Author: Publisher

Rwanda set to Host East Africa’s Business Council Headquarters

{{The Rwandan government has agreed to allocate land to East Africa’s Business Council (EABC) to construct the body’s regional head offices, reports indicate.}}

According to a published letter addressed to Vimal Shah, the Chairperson of the council, Kigali has been selected to host the regional offices.

Reports indicate that the council appealed to numerous countries for land to construct its headquarters and Rwanda was the first to respond.

The Rwandan Ministry of EAC Affairs, reportedly agreed to allot land in Kiyovu for the proposed headquarters.

Sources indicate that the Rwandan government has further agreed to facilitate additional discussions on other necessities needed to have the headquarters constructed in Kigali.

Rwanda’s representative at the council, Denis Karera, expressed his excitement and appreciation at the government’s efforts to have the headquarters built in Kigali.

The East Africa’s Business Council (EABC) is reported to have been established in 1997 to encourage private sector interests in the integration process of the East African Community.

The main objective of the body is to be an efficient agent for encouraging the private sector’s global and regional competitiveness in investment and trade. Sources reveal that the body also serves as a regional platform for the business community to express its concerns.

Observers have noted that the construction of the councils headquarters in Kigali will have an impact on how business is conducted across the East African region.

The EABC reportedly also has plans of setting up a one-stop center of affiliated regional bodies in Arusha.

According to reports, the proposed facility will host a training unit for business people. Sources say the body has secured finances to build the ultra-modern center, once land is provided by Tanzanian authorities.

Speaking during an interview, Andrew Luzze, EABC’s Executive Director, said officials had met with authorities from Arusha over the land request.

He further indicated that they were assured of obtaining a piece of land since some areas have reportedly been demarcated for regional and international organizations. Reports indicate that the EABC has also extended requests to other African nations for investment.

Analysts say the council has facilitated significant changes in the East African region. The body has, meanwhile, appealed to regional governments to accelerate the usage of national identity cards as East Africa’s travel document.

Rwanda is also expected to host EABC’s retreat, which will assemble board members as well as business management teams from member states. Sources reveal that the two-day meeting will involve an assessment and analysis of the business environment.

March 3, 2014
Deadly Bomb Attack Targets Court in Pakistani Capital

{{At least 11 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded on Monday after gunmen stormed a court in a busy district in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.}}

Police said the deadly incident began with gunfire by two or three attackers followed by two suicide blasts.

“All the attackers fled though one sustained injuries in the leg and back,” Islamabad police chief Sikandar Hayat told reporters.

Pakistan has been fighting a bloody insurgency led by homegrown Taliban since 2007, but the extremists have rarely targeted locations within the capital in recent years.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The deadly assaults on the court complex, which killed at least one judge, took place after the Taliban declared a one-month ceasefire over the weekend in order to pursue stalled peace negotiations with the government.

Rubble and broken glass littered the site of the blast at the F8 market area as residents and police rushed around in bloodstained clothes.

Reports said pools of blood and severed body parts were scattered in the area of the capital where judges’ chambers and lawyers’ offices are located.

{wirestory}

March 3, 2014
Rotary Club of Kigali Volunteers to Support Needy Families

{Chairman of the Rotary Club of Kigali, L. Ngamije. (Centre), Hon. Nyawukuriryayo JD, President of the Senate. To his left, Hon. Domitilla Mukabalisa (Chamber of Deputies).}

{{As Rotary International was celebrating its anniversary, Rwanda Rotarians have vowed to rise about Rwf 20 million to support needy families by providing them with health care, education facilities and drinking water.}}

This initiative was booted on 1st March 2014, during a gala evening at which various activities were organized to raise the necessary amount of money to finance their social assistance programs.

The gala, which was organized by Rotary Club of Kigali, brought together all Rotarians of Rwanda belonging to four other clubs.

The four clubs include Rotary Club Kigali Gasabo, Rotary Club of Butare, Rotary club Kigali Mont Jali and Kigali Virunga.

The Guest of Honor was Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, hon. Donatille Mukabalisa. The speaker of Senate Dr. Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo attended the event as honorary member of Rotary Club of Kigali.

