IGIHE

Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

  • Motorcyclist arrested with five sacks of cannabis in Ngoma

    {A drug dealer in Ngoma District identified as Jean Bosco Uwitonze was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday morning in Kazo Sector while transporting five sacks of cannabis on a motorcycle.}

    According to the District Police Commander of Ngoma, Senior Supt. Javier Mutaganda, Uwitonze alias Kigingi, was reported by the community Irondo patrol after noticing “unusual movement” of the motorcycle.

    “At about 5am, Irondo patrol in Kinyonzo Cell, as they were returning from their night duty, they saw a motorcycle entering the forest in the area, which raised suspicion. They immediately called the nearby Police at the station of Mutenderi,” SSP Mutaganda said.

    “Police officers dispatched arrived shortly after, but a group of people that was sharing the narcotics in the forest, noticed the officers and they fled leaving the drugs and the motorcycle behind. Fortunate enough, Irondo members had identified the transporter – Uwitonze – who was also known by residents as a drug dealer, and he was arrested later,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the DPC disclosed of another drug dealer he identified as Diogene Ishimwe, 22, who was also arrested later in the day in Mutenderi Sector, after he was intercepted by residents, who called the police.

    Ishimwe was at the time walking when suspicious residents stopped and searched the bag he was carrying on to find it loaded with at least 8kgs of cannabis.

    “We are aware that Kazo and Mutenderi sectors are used as pathway for drug traffickers from Gahara in Kirehe using remote routes to Rwamagana and Kigali. We have intensified measures through awareness and information sharing with the residents, and community night patrols,” he explained.

    Kirehe is said to be the major transit route for drug dealers in the Eastern Province, who sneak into the country through porous borders.

    Elsewhere, Police in Gicumbi District, also seized about 900 sachets of contrabands including Blue Sky, Chief Waragi and Kitoko Waragi, after a search in the house of one Marie Claire Ingabire located in Gihembe Cell of Kageyo Sector, who has since been arrested.

    Gicumbi, on the other hand, is labeled as the main transit route for illicit gin.

    Through intensified efforts that have seen at least an anti-illicit gin club created in each of the 21 sectors, as one measures to break the chain.

    Ultimately, illicit gin worth over Rwf50 million have been seized and destroyed since August last year.

    The District Police Unit of Gicumbi is currently engaged in community awareness to encourage the people to venture such millions of money in legal businesses rather than blowing it in such criminal ventures.

    Source:Police

  • Horse-riding can improve children’s cognitive ability

    {Study shows how the effects of horseback riding improve learning in children.}

    Recent research published in Frontiers in Public Health shows that the effects of vibrations produced by horses during horse-riding lead to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which improves learning in children.

    “We wanted to look into these effects because previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of horseback riding with respect to enhancing physical health and the mental effects, but few studies have addressed the effects of horseback riding on children and the mechanisms underlying how riding affects humans” says Mitsuaki Ohta, professor of Tokyo University of Agriculture.

    Ohta and his research team examined the effects of horseback riding on the performance of children by having them complete simple tests directly before and after horse-riding, while measuring the children’s heart rate in response to movements created by the horses.

    The behavioral reactions of the children were tested using a ‘Go/No-go’ test, which assesses cognitive response using fast computerized questions. The test determined the children’s ability to appropriately respond in a situation, by either performing an action or demonstrating self-control. The children were also asked to complete simple arithmetic problems to test their mental performance.

    The results showed that riding on some horses greatly improved the ability of the children to perform the behavioral tasks, but less of an effect was seen on the children’s results when solving arithmetic problems.

    Ohta believes this difference in results may be due to the simplicity of the mathematical test, as increases in heart rate were only associated with the behavioral test.

    “The Go/No-go tasks might be harder than the arithmetic problems and thus cause a more extensive activation of the sympathetic nervous system, since increases in heart rate were associated with the improved performance of Go/No-go tasks, but not arithmetic problems,” he explains.

    These results mean that the act of horse-riding could improve cognitive abilities in children. These are brain-based skills of which an improvement can lead to enhanced learning, memory and problem-solving.

    So, what is specific in the movement of horse-riding that leads to these improvements? “One important characteristic of the horse steps is that they produce three-dimensional accelerations. The movement of the horse’s pelvis may provide motor and sensory inputs to the human body and in this study, I believe some of the differences among the rider’s performances might be due to these accelerations” Ohta explains that results may be due to the vibrations produced from the horse’s motion activating parts of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to improved behavioral test results.

