IGIHE

Author: Publisher

  • Mozilla CEO Resigns Over Hormosexuality

    Mozilla CEO Resigns Over Hormosexuality

    {{The chief executive of Mozilla – the company best known for its Firefox browser – has stepped down.}}

    Brendan Eich was appointed just last month but came in for heavy criticism for his views on same-sex marriage.

    Mozilla’s executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker announced the decision in a blog post.

    “Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn’t live up to it,” she wrote.

    “We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves.

    “We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better.”

    Mr Eich has also stepped down from the board of the Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit organisation which owns the for-profit Mozilla Corporation.

    {{Angry users}}

    Mr Eich, who co-founded Mozilla and was also the creator of the JavaScript scripting language, made a $1,000 (£600) donation in 2008 in support of Californian anti-gay marriage law Proposition 8.

    Although it was initially passed, it was later overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2013.

    When the announcement of Mr Eich’s appointment was made on 24 March, angry users voiced their opinions on social media.

    Several high-profile Mozilla employees also weighed in. Three board members resigned in the weekend following Mr Eich’s appointment – but Mozilla said the events were not linked.

    But the most damaging act of protest came via dating website OkCupid.

    Users who went to the site using Mozilla’s Firefox browser were greeted with a message that read: “Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience.

    “Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.”

    Mozilla initially defended Mr Eich’s appointment, but Ms Baker’s blog post announcing the chief executive’s departure made apologies for doing so.

    “We failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community,” she wrote.

    She added that any potential replacement for Mr Eich was still being discussed, and that more details would be announced next week.

    {Mozilla Chief Executive steps down }

    BBC

  • Rwandans to Get Affordable Devices for Internet Connectivity

    Rwandans to Get Affordable Devices for Internet Connectivity

    {{The Director General in charge of ICT in the Ministry of Youth and ICT, Didier Nkurikiyimfura declared that Rwandan citizens are going to be able to access affordable devices for internet connectivity, to be paid on a long term basis.}}

    He revealed this during the 11th Edition of the ICT Literacy and Awareness Campaign in Karongi District in the Western Province of Rwanda.

    This was a two day driven campaign where thousands of local residents participated.

    Nkurikiyimfura said “Just like several citizens are able to make a call, is the same way we need internet connectivity especially the 4G to allow every individual to receive the network and what is left is to have the devices.”

    He explained that they have engaged manufacturers, suppliers and banks to find a model that permits all citizens to buy the devices through bank services by getting a very specific financial product.

    This product is going to enable the client to pay on a long term so that the cost of the device shouldn’t become a barrier, preventing the public from accessing internet.

    Nkurikiyimfura elaborated that there are noble examples like Gira ICT, which is currently providing people with devices at a low price, to be paid over a period of one or two years; “ this strategy works really well.”

    MYICT believes that awareness is the first step to take while engaging the youth in ICT which is why they organized the 11th Edition of the ICT Literacy and Awareness Campaign in this District.

    During the campaign, Seth Uwimbabazi, 28 years old, a resident of Rubengera Sector
    said he managed to learn several things like how to use a computer along with the internet connection.

    Uwimbabazi said, “I Believe that I can also communicate with many friends, and can search for information to help me improve my business and innovation.”

    ICT Literacy and Awareness Campaign come to generate consciousness and have Karongi residents engage in order to understand that Information communication technology isn’t for other people but rather for them too.

    “It is very important to have a positive attitude towards ICT,” Nkurikiyimfura observed. “We came to remind you that you have ideas and all you need is to access the ICT tools and then enhance your initiatives.”

    The National ICT literacy and awareness campaign in Rwanda aims at increasing public literacy and awareness on the opportunities and benefits offered by the use of online and mobile-enabled services and products among local communities.

    The campaign brings together Government institutions offering online services, all Telecom Operators, all Banks, TV suppliers, Phone suppliers, and other private sector institutions.

    Such campaigns target to boost the usage of ICT content and applications. It increases the ICT knowledge among Rwandan citizens and proves how ICT can play a big role in their businesses, motivate competitions, efficiency, transparency as well as civic participation.