Among other dignatories, was Hon. Minister Seraphine Mukantabana responsible for the management of disasters and refugees.

During his speech, Ngamije Lambert, President of the Rotary Club of Kigali recalled the obligations of Rotarians saying that “the fundamental values that have been the basis of the birth of the Rotary Club is friendship, respect for others, tolerance and Fellowship”.

{{MEDICARE programs}}

Ngamije revealed that Rotary Club of Kigali works hard to ameliorate living conditions among citizens while at the same time addressing some of the major challenges of humanity such as polio.

He revealed also other activities carried out by Rotary Club of Kigali in the field of Education for the poor, plastic surgery, artificial limbs and supporting Genocide survivors.

During the Gala, Rotary Club of Kigali collected some 20 million Rfw from many activities carried out such as diner, drinks, tombola and advertorials.

The main sponsor at the gala was Airtel which gave a cheque of 10 thousand dollars as a contribution to the Initiative. SN Brussels and Rwandair supplied with air tickets among other tombola prizes.

Collected money will be used to finance community services as mentioned in the beginning of the Press release.

{Lambert Rotary}

{Drinks sold at a bar in Serena Hotel exclusively for Rotary Club of Kigali}

{Airtel Main sponsor of Rotaty Club of kigali offered 10.000 $}

March 3, 2014
Children at Risk of Radicalisation Should Be in Care

{{Muslim children who risk radicalisation by their parents should be taken into care, Boris Johnson has said.}}

Writing in his weekly Daily Telegraph column, the London mayor said such children were victims of child abuse.

Mr Johnson said they should be removed from their families to stop them being turned into “potential killers or suicide bombers”.

The Muslim Council of Britain warned Mr Johnson’s remarks risked inflaming anti-Muslim feeling.

In his article, he warned that some young people were being “taught crazy stuff” similar to the views expressed by the two men who killed Fusilier Lee Rigby on a south-east London street.

{{‘Public safety’}}

Mr Johnson wrote: “At present, there is a reluctance by the social services to intervene, even when they and the police have clear evidence of what is going on, because it is not clear that the ‘safeguarding law’ would support such action.

“A child may be taken into care if he or she is being exposed to pornography, or is being abused – but not if the child is being habituated to this utterly bleak and nihilistic view of the world that could lead them to become murderers.”

He added: “I have been told of at least one case where the younger siblings of a convicted terrorist are well on the road to radicalisation – and it is simply not clear that the law would support intervention.

“This is absurd. The law should obviously treat radicalisation as a form of child abuse.

“It is the strong view of many of those involved in counter-terrorism that there should be a clearer legal position, so that those children who are being turned into potential killers or suicide bombers can be removed into care – for their own safety and for the safety of the public.”

Speaking on his monthly phone-in on LBC Radio, he said he had thought long and hard before making the case for intervention in what he suspected might be “no more than a few hundred” cases.

{{‘Easy headlines’}}

“It is particularly apposite in view of the sentencing of the killers of Drummer Lee Rigby,” he said.

“The question is, how do we stop this happening again? How do we make sure the kids in London are not growing up with these kind of nightmarish ideas in their heads?

“You can tackle the extremist preachers, you can do all sorts of things in the mosques… but one thing that has been brought to my attention is this particular anomaly that you can have in some cases, some kids who are being put at risk by the desire of their parents or their step-parents, their immediate family, to radicalise them.”

Asked whether the children of BNP activists could also be taken into care, Mr Johnson said this might be justified in “extreme” cases, such as if they were being taught that race-based assaults were acceptable.

“It all depends on the interests of the child,” he added. “It depends what is happening. If that child is being taught to want to commit crime, or be full of hate, then I imagine you might contemplate such a thing.”

However, the Muslim Council of Britain called on politicians to stop seeking “easy headlines” and warned Mr Johnson’s remarks could provoke anti-Muslim hatred.

“After the terrible murder of Lee Rigby – condemned by Muslims throughout the country – there was a huge spike in Islamophobic attacks”, a spokesman said.

“The people responsible for the murder of Lee Rigby were not sons of radical extremists, nor were those who committed previous atrocities. To tackle their extremism we need to look beyond the need to generate easy headlines.”

