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  • Unaids Meet Discusses Global Health

    Unaids Meet Discusses Global Health

    {{The First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, yesterday joined the other Unaids and Lancet Commissioners in London for a meeting to discuss the future of HIV/Aids and global health.}}

    The two-day meeting, which ends today, tackles three key issues; what it will take to end HIV/Aids, how lessons from the Aids response can inform global health, and how the global health and Aids architecture can be modernised to achieve sustainable global health, according to a statement.

    The Unaids and Lancet Commission was established in May 2013 to draw lessons from the Aids experience and find ways to achieve sustainable health.

    The first Commission meeting was held in Lilongwe, Malawi in June 2013.

    Mrs. Kagame is one of the high-level commissioners.

    “We have managed to provide care and treatment to people living with HIV/Aids. They are still immuno-compromised and becoming increasingly susceptible to non-communicable diseases. We must be responsive and adapt to the changing nature of the disease. Now we know how to prevent, how to treat and how to care for people living with the virus,” she said at last year’s meeting.

    There are 30 commissioners known for their significant contributions to and leadership in HIV/Aids, including politicians, scientists, medical professionals, donors and members of civil society.

    These include Presidents of Benin, Ghana, and Switzerland, Prime Minister of Jamaica, First Ladies of Gabon, Japan and Rwanda, Global Fund Executive Director, AfDB President, Ministers of Health and Special advisors to the UN.

    Michel Sidibe of Unaids, Richard Horton of the Lancet, Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine convened the meeting where key themes were discussed.

    These include involving everybody, sustainably financing the Aids response, systems innovation, the future of health and trade, local production and programme delivery and Aids response as a catalyst for grand convergence in global health.

    RNP

  • Juba Faction tells Uganda to Stop ‘Ethnic Cleansing’

    Juba Faction tells Uganda to Stop ‘Ethnic Cleansing’

    {{Seven South Sudan leaders released from prison recently have called on Uganda to stop ‘ethnic cleansing’ in their country.}}

    They accused the Yoweri Museveni administration of perpetrating the mass killing using helicopters.

    “Uganda’s involvement in South Sudan has a negative role and our people know that they are currently engaged in ethnic cleansing in South Sudan,” said Mr Deng Alor Kuol, one of the seven who arrived in Addis Ababa last night for the second round of peace talks with the government.

    Speaking at a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Hilton Addis Hotel, he called on the government of Uganda to end its military involvement in South Sudan.

    “If you hear of any gunship helicopter killing in South Sudan, it is Ugandans. We in South Sudan do not have any gunship helicopter,” said Mr Kuol, a former minister in President Salva Kiir’s administration.

    The group members, who were arrested following the December 15, 2013 coup attempt, also said the South Sudan Government was wasting money in the Uganda military intervention.

    “In addition…it is a shame for South Sudan Government, as a sovereign country, to ask Uganda for help and allow interference in its internal affairs,” said Dr Cirino Hiteng, a group member.

    The seven leaders indicated that they would take part in the second round talks as an independent third party, calling themselves ‘former political detainees’, according to their spokesman Mr John Luk Jok.

    They also called on President Kiir to release their remaining four colleagues.

    “We…call upon President Salva Kiir Mayardit to set free the remaining four detainees so that they can participate and contribute to the efforts in finding a lasting solution to the crisis in our country during these peace talks,” Mr Jok said.

    NMG

  • I am not 41, Cameroonian Teen in Age Row Says

    I am not 41, Cameroonian Teen in Age Row Says

    {{Lazio have threatened legal action against those who have questioned the legitimacy of the age of their 17-year-old Cameroonian player Joseph Minala.}}

    The Italian side stated that his birth certificate is “absolutely legitimate”.

    Lazio added: “We reserve the right to take action against those responsible for the protection of the good name of the company and the footballer.”

    The midfielder also issued a statement via the club’s website denying he told an African website he was 41.

    He said: “I have read the alleged statements posted on the website senego.net in which it says I confessed my real age which was different to what was stated in my [official] documents.

    “They are false statements that have been attributed to me by people who do not know.”

    Minala joined the Rome club last summer and recently played for them in the Viareggio Cup youth tournament.

    Italian journalist Max Evangelista, who reports on Lazio’s youth team, said any suggestions the player was 41 were “unbelievable”.

    He said Minala had scored five goals and made six assists this season for Lazio’s youth team, who are the holders of the national title.

    “He is a very reactive player. You could never say he is 41,” he told BBC World Service.” When you are surrounded by players running like devils around you, in my opinion it is very tough to be 41. He runs, he is fast. It is unbelievable news, that is why Lazio felt the need to deny it.

    “He was in an orphanage for a couple of years in Cameroon, then he had to face the situation here by himself. It is a controversial story because the face of the player is not that of a 17-year-old guy.

