IGIHE

Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

  • 4 messages you pass across when you are a perpetual latecomer

    {Being a perpetual latecomer is the worst thing you can do for yourself. When you are known to be a latecomer, the perception people will have of you will be very low.}

    In whatever field you find yourself, being a latecomer will send across a bad image about you.

    These are some of the ways people see you when they know you can’t keep to time.

    {{1. You shouldn’t be taken serious }}

    You lose your integrity in people’s eyes when they can’t trust you with their time. People wouldn’t take you seriously when they know you are always going to be late.

    {{2. You are a terrible leader }}

    A good leader leads by example, while a terrible leader tries to use force. Being a leader isn’t about the position you have been given or the title you hold; being a leader is about winning the trust of your followers, and you can’t do that when you are a perpetual latecomer.

    {{3. You lack drive and focus }}

    You can’t have the drive to achieve success and fail with your timing. The most successful people in every given field manage their time wisely.

    {{4. You don’t care }}

    People will believe you don’t care when you’re always late. It’s not about how you feel inside but what you show, and people will believe your actions than your words. You pass a message that you don’t care whenever you come late.

    Do you have a penchant for being late? Don’t be surprised that you have a bad reputation; it’s all about the message that you pass, and you’ve been passing the wrong message.

    Source:Elcrema

  • New study emphasizes the relative scarcity of lake water

    {What is the volume of water in lakes on Earth? Using a mathematical analysis, researcher David Seekell, at Umeå University in Sweden, and his American collaborators now suggest that the mean depth of lakes is 30 per cent lower than previously estimated. Shallower lakes implies less fresh water and has consequences for our understanding of climate change and the carbon cycle. The results have been published in Geophysical Research Letters.}

    “Our estimations measure around 190,000 km3, which is a very small amount of water. In comparison, the ocean contains 1.3 billion km3 of water. If we poured the water of all lakes on Earth together into one big lake, the mean depth of the lake would be 42 metres. The mean depth of the ocean is 3,682 metres,” says David Seekell, associate professor at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC) at Umeå University in Sweden.

    A possible conclusion is if lakes are shallower, they release more methane into the atmosphere than previously estimated.

    Measuring the volume of the lakes on Earth seems like a simple task. Nevertheless, the challenges to carry out a measurement on a global scale are huge. Satellites can measure the volume of very large lakes, such as for instance Lake Vättern in Sweden or Lake Superior in the United States and Canada, but measuring the tens of millions of small lakes spread across the surface of Earth requires time-consuming field work. A commonly used method is GPS positioning and depth sounder by boat. The researcher is required to row around on the lake until he or she has collected a large number of depths. The depths and coordinates are later used to build bathymetric maps which the volume and mean depth can be derived from. The approach works well for small lakes, but is expensive due to the time-consuming process and only a small number of lakes can be mapped.

    So far, there have been few estimates of the volume of fresh water in lakes on Earth, and those that exist vary greatly and are typically presented without any data or methods.

    “We decided to use a theory driven approach. We assumed that the surface of Earth is self-affine. This basically means that if you zoomed in and out of a cross-section of Earth’s surface, the statistical characteristics of the vertical topography are predictable based upon a stretching factor,” says David Seekell.

    The researchers evaluated their model with measured volumes from thousands of lakes from diverse landscapes. The presumptions proved accurate and based upon this model, the researchers were able to deduce a theoretical volume-area relationship.

    “We were able to use the model to estimate the mean volume of lakes at each given lake surface area, but also for variations in volume of lakes with the same surface area. Given the total lake surface area on Earth — which can actually be accurately recorded by satellite, even for small lakes — we were now able to estimate the total volume and assess the uncertainty in the estimate,” says David Seekell.

    The research team assessed that there are 184,000-199,000 km3 of lake water. The reason behind the variation can be explained by how lakes are counted and how their surface area is measured, particularly the smaller ones.

    The majority of lake water can be found in a few very large lakes such as the Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, and Lake Baikal. In fact, about 80 percent of lake water can be found in the 20 largest lakes alone.