    The Ministry of Youth and ICT in collaboration with other Ministries as and different stakeholders in ICT promotion have adopted the five-year ICT literacy awareness campaign.

    During this drive, local residents are learning the benefits of the Digital Migration where girls and young women are also encouraged to join the career to embrace the use of ICT.

    The government of Rwanda has significantly transformed the way business and society use technology, by heavily investing in information and communications technology, since the inception of the first national ICT strategy and plan in 2000.

  • Loneliness triggers Boozing & Overweight

    Loneliness triggers Boozing & Overweight

    {{The emotional problems associated with loneliness have long been acknowledged, but now there is evidence that being lonely has an impact on overall health.

    Researchers found that lonely people are more likely to be heavy drinkers, smokers and overweight.}}

  • Female Inmates Graduate in Bible Studies

    Female Inmates Graduate in Bible Studies

    {{About 43 Women prisoners at Ngoma Women Prison received certificates, on April 2nd after completing a one year course in Bible training.}}

    According to an official from Prison Fellowship Rwanda, undertaken lessons made those women feel relieved from the heavy burden and have hope after completing their sentences.

    Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR) is a faith-based non-profit organization that seeks to be a national movement of reconciliation, restoration, and rehabilitation for all those involved in and affected by crime.

    They said that quarrels and hate they had toward victims of their crimes will no longer be there.

    Undertaken subjects encourage them to live in peaceful collaboration with their neighbours.
    Inmates noted that they repented their sins. One of them said, “We will share the acquired knowledge in our respective families after our release.”

    The representative of Prison Fellowship Rwanda, Pastor Karekezi Parfait said the program was introduced to help inmates get familiar with living conditions in prison as well as promoting restorative justice in the criminal justice system and in surrounding communities

    “We give them Bible knowledge to prevent them from committing further crimes so they change their behavior and mindset,” Karekezi said.

    The commissioner in charge of correction, social, human rights and cooperation at the Rwanda Correctional Service, Dativa Ngaboyisonga Mukanyangezi, said that introduction of bible studies in prisons has had positive effects among inmates.

  • USAID Supports REB to Expand School Literacy & Numeracy Program Nationwide

    USAID Supports REB to Expand School Literacy & Numeracy Program Nationwide

    {{This month, over 2,600 public and government-aided primary schools in the country will receive world-class print and audio materials to support P1 and P2 level English, Kinyarwanda and mathematics. }}

    Developed by the Rwanda Education Board (REB) with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Literacy, Language, and Learning (L3) Initiative, the materials aim to support improved quality of primary education in Rwanda. The L3 Initiative is implemented by Education Development Center (EDC).

    The L3 initiative will provide detailed teacher guides that illustrate proven strategies for developing children’s literacy and numeracy skills.

    Kinyarwanda teachers will have a collection of illustrated stories to read aloud to children every week, and all children will have their own Kinyarwanda and English materials to read in class and to take home to read with their families.

    Audio programs for Kinyarwanda, English, and mathematics, which are played in classrooms using simple cell phones and portable speakers, guide teachers and students through interactive, effective lessons using songs, games, chants, and poems.

    This year, 35,500 teacher guides and story collections, over 12,000 phones and speakers, and 6.3 million student readers will be distributed.

    These materials supplement and enhance the current curriculum to support effective teaching and child-centered learning in primary schools, contributing to quality education in Rwanda.

    All education stakeholders—District and Sector Education Officers, teachers and head teachers, parents and others—should be supportive of this new and exciting shift in Rwandan education.

    The materials support the development of key literacy and numeracy skills in a fun and interactive way. Kinyarwanda and English materials emphasize speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, essential in forming the building blocks of early literacy.

    Audio programs model fluent English speaking as well as effective second language teaching for teachers.

    In mathematics, materials focus not on memorizing equations and rules, but rather on thinking mathematically and strategically to solve any problem.

    Literacy is the foundation of learning and future prosperity, which is why USAID is supporting Rwanda in investing in the development of quality materials like these, which are not only full of rich content, but include new methods that are exciting for both teachers and students to use.

    We couldn’t be more excited that primary students across the country will now have access to them.

