{{Pascal Simbikangwa 54, a Rwandan who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in France on Tuesday appealed against the setence, his lawyers Fabrice Epstein and Alexandra Bourgeot said.}}
Captain Simbikangwa was found guilty of perpetrating genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity in the 1994 Rwanda genocide against ethnic Tutsi’s which left nearly a million dead.
source { France 24}
{{South Sudanese defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk left for the Sudanese capital, Khartoum on Tuesday with what he described as a “special message” from President Salva Kiir to his Sudanese counterpart, Omer Al-Bashir.}}
Speaking to reporters at Juba airport before his departure, Juuk said he would hold talks with Sudanese officials, including the president and defence minister, Abdel-Rehim Mohamed Hussein mainly focusing on security issues and rebel presence along the two country’s borders.
“I am carrying with me special message from our president Salva Kiir Mayardit to his brother, president Omer Al-Bashir. My visit will focus on two issues: the border demarcation between the two countries and the presence of the rebels along the border areas,” said Juuk.
“This is very important because rebels loyal to Riek Machar and Taban Deng Gai expect support from some neighbouring countries. We want to tell the Sudanese authorities not to help them,” he added.
The South Sudanese defence minister, however, downplayed possibilities of Sudan supporting the rebels, asserting that stability serves the interests of both countries.
Juuk was welcomed at Khartoum Airport by the Sudanese state minister for defence, Yahya Mohamed Khair, who told reporters that the visit comes in the framework of continued consultations towards the development of bilateral relations, hoping that South Sudan regains peace and stability.
The visit comes in the wake of continuous reports in the Sudanese press alleging the participation of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels in the fight against South Sudan rebels.
Sudantribune
{{Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has agreed to meet with American experts to discuss his nation’s draconian anti-gay law which has triggered international outrage, the top US diplomat said Tuesday.}}
Secretary of State John Kerry told US students he had talked with Mr Museveni recently and he “committed to meet with some of our experts so that we could engage him a dialogue as to why what he did could not be based on any kind of science or fact.”
“He welcomed that and said, ‘I’m happy to receive them and we can engage in that conversation.’ And that’s what we’re going to do,” Mr Kerry added.
Last month Mr Museveni signed off on one of the world’s toughest anti-gay laws, despite warnings from his Western allies, which state that “repeat homosexuals” should be jailed for life, outlaw the promotion of homosexuality and require people to report on gays.
Mr Kerry has likened the new law to anti-Semitic legislation in Nazi Germany and warned it could damage ties with Washington.
“The enactment of the homosexuality act was a step backward to Uganda. The law is more than an affront and a danger to the gay community in Uganda,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki stressed Tuesday.
“It reflects poorly on the country’s commitment to protecting the human rights of its people and will undermine public health, including efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.”
The US administration was already looking at ways to rein in its aid to Uganda as punishment for the law, and had decided not to resume what she called “top-off” payments on the salaries of 18 top health officials.
“These are individuals at the top who are speaking on behalf of implementing the policy,” Ms Psaki told reporters.
But she added Ugandan gay rights activists had specifically asked Washington not to cut off its aid to the Ugandan people.
NMG
{{The US National Security Agency has developed a surveillance system that can record 100 percent of a foreign country’s telephone calls, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday.}}
The system allows the agency to review conversations up to a month after they take place, the Post said. It quoted people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
The newspaper said that, at the request of US officials, it would not reveal details that could be used to identify the country where the system is currently being used or other countries where its use is envisioned.
The voice interception program, called MYSTIC, began in 2009, the Post said.
Its “retrospective retrieval” tool and related projects reached full capacity against the first target nation in 2011. Planning documents two years later anticipated similar operations elsewhere, the Post said.
In the initial deployment, collection systems are recording “every single” conversation nationwide, storing billions in a 30-day rolling buffer that clears the oldest calls as new ones arrive, according to a classified summary the Post said it has seen.
In the deluge of US intelligence monitoring methods disclosed so far by Snowden, no other NSA program has been known to be monitor the entirety of a nation’s phone network.
NSA collection of phone meta data who is called and how long a conversation lasts, but not the content of the call — was among the first of the Snowden disclosures.
In a statement, Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, declined to comment on “specific alleged intelligence activities,” the Post said.
Speaking generally, she said that “new or emerging threats (are) often hidden within the large and complex system of modern global communications, and the United States must consequently collect signals intelligence in bulk in certain circumstances in order to identify these threats.”
Snowden is a now a fugitive who has been granted asylum in Russia. The United States has charged him with crimes including espionage.
AFP
{{Ghanaian actors like Jackie Appiah, Van Vicker, Majid Michel, Yvonne Nelson, John Dumelo, Nadia Buari, Yvonne Okoro amongst others have become household names in Nollywood, and Nigeria has become more like home to them.}}
There have been several questions regarding this phenomenon. Some have asked if this is a healthy development or if the the Ghanaians are gradually taking over the Nigerian movie industry? Nigeriafilms.com spoke with some of the Nollywood stars on this issue and these are their opinions.