    While it is important to consider that the results could vary based on the horses or breeds, and that a lot of children do not have easy access to horse-riding classes, perhaps some benefits could be acquired from interactions with more attainable pet interactions.

    “There are many possible effects of human-animal interactions on child development” Ohta suggests, “For instance, the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions, which we described in this study, and the ability to appreciate and respond to complex emotional influences and non-verbal communication, which requires further research to be understood.”

    Riding on some horses greatly improved the ability of children to perform certain behavioral tasks.

    Source:Science Daily

  • Evolution of bipedalism in ancient dinosaur ancestors

    {How dinosaurs learned to stand on their own two feet}

    Paleontologists at the University of Alberta have developed a new theory to explain why the ancient ancestors of dinosaurs stopped moving about on all fours and rose up on just their two hind legs.

    Bipedalism in dinosaurs was inherited from ancient and much smaller proto-dinosaurs. The trick to this evolution is in their tails explains Scott Persons, postdoctoral fellow and lead author on the paper.

    “The tails of proto-dinosaurs had big, leg-powering muscles,” says Persons. “Having this muscle mass provided the strength and power required for early dinosaurs to stand on and move with their two back feet. We see a similar effect in many modern lizards that rise up and run bipedally.”

    Over time, proto-dinosaurs evolved to run faster and for longer distances. Adaptations like hind limb elongation allowed ancient dinosaurs to run faster, while smaller forelimbs helped to reduce body weight and improve balance. Eventually, some proto-dinosaurs gave up quadrupedal walking altogether.

    The research, conducted by Persons and Phil Currie, paleontologist and Canada Research Chair, also debunks theories that early proto-dinosaurs stood on two legs for the sole purpose of free their hands for use in catching prey.

    “Those explanations don’t stand up,” says Persons. “Many ancient bipedal dinosaurs were herbivores, and even early carnivorous dinosaurs evolved small forearms. Rather than using their hands to grapple with prey, it is more likely they seized their meals with their powerful jaws.”

    But, if it is true that bipedalism can evolve to help animals run fast, why aren’t mammals like horses and cheetahs bipedal?

    “Largely because mammals don’t have those big tail-based leg muscles,” Persons explains. “Looking across the fossil record, we can trace when our proto-mammal ancestors actually lost those muscles. It seems to have happened back in the Permian period, over 252 million years ago.”

    At that time the mammalian lineage was adapting to dig and to live in burrows. In order to dig, mammals had strong front limbs. Muscular back legs and tails likely made it more difficult to maneuver in the narrow confines of a burrow.

    “It also makes the distance a predator has to reach in to grab you that much shorter,” says persons. “That’s why modern burrowers tend to have particularly short tails. Think rabbits, badgers, and moles.”

    The researchers also theorize that living in burrows may have helped our ancestors to survive a mass extinction that occurred at the end of the Permian. But when proto-mammals emerged from their burrows, and some eventually evolved to be fast runners, they lacked the tail muscles that would have inclined them towards bipedalism.

    Skeleton of the proto-dinosaur Marasuchus -- a squirrel-sized carnivore that likely walked on all fours but ran on two legs.

    Source:Science Daily

  • 6 ways to handle rumours about yourself

    {There are rumour mongers everywhere, and it’s common to have fallen into the trap of rumour mongers.}

    It’s very important to know how to handle rumours about yourself, because if you don’t, those rumours could get the better of you and affect you negatively.

    These are six things you should do when you hear a rumour about yourself.

    {{1. Be confident }}

    Being confident when things which are untrue are being said about you is a very important way to handle rumours. When you are confident, you give the rumour-plotters something else to think about.

    {{2. Never show frustration }}

    People plotting rumours against you expect you to show frustration and lose your cool. You play into their traps when you do this. So, never get frustrated because of rumours; see rumours as what it really is — lies.

    {{3. Communicate }}

    When you hear something untrue about you, communicate with the people who matter to you and people in higher authority, like your boss if possible.

    {{4. Clarify the situation }}

    Present facts to clarify the situation.

    {{5. Don’t try too hard }}

    Don’t try too hard to impress anyone. When you become desperate to clear the rumours, people might actually believe the rumours are true.