    The quality and quantity of lake water can rapidly change due to human activities. For example, in some regions many ponds and reservoirs have been built for ornamental purposes, for irrigation, to generate electricity, or to store drinking water, which increasing the volume of fresh water.

    On the other hand, some large lakes have dried up and disappeared. For example, Lake Poopo in Bolivia previously had a surface area of about 3,000 km2 and was one of the largest lakes in Bolivia. Due to climate change and water diversions for agricultural production, there is almost no water left, which greatly affects local communities. A very similar story can be told about the Aral Sea — once the fourth largest lake on Earth — where climate change and water diversions for agriculture have left only a tiny fraction of its former surface.

    It is not only quantity that is of great concern at the moment. The water quality of the largest lakes on Earth are subject to degradation due to human activities. For example, Lake Erie in the United States and Canada with a surface area of about 25,667 km2 has been exposed to nutrient pollution and harmful algae blooms. This has rendered the lake an unreliable source for drinking water for communities along the shoreline. As a consequence, over 400,000 people even lost access to drinking water due to neurotoxins in the lake water associated with algae bloom in 2014.

    “Our study emphasizes the relative scarcity of lake water, and how rapidly human activities can change the quality and quantity of water resources,” says David Seekell.

    Mapping a lake by GPS positioning and depth sounder by boat is very time-consuming, therefore the researchers decided to use a theory driven approach in the study.

    Source:Science Daily

  • The Akilah Institute Launches Evening and Weekend Program for Working Professionals

    {The Akilah Institute, Rwanda’s tertiary institution for women, recently launched its Evening & Weekend Program for working professionals. Applications for the July 2017 programs intake are open now. The program is designed for working women, mothers and others with daytime commitments.}

    Akilah first opened its doors in 2010 and has since graduated over 200 students with diplomas in Hospitality Management, Information Systems, and Business Management & Entrepreneurship.

    Akilah’s two-year program emphasizes leadership, public speaking, community service, and professional development. The institute is known among employers for turning out career-ready graduates. To date, 88% of graduates have secured jobs within six months of graduation.

    Aline Kabanda, Akilah’s Country Director, sees the Evening & Weekend Program as a logical extension of Akilah’s commitment to preparing Rwandan women for professional careers.

    “We have many promising young women who simply don’t have time to pursue a traditional daytime diploma program — they are either working professionals, mothers, or both,” she says.

    “Our new Akilah Evening and Weekend Program will make it possible for young women to pursue their education and build their careers without sacrificing their work and family responsibilities,” explains Kabanda. “The program will equip students with the skills necessary to advance their careers or find new, exciting career opportunities.”

    The Evening and Weekend Program will initially offer two diplomas: a Diploma in Hospitality Management and a Diploma in Information Systems. Akilah will continue to offer its Diploma in Business Management & Entrepreneurship to daytime students.

    The two-year Evening and Weekend Program will run from 6-10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m on Saturdays. The later hours will allow students to work during the day and attend class at night.

    All incoming students are required to attend the Akilah Bridge Program, an intensive course in English, computer, and writing skills that prepares students for success in the classroom. The Bridge Program follows the same weekday schedule as the regular courses but runs from 3-9:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

    {{Preparing Women for ICT Careers }}

    The Diploma in Information Systems is Akilah’s newest offering. The institute decided to make it available to more students through its Evening and Weekend Program due to the high demand for trained IT professionals in Rwanda.

    Faustin Soroncho, Akilah’s Information Systems Program Manager, says it’s important to prepare women for careers in ICT. “That’s where everything is headed in all sectors, whether it’s business, education, or health. To create equal opportunities, we need to involve women in the big things coming up. Being fluent in ICT means you get ahead at the workplace, you get to play key roles in your career,” he explains.

    He emphasizes that there’s a particular need for women in the field. “Often they will be the ones who come up with innovations specifically benefiting women and girls. They understand that need much better than men ever will,” he says.

    Akilah’s Information Systems curriculum is developed in partnership with private sector employers so that students graduate with in-demand skills. The campus has four computer labs, with a combined 140 computers, and a networking lab for students to practice hands-on hardware and networking skills.