{There shouldn’t be discrimination! – Mercy Aigbe, Actress}
I don’t think the Ghanaian actors are taking over, I believe we are all one, be it Nigerian, Ghanaian or Kenyan, we are all actors.
And as an actor, you can be featured in any type of movie, be it Hollywood, Bollywood or Nollywood movies, as long as you are good and the producer believes you can give him the best. There shouldn’t be any discrimination!
{Nigerians prefer foreign things!- Bob Manuel Udokwu, Actor}
It’s a sad reflection of Nigeria’s craze for something foreign, even if it’s from smaller countries around us. Those countries don’t reciprocate in kind, so in the end, we become fools! We really need to sit up both as a nation and as an industry (Nollywood).
{The industry is big enough for everyone – Belinda Effah, Actress}
I don’t think so. The industry is big enough to accommodate everyone. It’s not a a problem, because I still get to play major roles alongside these Ghanaian actors.
{We have Nigerians in Hollywood too! – Yvonne Jegede, Actress}
How can they take over Nollywood.? Nigerians love foreigners and accept them, but that doesn’t mean our birthright is washed off because of that.. Nollywood is big enough to accommodate anybody.
We have Nigerians in Hollywood too.
{It has brought about a healthy competition – Theresa Edem, Actress}
This collaboration has helped the industry to grow. It’s easier for Nollywood to break into Ghana and Africa as a whole. Africans like partnership.
A united Africa sells anyday, anytime. It’s been a great partnership so far. They’ve added colour to Nollywood and they’ve brought about healthy competition that has made the industry ( Nollywood) to wake up.
{t’s nothing to worry about – Oma Iyasara, Actress}
I think they are coming in with force, but it’s nothing to worry about. It happened before and trust me, it won’t last for long, it’s just for a while, I have nothing against them.
{We own Nollywood – Lola Margret, Actress}
Nigerians got all it takes and we are more committed than the Ghanaians. We lead while other Africans follow We own Nollywood.
{The Ghanaians are catching up fast – Bose Arowosegbe, Actress}
The Ghanians are really catching up with us fast. They learned from Nigerians with very good producers, directors and good crew members who left Nollywood to Ghana. The competition got so high, but we will still continue to be the best in Africa. They are still behind us.
We are neighbours and they are equally good. A lot of good directors and producers are either from Nigeria or started from Nigeria,so they will sure want to have actors from both sides in the movies.
{They almost took over – Maureen Cyril, Actress.}
The Ghanaians almost took over our Nollywood two years ago. Though Nollywood doesn’t have new young actors, just old ones. We need more actors so we can be contented with what we have and not go for Ghanaian actors
{That can only happen in X-rated movies – Chika Agatha Oguine, Actress}
Ghanaians taking over Nollywood? Nollywood in Nigeria? That can only happen in X-rated movies, maybe!.
{myjoyonline}
{{Colombia’s premier was unable to keep his bladder in check to embarrasing effect.}}
Giving an impassioned speech to supporters at the launch of his re-election campaign in the coastal city of Barranquilla, President Juan Manuel Santos came up a cropper as he began wetting himself onstage.
Perhaps to his credit, the 62-year-old did not let something as trivial as a bodily function interrupt him mid-flow and the wet patch on his beige trousers can be seen to be getting bigger and bigger as the speech runs on.
His aides either did not notice or were too scared to step in to tell the president about his accident.
President Santos, a graduate of both the London School of Economic and Harvard, was elected president in 2010.
He will be hoping the incident does not overshadow the policy agenda he will be pushing throughout his campaign for a second term.
None of his aides standing behind him stepped in to tell the president or suggest he leave the stage.
dailymail
{{Powerway PV SA and Sungrow have announced that they will open a solar inverter manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth, South Africa}}
The plant will be the largest of its kind situated outside China and will be located in the Coega Industrial Development Zone, Powerway said.
The company added that it is set to make use of existing inverters and will allow the factory to operate at full capacity during its first year.
Benson Wu, CEO of Powerway Renewable Energy, said, “Unlike other manufactured inputs into the solar renewable energy space, the inverter component is heavily reliable on technology and development.
The advantages of a global player in Sungrow are thus apparent and will nicely place the local Powerway group in a position to roll out beyond the traditional IPP space into the lucrative and fast growing roof top solar power generation market.
“With its irradiation resource second to none, South Africa is the best country to develop solar energy. With the net metering practice in place, added with our leasing model, I believe South Africa will be one of the biggest solar markets in the world.”
Powerway has executed the construction of solar farms in Europe, North America, Asia as well as Africa, totalling more than 680MW.
The company was also the first company to bring third-party solar finance to South Africa, it said.
Sungrow is Asia’s largest inverter manufacturer and the third largest globally.
The facility is expected to commence production in June 2014, Powerway said.