    To ensure that materials respond to the needs of Rwandan children and teachers, materials for P1 and P2 were piloted in 90 schools in five districts throughout the 2013 academic year and this year we are rolling out to all P1 and P2 schools country-wide.

    At the same time, those same schools are piloting English, Kinyarwanda, and math materials for P3 level, and in 2015, we shall be rolling out to all P3 school country-wide.

  • Microsoft Launches ‘Cortana’ Smartphone Assistant

    Microsoft Launches ‘Cortana’ Smartphone Assistant

    {{Microsoft on Wednesday took on Apple’s Siri and Google Now with a smartphone personal assistant dubbed “Cortana.”}}

    Windows Phone vice president Joe Belfiore introduced Cortana onstage at the technology titan’s annual developers conference.

    “Cortana is the first truly personal digital assistant who learns about me, and the things that matter to me most, and knows about the whole Internet,” Belfiore said in a presentation.

    Cortana responds to conversationally spoken requests or commands, using insights gleaned from calendars, contact lists, online searches and other smartphone sources to respond in a manner akin to a real life aide, Belfiore said.

    Cortana’s voice and character is based on a popular artificial intelligence character in Microsoft’s blockbuster Xbox console video game “Halo.”

    It comes as a long awaited counter to the Siri virtual assistant on Apple mobile devices and Google Now capabilities in Android tablets and smartphones.

    Cortana will be in a test, or beta, mode when it becomes available in a Windows Phone 8.1 software update, which is to begin rolling out in the United States in coming months.

    The new version of Windows Phone 8.1 should be available on new phones beginning in late April or early May, according to Belfiore.

    Microsoft met with real life personal assistants while designing Cortana, which is powered behind the scene by search engine Bing, he said.

    As do Siri and Google Now, Cortana can remind users of flights, appointments, birthdays, routes, or other information for managing lives.

    “Imagine a real personal assistant, and the kinds of things you might ask to be organized,” Belfiore said while extolling Cortana’s capabilities.

    After being tested in the US, Cortana will expand to Britain and China, and then other countries.

    In a sign that Microsoft gave Cortana a playful side, Belfiore asked the virtual assistant to reveal the storyline of the next “Halo” game only to be told “I’m quite certain you don’t have the proper security clearance for that information.”

    {{- Wooing the app makers -}}

    Insights into updates of Windows software for mobile devices and traditional computers came as Microsoft wooed developers of the fun, hip, or functional applications that strongly influence decisions about what gadgets to buy.

    Microsoft is also keen to entice business and consumers to remain faithful to its computer operating system — the software platform on which the Redmond, Washington-based company’s fortune was built — as it phases out support for its much-loved but aging version Windows XP.

    “We have a billion-plus PCs (personal computers) that will all be upgrading,” freshly-minted Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella told the gathering of developers.

    “That is a significant opportunity for any application that targets Windows.”

    Nadella told the gathering of developers that Microsoft is “innovating in every dimension” to gain momentum in lifestyles increasingly revolving around mobile devices and services offered by computers in the Internet “cloud.”

    Software improvements were aimed at business, where Microsoft products remain strong, as well as at the booming tablet and smartphone markets.

    Microsoft also used the stage to announced that Nokia will release a set of low-priced Windows-powered Lumia smartphones, starting in developing markets in Asia and India next month before gradually working its way to the United States in July.

    The move takes aim at markets being overlooked and underserved, and breaks from trying to slug it out with Apple iPhones and Android-powered Samsung handsets in countries where buyers are more interested in high-end or medium-tier devices, according to Gartner principal research analyst Tuong Huy Nguyen.

    “They really needed to move the price point of Windows devices down market, and this seems to be a step in that direction,” Nguyen said.

    “The US is essentially a two-horse market with Apple and Samsung; they have tried to push in with previous Lumia devices but it is hard.”

    Microsoft last year announced a $7.2 billion deal to buy Nokia’s phone business and a patent portfolio.

    Former Nokia chief Stephen Elop, now a vice president at Microsoft’s devices division, said there was just “a short time to go” before the acquisition is completed.