    {{6. Be positive }}

    Remain positive no matter the situation, keep a smiling face and never lose your joy because of news that are untrue.

    It might seem difficult to do all these, but it’s way better to handle rumours this way than to get frustrated.

    Source:Elcrema

  • Technology to be employed in recovering public funds

    {Recovering embezzled public funds was part of resolution two (2) of the 13th National Leadership Retreat which has however not been executed properly as expected. }

    According to a recent report released by the Prime Minister’s office, implementing the resolution has faced challenges including lack of automated systems to regularly monitor public funds recovery process, revision of existing regulatory framework for recovery of embezzled public funds and mindset of institutions expecting MINIJUST to handle all the recovery of funds.

    The Minister in the Office of the Presidency, Tugireyezu Venantie has said that over Rwf 700 million were recovered following the resolution describing it as failure because the target was to recover embezzled Rwf 2 billion.

    “You understand that there is a gap in recovering public funds. Implementation of the resolution faced problems of mindsets wondering whether misappropriated resources will be recovered by districts or the Ministry of Justice and urged all stakeholders to put in more efforts,” she said.

    She said that the Ministry of Justice is set to collaborate with districts to recover misappropriated resources.

    An automated system is being prepared where names will be put in a central digital reference register when those that owe government can easily be identified before they access government services.

    The Minister in the Office of the Presidency, Tugireyezu Venantie in a press conference yesterday.

  • Degree certificates to be locally generated

    {The Ministry of Education has said that university degree certificates should be designed and printed from within the country to promote Made in Rwanda. }

    Dr Malimba has unveiled this yesterday during a press briefing following the National Leadership Retreat held from 25th February to 2nd March 2017.

    “It is true that the matter of designing university degree certificates from abroad has been raised. We have taken the decision to bring together local companies to offer such services,” he said.

    On the challenge of risking forgeries, the minister explained that companies inside the country should collaborate with others abroad to get the technology.

    He explained that they are thinking about other alternative of offering digitized degree certificates other than papers.

    The Minister of Education, Dr. Musafiri Papias Malimba.

  • Government saves Rwf 125 million on foreign travels

    {The Minister in the Office of the Presidency,Venantia Tugireyezu has said that the resolution of 13th National Leadership Retreat (NLR) regarding the reduction of budget on international travels has saved the government Rwf 123 million. }

    In a press briefing following the end of the 14thNLR, Tugireyezu said; “The resolution has been implemented at a good scale. Unnecessary travels have been banned and sought how Rwandan diplomats in foreign countries may represent the country instead of sending officers. This reduced Rwf 125 million from the budget spent on such travels,” she said.

    During the NLR in 2016, President Kagame said that some leaders used to go on international travels arguing it was for Rwandans interests but without tangible results.

    This prompted the reduction of budget spend on foreign travels among resolutions of the retreat.

    The Minister in the Office of the Presidency,Venantia Tugireyezu.

  • 61.5% of Rwandans not satisfied with how community mediators resolve conflicts

    {Research carried out by Legal Aid Forum regarding citizens’ perception on delivered judicial services has indicated that 87% are satisfied with legal aid assistance while only 38.5% are satisfied with how community mediators resolve conflicts. }

    The research was carried out in 30 districts countrywide taking the sample of 5 503 in each.

    The research assessed citizens’ access to fair justice, justice services decentralization, awareness on existence of judicial assistance and its reach.

    It also analyzed how conflicts are resolved by courts and community mediators, execution of court cases and citizens’ awareness of their rights.

    45% of citizens expressed trust in local leaders, 95% satisfied by MAJ, 96% satisfied with legal aid provided by private practitioners while 84% are satisfied with how courts resolve conflicts.

    Munyamahoro Rene, the chairman of legal aid forum has said that having 61.5% not satisfied with conflict resolution by community mediators is in most cases the result of corruption.

    “Agents of community mediation claim that citizens don’t trust them because they share many things on daily basis like entertainment, leisure and religious values. They feel like they are receiving unfair justice considering that the community mediators are their peers,” he said.

    He however explained that 90% of decisions of community mediators were approved by courts.

    Netherlands ambassador to Rwanda, Frederick de Man has said that Rwanda has achieved a lot in the judiciary sector noting however that the research outcomes highlight the need to strengthen performance in some areas.

