis is an important question for women diagnosed with hormone-receptor negative breast cancer, a more aggressive type of breast cancer. Our findings suggest that survival may be better in patients with a higher consumption of isoflavones from soy food,” John said.

    An epidemiological analysis of data from more than 6,000 American and Canadian women with breast cancer finds that post-diagnosis consumption of foods containing isoflavones -- estrogen-like compounds primarily found in soy food -- is associated with a 21 percent decrease in all-cause mortality.

    Source:Science Daily