    Elop unveiled three new Windows-powered Lumia models during the opening of the gathering of application developers.

    “In building an ecosystem, the appliction challenge is arguably our biggest challenge,” Elop said at a Nokia press event late Wednesday. “That is the thing we really need to focus on.”

    agencies

  • Kenya Court Denies Bail to Cleric Arrested with Grenade

    Kenya Court Denies Bail to Cleric Arrested with Grenade

    {{A Muslim cleric and his wife allegedly found with two grenades during a swoop in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate following a terrorist attack in which six people were killed have been denied bail.}}

    The couple will be helping police with investigations to recover 20 other grenades said to be hidden in the city, the trial court ruled.

    Mr Hassan Mahati Omar and his wife Ms Fardosa Mohammed Abdi were charged with being in possession of two hand grenades on April 1, 2014 at Madina Apartments in Eastleigh Section 7.

    They were also charged with being members of an al Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kenya.

    The prosecution said the two are suspected to be involved in terrorism and that on April 1, “they were found to be members of the al Shabaab after being found in possession of the two grenades which were meant to be used for terrorism activities.”

    While opposing their request for release on bond, prosecutor Isaiah Mwiranga told the court that the two were needed to help trace the hidden explosives and that they may interfere with ongoing investigations.

    Their lawyer Chacha Mwita claimed the defence would prove the “grenades were planted on the suspects.”

    The prosecutor said the recovered weapons were part of a larger cache being sought in an on-going probe.

    The prosecutor objected to a suggestion by Mr Mwita that the suspects have so far been cooperative and would not abscond if released.

    “They remain a security threat to this country and its citizens and the application for bail is meant to defeat justice,” the prosecutor said.

    He said officers from the anti-terrorism police unit were not yet through with investigations.

    Magistrate Elena Nderitu said there were sufficient reasons to compel the court to detain the suspects until such a time those investigations are complete and to prevent them from interfering.

    The case will be mentioned on April 17.

    The cleric and his wife were arrested after police mounted a security operation in Eastleigh following a terrorist attack on March 31.

    Nation

  • Rwandan Student Elected V/President MIT Undergraduate Association

    Rwandan Student Elected V/President MIT Undergraduate Association

    {{A Rwandan MIT student Billy Ndengeyingoma was elected vice President of the undergraduate association.}}

    On March 21, after weeks of campaigns from three tickets, Shruti Sharma ’15 and Billy Ndengeyingoma ’15 emerged as the winners of this year’s Undergraduate Association elections for president and vice president.

    In preparation for their upcoming administration, Sharma and Ndengeyingoma have described three overarching themes for their tenure on their campaign website: the MIT educational experience, communication and visibility, and the residential campus of the 21st century.

    To achieve the long-term goals stated on their website, Sharma and Ndengeyingoma said they would look to the Presidential Advisory Cabinet and the Corporation Joint Advisory Committee as “channels of advocacy.”

    By requesting “transition documents” for each position on the UA executive board, the pair hopes to “ensure a smooth continuity between UA administrations.”

    Sharma and Ndengeyingoma said that they would be continuing a number of the initiatives set forth by Sidhanth P. Rao ’14 and Devin T. Cornish ’14, the previous UA president and vice president.

    Specifically, Sharma and Ndengeyingoma found the “Chief of Staff summit, weekly Institute committee lunches, and semesterly Institute committee policy reports” particularly effective and will maintain these programs in the coming semesters.

    During debates and campaigns, all of the presidential candidates touched on the perceived lack of transparency and communication between students and the UA.

    Sharma and Ndengeyingoma said they would establish or reestablish several UA programs to help address these problems.

    “In order to bridge this gap in communication, we are planning on reinstituting the format of presidential summits of the Craighead and Walsh term two years ago,” said Sharma and Ndengeyingoma in an email response to The Tech.

    The summits have not continued during Rao and Cornish’s time as president and vice president.

    “These summits will assemble IFC, Panhel, and DormCon presidents as well as representatives from cultural groups and department associations,” Sharma and Ndengeyingoma wrote.

    “This will ensure a continuous flow of information, avoid misconceptions, and allow for diverse representation.”