    “The Ministry of Justice and its partners have achieved a lot but community mediators’ capacity is still a matter that can’t be solved by money and trainings. How can we change mindsets of citizens who perceive them as an unfair and corrupt body?” he said.

    He stressed the need to conduct research to explore why citizens don’t trust community mediators as a body established as part of Rwanda homegrown solutions.

    Justice Sector Secretariat Coordinator, Nabahire Anastase has said that most of those dissatisfied with community mediators are the defeated ones in conflict cases.
    “It is advisable for Rwandans to trust community mediators again because it can help us build peace at home, in villages and sectors. They have to avoid filing complaints in court,” he said.

    The research also indicated that 51% of Rwandans are unaware of their rights while 83% don’t know laws regarding bail application and remand.

    Participants during the presentation of Research carried out by Legal Aid Forum yesterday.

  • Keep the momentum—Kagame to national leaders

    {President Paul Kagame has urged leaders to fulfill their duties with utmost ambition and make good management of country’s resources to achieve more other than giving space to those who want to provide funding with motives behind. }

    He made the remarks yesterday as he concluded the 14th Leadership Retreat held in Gabiro RDF combat training center.

    Kagame requested leaders not to rely upon donors lest they fall into temptations of self-interests lying behind the support.

    “When we say we want to produce goods and trade, they tell you your place is to receive development funding.They give you food and development aid while they take away 100 times more in resources that belong to you,” he said.

    “They threaten you with standards like press freedom in exchange for your silence and gratitude for their leftovers. By not doing what we are supposed to do, we are accepting the dictatorship of those who tell us to limit our ambitions,” he said.

    President Kagame thanked the leaders for their contribution in dialogue but highlighted that the same mistakes should not be repeated.

    “We cannot spend 14 years repeating the same mistakes, we need to do things differently. We are not aiming for things that do not exist elsewhere; we deserve to lead a dignified life.Fulfilling your duties should not be seen as extraordinary. Using public resources to serve citizens without corruption is not exploitation. It is your duty,” he said.

    Kagame urged leaders to work hard to multiply resources and advance progress.

    “We should be innovative, look at the resources we have & strive to use them to achieve three times more than they are now.Our past has shown us that a lack of resources does not stop us from achieving. We have to continue with that mentality.We should not accept to be relegated to a people who do not deserve to pursue high ambitions and a better life,” he said.

    “Would you choose the challenge of managing resources or managing poverty?If we are able to fight poverty and achieve progress, can we really fail to manage resources?Let me end by asking you to keep working hard, there is a lot we can accomplish with the resources we do have,” he added.

    The Annual Leadership Retreat concluded yesterday started on Saturday last week.

    President Kagame addressing leaders attending the 14th National Leadership Retreat yesterday in Gabiro.

  • Palmyra: Russia-backed Syria army retakes ancient city

    {Joint operation involving Russian air power and Shia militia forces ISIL to retreat again from historic city.}

    The Syrian army said it has recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL for the second time in a year with help from allied forces and Russian warplanes.

    The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group seized Palmyra in a surprise advance in December after having been driven out eight months before.

    “With backing from the Syrian and Russian air forces, units of our armed forces recaptured the city of Palmyra, in cooperation with the allies,” the military said in a statement.

    The army and Iranian-backed militia advanced inside Palmyra on Thursday as ISIL withdrew completely, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said.

    ISIL retreated to areas in the east, the Syrian Observatory reported. Government forces took control of swathes of Palmyra and conducted combing operations to clear land mines, it said.

    During ISIL’s first occupation, which ended in March last year, the armed group destroyed some of Palmyra’s priceless archaeological heritage. It is believed to have razed other parts of the historical ruins after regaining control in December.

    The Syrian army is also fighting ISIL east of Aleppo city, where it is pushing to reach the Euphrates River, and in the city of Deir al-Zor, where it controls an enclave besieged by fighters.

    ISIL is on the back foot in Syria after losing territory in the north to an alliance of US-backed Kurdish-led militias, and to Turkey-backed Syrian rebel groups.

    Government and opposition delegations are attending UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, where the government’s chief negotiator hailed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for keeping his promise to retake Palmyra.

    The Syrian opposition, however, declined to congratulate Assad on capturing Palmyra and suggested the city changing hands again was possible.

    Syrian soldiers recaptured Palmyra from ISIL once before in April, 2016

    Source:Al Jazeera