    “Akilah’s IS program is unique among ICT offerings in Rwanda because we put a lot of emphasis on practical training. Our students know how to create mobile apps and websites, create databases, repair computers, and configure computer networks when they leave,” Soroncho explains. “Our students have secured internships with Axiom Networks, ISPA, Imaginet, and Go Ltd. When they graduate, they find jobs with Rwanda’s top employers, such as Radisson Blu.”

    {{A Curriculum That Emphasizes Mastery }}

    This year Akilah will also roll out a new competency-based education curriculum for both its Daytime Program and Evening and Weekend Program. Competency-based education “brings students to the center of learning,” explains Rick Daniels, Akilah’s Chief Academic Officer.

    “CBE introduces concepts that challenge students by doing rather than observing. With Akilah’s infusion of industry skills and regionally specific content, our students will graduate with the readiness they need not only to obtain a job but also to thrive in a career,” Daniels says.

    The Rwandan Government has made CBE a national strategy. Proponents of CBE say that it is particularly effective for preparing graduates for the workforce because it focuses on what students know and can do, rather than theoretical knowledge.

    “CBE is the global future of education. Akilah will join other leading institutions in this international academic shift,” Daniels says.

    {{Applications Open Now for July 2017 Intake }}

    Akilah is currently accepting applications for both its Daytime Program and Evening & Weekend Program. Students can apply at www.akilahinstitute.org/apply.Those interested can learn more at www.akilahinstitute.org or by following Akilah on Facebook. Akilah’s admissions team may also be reached at 0788384060. Applications close on May 8.

  • Heatwave builds across northern India and Pakistan

    {Pre-monsoon temperatures continue to rise, prompting health concerns.}

    It may happen almost every year at around this time, but a developing heatwave in South Asia is raising concerns about the potential health hazard posed by extreme temperatures.

    In the last few days temperatures across many parts of India and Pakistan have been hovering around the 40 degree Celsius mark.

    This, in itself, is not unusual. Temperatures of 40C occur in many parts of the region ahead of the monsoon rains, which usually do not reach northern parts until July.

    What is of concern this year is that some of the hottest weather of the pre-monsoon period will likely coincide with the start of Ramadan. This will begin on May 26 and continue until June 24. During this time many Muslims refrain from eating and drinking between dawn and dusk.

    During the latter part of Ramadan, and well before the cooling effect of monsoon rain arrives, there will be almost 14 hours between sunrise and sunset.

    Strict observers of Ramadan will be placing their bodies under considerable stress if they abstain from hydrating themselves for the whole 14 hours.

    Before Ramadan in 2015, a severe heatwave claimed the lives of 2,500 people in India. Then just one month later temperatures as high as 49C over a three day period claimed 2,000 lives in southern Pakistan.

    The hot weather during 2016 claimed the lives of 700 people according to the Indian Meteorology Department.

    There are often other contributory factors in the death tolls of heatwaves. Pakistan’s infrastructure is such that electricity supplies are often under severe strain during hot weather. The failure of these supplies means than people are left without fans, refrigerators and air conditioning units.

    Rapid urbanisation and anthropogenic climate change are other factors which are likely to make heatwaves a growing and more frequent threat.

    The current spell of hot weather is expected to continue for the best part of a week. It is likely to turn cooler, by around 3 to 4C, from Friday, with the chance of showers.

    Not everyone has access to cool river water during the current heatwave

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • Flash floods kill at least 17 in northwest Iran

    {State television says 20 people still missing after flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Ajabshir and Azarshahr.}

    At least 17 people have been killed and 20 missing in Iran’s northwest after torrential rains triggered severe flooding, according to state media.

    Iran’s state television on Saturday showed images of flooded houses and cars carried away by the surging water.

    “Rescue teams have found 17 dead bodies after flash floods triggered by heavy rains in the cities of Ajabshir and Azarshahr,” Khalil Saei, director general of crisis management in East Azarbaijan province, was quoted as saying.

    Saei added that Red Crescent workers, air ambulances, police and army forces have been deployed to provide aid.

    In September, at least 10 people were killed in flash flooding in Tehran and Hormozgan provinces.