The spokesman said young people of all faiths “do not need politicians threatening the prospects of living in a Big Brother Society”.

{{Malign individuals}}

A spokesman for the anti-extremist think-tank, the Quilliam Foundation, agreed with Mr Johnson’s points about a “fatal squeamishness” about intervening in the behaviour of a “protected group”.

He said the the law must be “fairly and equally applied to all members of society, both in terms of protection and in terms of prosecution”.

But the Foundation said changing the law to enable intervention when children are merely at risk of radicalisation was “dangerous territory”, adding that there was little academic evidence to suggest parents played a key role in radicalisation.

“Non-violent extremism must be challenged, but not through illiberal legislation that is likely to do more harm than good. It is better to challenge the ideology and the narrative, rather than to alienate and malign individuals”, the spokesman said.

BBC

March 3, 2014
US Warns Israel Over Talks Failure

{{President Barack Obama has warned Israel of “international fallout” if it does not endorse a US framework for a peace deal with the Palestinians.}}

Ahead of talks at the White House, Mr Obama told the Bloomberg news agency that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needed to “seize the moment”.

But Mr Netanyahu reacted defiantly, vowing: “I won’t give in to pressure.”

There has been little sign of progress from the direct talks that resumed in July after a three-year hiatus.

At the time, Washington said it sought to achieve a deal on a solution to the decades-old conflict by 29 April, but officials say a framework accord on core issues would enable negotiations to continue beyond that date.

March 3, 2014
Russian troops ‘to stay in Ukraine’

{{Russia has vowed its troops will remain in Ukraine to protect Russian interests and citizens until the political situation has been “normalised”.}}

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was defending human rights against “ultra-nationalist threats”.

Russia is now in de facto military control of the Crimea region, despite Western condemnation of a “violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty”.

Ukraine has ordered full mobilisation to counter the military intervention.

Mr Lavrov said in Geneva on Monday that Russian troops were needed in Ukraine “until the normalisation of the political situation”.

Russia’s parliament authorised the use of troops on Saturday, in the wake of the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych last month.

Mr Lavrov said: “The victors intend to make use of the fruits of their victory to attack human rights and fundamental freedoms of minorities.

He said the “violence of ultra-nationalists threatens the lives and the regional interests of Russians and the Russian speaking population”.

Mr Lavrov, who will meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva later, also condemned Western threats of sanctions and boycotts.

BBC

March 3, 2014
Uganda & Ethiopia Overtake Kenya on Hospitality Investiment

{{Uganda and Ethiopia have overtaken Kenya as key investment destinations for global hotel chains scouting for opportunities in the region. }}

The two nations feature on the top five list, whose hotel sectors are expected to receive huge investments in sub-Saharan Africa, alongside Nigeria, Angola and Ghana, the Kenyan Standard has reported.

A new report ranking countries according to the number of jobs that new investments in the hotel sector will create this year puts Nigeria as the hottest spot for investors in the hotel industry.

The survey by W Hospitality Group is based on the number of signed contracts by international and regional brands as well as smaller non-branded hoteliers.

“Nigeria leads the way in sub-Saharan Africa with the creation of 53,000 jobs. It is followed by Ghana with 11,000 and Angola (9,000), Ethiopia (8,800) and Uganda with 8,500,” said W Hospitality Group Managing Director Trevor Ward.

“In Sub Saharan Africa, growth is forecast to be a much faster 23 per cent.” “Where there are fewer people with hospitality industry experience, HPA anticipates three major trends; an influx of top management from abroad, a war for talented middle management and substantial investment in training programmes,” he said.

March 3, 2014
President Kagame Awarded By Siverbird man of the Year

{{The {Siverbird man of the Year} has awarded President Paul Kagame at an event held over the weekend at Muson Center in Lagos, Nigeria.}}

According to organisers, President Kagame received an Award of Distinction in recognition of his leadership in peace building and reconciliation, development, good governance, promotion of human rights and women empowerment and advancement of education and ICT.

Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Joseph Habineza recieved the award onbehalf of President Kagame.

In the 2013 edition saw 8 other Persons were awarded.