{wirestory}
{{Global investment advisory firm U-Start has chosen four African start-up companies to represent its flagship event in Milan, Italy from 13-14 May 2014}}
The four start-ups – wiGroup, Over, Cape Ray Medical and MellowCabs – will vie for final stage funding at the U-Start Conference alongside winners from Brazil, Russia and Switzerland, U-Start said.
U-Start established U-Start Conference Africa to identify the continent’s emerging technology and digital SMEs, with ideas put forward by the four winners spanning retail, healthcare, transport and social media.
WiGroup is a platform that enables retailers to accept mobile transaction applications by integrating them on one platform via wiCode, wiTag and QR Code; Over is an iPhone/iPad application which allows users to add text and artwork to photographs, and can be integrated into major social networks; Cape Ray Medical has designed a medical imaging product to detect breast cancer diagnosis; and MellowCabs provides green taxis for distances ranging from one to three kilometres.
Zachariah George, COO of U-Start Africa, said, “We are absolutely delighted with the success of U-Start Conference Africa. Every business that participated demonstrated pitches of the highest standard, testament to our belief that the entrepreneurial talent in South Africa is fast growing to be competitive with the likes of Silicon Valley.
“We’re excited to take all four of the African U-Start winners to Milan, not just to showcase their amazing product, but to provide them with the exposure needed to secure investment and grow on a global scale.”
The four companies will receive mentorship, incubation and training for a week in Italy and will also be given one-on-one introductions to a wide network of pan-European investors and a year of free access to the U-Start platform, U-Start Africa said.
The teams will receive international media exposure and a chance to network exclusively with industry stalwarts, it added.
Stefano Guidotti, CEO of U-Start commented that while Africa’s profile as a technology hotbed was steadily rising, it lacked exposure, awareness and globally-led support.
{africanreview}
{{South Africa’s state-owned freight transport and logistics company, Transnet, has awarded a R50bn (US$4.7bn) contract for the building of 1,064 locomotives to four global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).}}
Transnet said it has awarded CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive and Bombardier Transportation South Africa contracts for the supply of 599 electric locomotives, while GE South Africa Technologies and CNR Rolling Stock South Africa will build and supply 465 diesel locomotives.
The multi-billion dollar acquisition is South Africa’s single biggest infrastructure investment initiative by a corporate, Transnet said.
Brian Molefe, chief executive of Transnet Group, commented, “This marks a significant milestone in the company’s history together with substantial socio-economic benefits for South Africa.
“The drive to modernise our fleet is intended to improve reliability and availability of locomotives. This will improve customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to our crucial goal of road-to-rail migration of cargo in line with government’s objectives,” he added.
According to Transnet, the award has stringent local content, skills development and training commitments as dictated by the Supplier Development Programme, a government initiative led by South Africa’s Ministry of Public Enterprises.
In line with the country’s commitment to boost its manufacturing capacity, the majority of the locomotives will be built at Transnet Engineering’s plants in Koedoespoort, Pretoria and Durban, driving South Africa’s regional integration objectives, Transnet said.
Transnet Engineering’s role in the agreement has been defined to ensure that it transforms into an OEM over time, sharing approximately 16% of the total build programme, about a third of which will be outsourced to local emerging engineering and manufacturing firms, the company said.
In total, the localisation elements are expected to contribute more than R90 billion (US$8.3bn) to the economy, it added.
“This transaction is intended to transform the South African rail industry by growing existing small businesses and creating new ones. We are going to create and preserve approximately 30,000 jobs,” Molefe said.
The suppliers have complied with and exceeded the minimum local content criteria for rolling stock of 60% for electric locomotives and 55% for diesel locomotives, Transnet said.
{{Israel on Tuesday opened artillery fire into Syria and delivered a sharp warning that it will forcefully act to defend itself after four of its soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb on the Golan Heights.}}
The incident is the most serious in the occupied area since the Syrian conflict began three years ago. One soldier was seriously wounded in the blast.
Military spokesman Peter Lerner said the patrol noticed “suspicious movement” along the frontier, and when they went to investigate, the bomb went off. “Clearly this is a grave result and we will be following it,” he said.
It was the latest in a series of incidents in the volatile area. Last week, a roadside bomb went off near a military patrol along the Lebanese border, causing no injuries.
Earlier this month, the army said it killed two militants affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group fighting alongside Syrian government troops, who were trying to plant a bomb along the frontier.
Although Lerner said it was too early to blame any group for Tuesday’s attack, Israel has been on high alert for an attack by Hezbollah since an Israeli air-strike last month targeted a suspected weapons convoy of the group in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah vowed to avenge the strike, though Israel has never confirmed carrying it out.
Israel has said it will not allow sophisticated weapons to flow from Syria to the Iranian-supported Hezbollah, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a heavily armed foe of the Jewish state.
Lerner said Israel targeted Syrian positions on Tuesday because it holds Syria responsible for all attacks emanating from its territory.
“france24”