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • Doubts over ‘Islamist’ motive letters in Dortmund blast

    {Local newspaper receive claim of responsibility for the attack on Borussia Dortmund team implicating the far-right.}

    German investigators have “significant doubts” that the attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus on Tuesday was the work of “Islamists”.

    Three identical letters printed in German found near the scene of Tuesday’s attack in Dortmund had stated it was carried out “in the name of Allah”, broadcaster ARD reported, citing other media.

    The letters referred to the use of Tornado reconnaissance planes in Syria, which Germany has deployed as part of the military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

    But a report commissioned by investigators said the letters had likely been written to trick people into thinking there was an ISIL motive, ARD added.

    READ MORE: Marc Bartra injured in Borussia Dortmund bus blasts

    “That’s accurate,” Frauke Koehler, a spokeswoman for the federal public prosecutor’s office, said when asked to comment on the ARD report.

    Asked why there were doubts over the letters, she said she could not give any more information as the investigation was ongoing.

    Another letter

    German newspaper Tagesspiegel said on its website later on Friday it had received an anonymous far-right email claiming responsibility for Tuesday’s attack. It said the email referred to Adolf Hitler, railed against multiculturalism and suggested another attack might occur on April 22.

    Koehler said prosecutors had received a copy of the letter but she could not comment further.

    The Borussia Dortmund team bus was heading to their stadium for a Champions League match against AS Monaco on Tuesday when three explosions occurred, injuring Spanish defender Marc Bartra.

    Experts have been expressing scepticism for days about the origins of the letters claiming responsibility. Security sources have said investigators are looking at whether left or right-wing extremists may have carried out the attack.

    A day after the attack, the interior minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia described the letters as “unusual”.

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • Hacked files suggest NSA monitored Middle East banks

    {Files released by ‘Shadow Brokers’ also suggest the NSA exploited weaknesses in Microsoft Windows products.}

    Files released by the mysterious hacker “Shadow Brokers” on Friday suggested the US National Security Agency (NSA) had penetrated the SWIFT banking network and monitored a number of Middle East banks.

    The files, according to computer security analysts, also showed the NSA had found and exploited numerous vulnerabilities in a range of Microsoft Windows products widely used on computers around the world.

    “The tools and exploits released today have been specifically designed to target earlier versions of Windows operating system,” said security specialist Pierluigi Paganini on the Security Affairs website.

    They “suggest the NSA was targeting the SWIFT banking system of several banks around the world”.

    The SWIFT system is used by banks to transfer trillions of dollars each day.

    The files appear to indicate that the NSA had infiltrated two of SWIFT’s service bureaus, including EastNets, which provides technology services in the Middle East for the Belgium-based SWIFT and for individual financial institutions.

    Via that entry point the agency appears to have monitored transactions involving several banks and financial institutions in Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen and Qatar.

    SWIFT said in a statement that the allegations involve only its service bureaus and not its own network.

    “There is no impact on SWIFT’s infrastructure or data, however we understand that communications between these service bureaus and their customers may previously have been accessed by unauthorised third parties.”

    “We have no evidence to suggest that there has ever been any unauthorised access to our network or messaging services.”

    In a statement on its website EastNets rejected the allegations.

    “The reports of an alleged hacker-compromised EastNets Service Bureau network is totally false and unfounded,” it said.

    “We can confirm that no EastNets customer data has been compromised in any way.”

    Analysts say many of the exploits revealed appear to be three years old or more, but have some unknown vulnerabilities that could still be used by other hackers.

    “Eastnets’ claim is impossible to believe,” said Kevin Beaumont, who was one of several experts who spent Friday combing through the documents and trying out the code.

    He told the Associated Press news agency that he had found password dumps, an Excel spreadsheet outlining the internal architecture of the company’s server, and one file that was “just a massive log of hacking on their organisation”.

    Beaumont said there was bad news in the release for Microsoft as well. He said the malicious code published on Friday appeared to exploit previously undiscovered weaknesses in older versions of its Windows operating system – the mark of a sophisticated actor and a potential worry for many of Windows’ hundreds of millions of users.