Other Awardees included;
President Ernest Bia Koroma of Sierra Leone
Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state
Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos state
Coach Steven Keshi
Chief Joop Berkhout
Dr. Tunji Braithwate
Dr. Chinweizu

March 3, 2014
Juba Asked IGAD nations to Deploy Troops to Protect Oilfields

{{South Sudan’s government said it submitted a proposal to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to deploy 10 battalions to protect its capital, Juba and the oilfields against attacks by rebel groups from Burundi and Rwanda.}}

It asserted that the East African regional bloc is currently examining its proposal.

Ateny Wek Ateny, the press secretary to South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir announced the gradual withdrawal of the Ugandan troops from South Sudan’s territory towards Western Equatoria to continue its mission in fighting the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The presence of the Ugandan army in South Sudan represented a major obstacle to implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in Addis Ababa last January between the government and rebels led by ex-vice president, Riek Machar.

Ateny, stressed in a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday that Juba would accept the proposal for holding a constitutional conference, saying it must be preceded by an agreement on a permanent ceasefire, resettlement of refugees and providing humanitarian assistance for the affected.

He renewed his government’s accusation that the United Nations allegedly supported the rebels, questioning why its mission in Juba never condemned Machar’s forces for “stealing 20 vehicles”.

Ateny further claimed they tapped phone conversations of a senior UN official, allegedly telling somebody in Nairobi, Kenya that the rebels would be assisted if they reached the capital.

President Kiir’s spokesperson said that Machar’s forces fought government army using UN tanks, asserting the government will prosecute the four leaders who were detained in connection with the coup attempt including the former secretary general of the country’s ruling party (SPLM), Pagan Amum, in a military court.

Both pro and anti-government armed forces are responsible for serious abuses that may amount to war crimes in two key oil hubs in South Sudan during recent fighting, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report last week.

“The wanton destruction and violence against civilians in this conflict is shocking,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“Both sides need to stop their forces from committing abuses and hold those who have responsible for their actions, and the African Union (AU) should accelerate its long promised investigations”, he added.

But Ateny has criticised the HRW report, accusing the renowned rights body of “taking the side of the rebels”. He also questioned the credibility of witnesses’ accounts that government army committed genocide, describing them as “liars” seeking to secure political asylum.

He said South Sudan was an open country and pointed that war creates a good opportunity for chaos indicating foreign elements might have involved in the incidents.

Ateny also disclosed that they arrested 50 people for involvement in killing on ethnic basis, accusing Machar of exploiting the fact that 75% of his Nuer tribe are army personnel who dragged the country into ethnic war, asserting the latter’s plot failed to achieve its objective.

He accused Machar of launching ethnic war allegedly killing 175 people in Unity state capital, Bentiu and 126 members of the Dinka tribe inside the hospital in Bor, besides committing rape, crimes and killing of nuns inside a church in Bor.

Ateny, however, demanded that Machar forms an investigation committee to look into those accusations and asserted stability of the security situation in South Sudan, saying military operations are restricted to four districts, including two in Jonglei, as well as one Upper Nile and Unity states.

The official also criticised Ethiopia indirectly saying it had a long record of human rights violations.

Conflict erupted in South Sudan’s capital on December 15, 2013 when President Kiir the accused his longest-serving deputy of allegedly staging a coup.

Both sides have been accused of committing atrocities and violence has continued despite a ceasefire agreement signed on 23 January in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

{sudantribune}

March 3, 2014
Pistorius Pleads Not Guilty in Court

{{South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.}}

Mr Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, a model and reality TV star, at his home in Pretoria on 14 February 2013.

State prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated, but he claims he mistook her for an intruder.

For the first time in South Africa, parts of the trial will be televised live. Media interest is high.

The arrest of the national sporting hero astounded South Africa.

The 27-year-old double amputee won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competed at the Olympics.

{{‘Heard screaming’}}

Mr Pistorius pleaded not guilty to all charges, including the “wilful and intentional murder of Reeva Steenkamp” as the trial began.

His lawyer read out a statement from the athlete, giving his version of events of how Ms Steenkamp died, saying he believed his girlfriend was in bed when he shot at the toilet door in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year.

The start to proceedings at the court in the capital were delayed by 90 minutes as a Afrikaans translator was absent.

March 3, 2014