    The newly elected pair will also establish new programs they said would make the UA more effective.

    They plan to “hold meetings with all the undergraduate course presidents in one room to discuss how advising, tutoring and academic events is done in each of the majors.”

    A new UA Advisory Board, Sharma and Ndengeyingoma said, would “be available to all students to discuss the workings of the UA and MIT administration” and “help resolve the stigma surrounding mental health and support resources and clarify common misconceptions and academic appeals to the Committee on Academic Performance and the Committee on Discipline.”

    They also said they planned to work with administrators like Provost Martin A. Schmidt PhD ’88 and Professor Sanjay Sarma, the director of digital learning.

    The election results were announced by the UA on March 21. Sharma and Ndengeyingoma claimed 946 of the 1787 ballots cast for their positions.

    The other tickets were for Andrew M. Acker ’15 and Grace E. O’Malley ’15 and for Jeffrey M. Sperling ’15 and Nathan H. Varady ’16.

  • Russia Questions Presence of NATO Troops in East Europe

    Russia Questions Presence of NATO Troops in East Europe

    {{Russia said on Thursday it wanted answers from NATO on its activities in eastern Europe after the Western military alliance promised to beef up defenses for its eastern members.}}

    Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region last month has caused the deepest crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War, leading the West to impose sanctions and sparking fear President Vladimir Putin has territorial designs beyond the Black Sea peninsula with its Russian-majority population.

    NATO has ordered military planners to draft measures to reassure nervous Eastern European countries – which were under Moscow’s domination until the 1989 end of the Cold War – but stopped short of calls by Poland to base more forces there.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any increase in NATO’s permanent presence in eastern Europe would violate a 1997 treaty on NATO-Russian cooperation.

    “We have addressed questions to the north Atlantic military alliance. We are not only expecting answers, but answers that will be based fully on respect for the rules we agreed on,” Lavrov told reporters at a briefing with his Kazakh counterpart.

    Foreign ministers from the 28-nation, U.S.-led NATO met this week to discuss responses to Russia’s Crimea takeover, including sending NATO soldiers and equipment to allies in eastern Europe, holding more exercises, ensuring NATO’s rapid-reaction force could deploy more quickly, and reviewing NATO’s military plans.

    Military planners will come back with detailed proposals within weeks, a NATO official said.

    NATO military chiefs are concerned that an estimated 40,000 Russian forces near the Ukrainian border may signal plans by Putin to move beyond Crimea into eastern and southern Ukraine, which also have significant Russian-speaking populations.

    Russian forces seized Crimea after mass protests toppled Ukraine’s pro-Russian president. Moscow denounced this as a coup driven by right-wing extremists and said it reserved the right to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine, but denied having any intention to move into other areas of the ex-Soviet republic.

    Lavrov responded to criticism over the size of the force along Russia’s border with Ukraine by saying Moscow had the right to move troops on its territory and they would return to their permanent bases after military exercises.

    He did not give a timeline for when war games would end but said NATO’s concerns were overblown.

    “It is necessary to de-escalate rhetoric which overshoots the mark and crosses into the unreasonable,” he said.

    reuters

  • Police Arrests Suspected Criminals in Kigali

    Police Arrests Suspected Criminals in Kigali

    {{Police has arrested five people in Kigali in connection with various criminal activities, including car theft.}}

    One of the suspects, Callixte Nsengiyumva, a resident of Gisozi sector in Gasabo district is said to have stolen a vehicle, recently, from the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) parking yard.

    Other two suspects identified as Etienne Nsengimana and Shabani Nyamaswa, who hails from Ngororero and Kicukiro districts respectively, were arrested for allegedly vandalising and stealing the Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) electric cables in Nyarugunga sector in Kicukiro.

    Another suspect also identified as Bahati Nyauna, a Congolese national, is said to have conned a business woman by selling her fake gold.

    Senior Supt. Urbain Mwiseneza, Police spokesperson central, said: “We had information of their criminal acts and we arrested them following a tip-off from members of the public.”

    He urged the public to continue with the spirit to fight and prevent crimes and apprehend culprits.

    RNP