    The opinion was seconded by Matthew Hickey of UK-based cybersecurity company Hacker House.

    “It’s an absolute disaster,” Hickey said in an email to AP. “I have been able to hack pretty much every Windows version here in my lab using this leak.”

    Microsoft said in a statement that it is reviewing the leak and “will take the necessary actions to protect our customers”. It declined to elaborate.

    The NSA has previously shown interest in targeting SWIFT, according to documents leaked by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

    No one has yet discovered the identity of Shadow Brokers, or of the hackers that gained access to the NSA materials.

    Shadow Brokers first surfaced last year offering for sale a suite of hacking tools from the NSA. There were no takers at the price – stated of tens of millions of dollars – and since then the hacker or hackers have leaked bits of the trove for free.

    No one has yet discovered the identity of Shadow Brokers

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • Kim Jong-un oversees display of N Korea military force

    {North Korea issues nuclear warning to US as it unveils what appear to be new long-range and submarine-based missiles.}

    North Korea on Saturday displayed what appeared to be new long-range and submarine-based missiles at a massive military parade celebrating the 105th birth anniversary of the nation’s founding president, Kim Il-sung.

    The parade, attended by leader Kim Jong-un, saw thousands of soldiers marching through the capital, Pyongyang.

    Weapons analysts said they believed some of the missiles on display were new types of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), enclosed in canister launchers mounted on the back of trucks.

    North Korea’s Pukkuksong submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) were also on parade. It was the first time North Korea had shown the missiles, which have a range of more than 1,000km, at a military parade.

    With the US navy deployed near the Korean Peninsula, a top North Korean official issued a nuclear warning against the United States during the ceremony.

    Choe Ryong Hae – widely seen by analysts as North Korea’s second most important official – said US President Donald Trump was guilty of “creating a war situation” by dispatching US forces to the region.

    “We will respond to an all-out war with an all-out war and a nuclear war with our style of a nuclear attack,” said Choe.

    State television showed Kim, wearing a black suit and white shirt, stepping out of a black limousine and saluting his honour guard before walking down a red carpet.

    He then walked up to a podium and clapped with senior government officials to address the thousands of soldiers and a massive crowd taking part in the parade.

    The display suggested that Pyongyang was working towards a “new concept” of ICBM, Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the US-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, told the Reuters news agency.

    “However, North Korea has a habit of showing off new concepts in parades before they ever test or launch them,” Hanham said. “It is still early days for these missile designs”.

    Joshua Pollack, editor of the Washington-based Nonproliferation Review, told Reuters that the display indicates North Korea is progressing with its plan to base missiles on submarines, which are hard to detect.

    “It suggests a commitment to this programme,” said Pollack. “Multiple SLBMs seems like a declaration of intent to advance the programme”.

    Al Jazeera’s Craig Leeson, reporting from Seoul, in the South, said Kim Il-sung’s birthday, also known as the Day of the Sun, is a day for celebration in North Korea, but also a day for analysts to observe the military parade.

    “What we’ve seen already is that it’s a very large parade. We had expected it would possibly be the largest that they’ve held,” our correspondent said.

    He said analysts are noting who is standing beside Kim Jong-un – on his right, the country’s second-highest ranking official, who heads the military, and on his left, the country’s premier.

    “What analysts believe is that this is sending a message that Kim Jong-un maintains his dual track policy,” Leeson said.

    “That is the military deterrent and developing that military deterrent. And on his left, the economic policy, bringing North Korea into the modern world. That includes the business world, engaging China, its biggest trading partner, and maintaining its strength on the peninsula.”

    {{‘Military hysteria’}}

    In his annual New Year’s address, Kim said that the country’s preparations for an inter-continental ballistic missile launch have “reached the final stage”. Analysts say commercial satellite images from recent weeks indicate increased activity around North Korea’s nuclear test site.

    North Korea warned the US to end its “military hysteria” earlier on Saturday or face retaliation as a US aircraft carrier group steamed towards the region.

    “All the brigandish provocative moves of the US in the political, economic and military fields pursuant to its hostile policy toward the DPRK will thoroughly be foiled through the toughest counteraction of the army and people of the DPRK,” North Korea’s KCNA news agency said, citing a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army.

    DPRK stands for the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    “Our toughest counteraction against the US and its vassal forces will be taken in such a merciless manner as not to allow the aggressors to survive.”

    It said the Trump administration’s “serious military hysteria” has reached a “dangerous phase which can no longer be overlooked”.

    The US has warned that a policy of “strategic patience” with North Korea is over.

    US Vice President Mike Pence travels to South Korea on Sunday on a long-planned 10-day trip to Asia.

    China, North Korea’s sole major ally and neighbour, which nevertheless opposes its weapons programme, on Friday again called for talks to defuse the crisis.

    “We call on all parties to refrain from provoking and threatening each other, whether in words or actions, and not let the situation get to an irreversible and unmanageable stage,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing.

    North Korea, still technically at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce but not a treaty, has on occasion conducted missile or nuclear tests to coincide with big political events and often threatens the United States, South Korea and Japan.

    North Korean state television showed Kim saluting his honour guard before walking down a red carpet

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • US troops to help Somalia fight al-Shabab

    {The US says it is sending dozens of troops to Somalia to train forces fighting Islamist group al-Shabab.}

    This is the first time regular US troops have been deployed in Somalia since 1994, although some counter-terrorism advisers are already there.

    President Donald Trump last month approved a directive allowing tougher action against al-Shabab.

    In 1993, 18 US special forces personnel were killed in the incident dramatised in the Hollywood film Black Hawk Down.

    {{Who are Somalia’s al-Shabab?}}

    The deaths, and the shooting down of two US helicopters in Mogadishu, shocked the US and the rest of its military personnel were withdrawn from Somalia shortly afterwards.

    Hundreds of Somalis were also killed in the 15-hour battle sparked when US forces tried to capture close allies of warlord Mohammed Farah Aideed.

    Since then, the US has restricted most of its activities in Somalia to drone and missile attacks against Islamist militants.

    BBC World Service Africa editor Mary Harper says the US has also trained a highly effective elite Somali force.

    The main focus now is the Somali army, which is fractured, undisciplined and poorly equipped, she says.

    Several other countries, including the UK and Turkey, are also training Somali troops.
    Al-Shabab, part of al-Qaeda, has a strong presence in many rural parts of Somalia and often stages attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere.

    The African Union has a force of about 22,000 soldiers helping the Somali government fight al-Shabab.

    The 1993 downing of two helicopters shocked the US

    Source:BBC

  • Ivory Coast conflict: Gbagbo ally jailed over Novotel hotel murders

    {The head of the presidential guard under Ivory Coast’s ex-leader Laurent Gbagbo has been sentenced to 18 years in prison over killings during the country’s civil conflict in 2011.}

    Gen Bruno Dogbo Ble was convicted at the murder trial for four foreign businessmen, who were abducted from a top hotel in the main city of Abidjan.

    Only one body was ever found, dumped in a lagoon in the city.

    Some 3,000 people died in the conflict that followed elections in 2010.

    The BBC’s Tamasin Ford in Abidjan says there are still many unanswered questions about the case which was long shrouded in doubt and mystery.

    A unit of the elite presidential guard was found to have stormed the Novotel Hotel in Abidjan’s financial district on 4 April, 2011, as fighting raged for control of the commercial capital.

    They abducted the French hotel manager along with the French head of Sifca, the country’s biggest agro-industrial group, his Beninoise assistant and a Malaysian colleague.

    The prosecution said that the victims were taken to the presidential palace, where they were tortured and killed.

    After a 10-month trial in Abidjan, five others were also jailed for their role in the killing, including the country’s former police chief.

    But it remains unclear why they were killed and on whose orders.

    Violence broke out when then President Gbagbo, now on trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, refused to accept defeat to President Alassane Ouattara.

    President Ouattara has been criticised for only prosecuting his opponents following the country’s civil conflict, despite both sides being accused of atrocities.

    Gen Dogbo Ble was a key figure in the civil conflict

    Source:BBC