    “On his face there is sign of his previous life, which was not a happy life. That is it. Period. There is nothing else that makes you think he is 41.

    “He is a kid with the head of a kid. He only wants to play football as he did on the road years ago barefoot. That is the only thing he is focused on and being a talent because he is a talent.”

    agency

  • Malawi’s Banda Spurns VP for Youthful Running Mate

    Malawi’s Banda Spurns VP for Youthful Running Mate

    {{Malawi President Joyce Banda has picked her 37-year-old minister of Trade and Industry Sosten Gwengwe as running mate in the upcoming elections, sidelining current deputy Khumbo Kachali.}}

    President Banda said her decision to put the youthful minister on her ticket was a way of showing commitment to empowering and promoting the youth to take over the country’s leadership.

    She said she had prayed over her choice of running mate and had not doubt the youthful minister would deliver.

    The country needed both youth and experience at the helm, she said.

    “We say the youth are the leaders of tomorrow but this statement denies the youth their rightful role in participating in the development of the country [today],” she said.

    Malawi holds a general election on May 20.

    Mr Gwengwe will accompany President Banda on Friday to present her nomination papers in Blantyre, among the last of the candidates to do so.

    Conspicuously missing at the Thursday press conference that was Mr Kachali, but President Banda said she informed him of her decision to opt for another running mate.

    “I did not expect any reaction from him. I informed him of my decision and we hugged before he left,” she said.

    Media in Malawi on Thursday quoted Mr Kachali saying that if Mrs Banda din not nominate him as her running mate it would be a vote of no confidence in him.

    President Banda said the agreement with Mr Kachali in 2012 when she had ascended to power following President Bingu wa Mutharika’ s death was that he would only be her deputy for two years.

    {{‘Ridiculed’}}

    President Banda also said she had opted to nominate a youthful man against a woman because she is aware of how female leaders are ridiculed by Malawians in general.

    “I could have nominated a youthful female running mate but I know how female leaders are ridiculed in a society. I am one of the most ridiculed persons,” she said.

    {wirestory}

  • Egypt’s Sisi Negotiates Arms Deal With Russia

    Egypt’s Sisi Negotiates Arms Deal With Russia

    {{Egypt’s military leader Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was warmly received by Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday during his first trip abroad following his seizure of power in a coup last year.}}

    In a show of support for the Egyptian leader, Putin offered what appeared to be an endorsement for el-Sisi’s decision to run in an upcoming presidential election in the politically turbulent Middle Eastern nation.

    “This is a very important decision, to take on such a mission for the fate of the Egyptian people. I wish you success, both personally and as a representative of the Russian people,” Putin said.

    El-Sisi’s visit to Moscow points to a potential pivot toward Russia by Egypt – traditionally a stalwart US ally – that could dramatically reorient international relations in the Middle East.

    At the meeting, El-Sisi stressed the need for Russia and Egypt to work together on combating terrorism, citing recent events in Syria as an example of terrorists threatening a country’s security.

  • Kenya Establishes Free Trade Zones in Mombasa

    Kenya Establishes Free Trade Zones in Mombasa

    {{Kenya cabinet has approved the establishment of Free Trade Zones in Mombasa in order to stimulate local, regional and international trade as well as investments.}}

    According to the Cabinet, the establishment of the Free Trade Zone will attract global and local investors and Multi National Corporations (MNCs) to Kenya which will improve Kenya’s global competitiveness.

    “The Free Trade Zone will also open up a ready market for the wider African continent and thus spur numerous economic activities for the country,” Cabinet said.

    The Zone is expected to raise the country’s trade volumes as well as create the much needed jobs by enabling goods to enter into the Zone duty free where traders from Kenya and the region can purchase them without having to travel to traditional destinations like Dubai, China and Japan.

    “It is expected to start operations with motor vehicles, household goods and construction materials amongst others,” Cabinet noted.

    The Cabinet also approved the Budget Policy Statement (BPS), 2014, the Division of Revenue, 2014, and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2014.

    The BPS policy also contains the measures to improve power supply through production of cheaper and affordable energy.

    Extend access to quality social services; improve health care by undertaking reform in the sector and Scale up of social protection.

    {capitalfm}

  • Pleasure Clinic For FGM Victims to be Launched

    Pleasure Clinic For FGM Victims to be Launched

    {{Women who fell victim to bush knives in the name of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) can now exhale as a pioneer clitoris restoration surgery clinic has opened its doors in Africa.}}

    The only problem is that Kenyans wishing to access the rare corrective service may have to fly across the continent.

    Clitoraid, the special surgery in Bobo Dilassou, Burkina Faso, is a first that will attract many whose ‘pleasure pins’ were brutally nipped to satisfy retrogressive cultural practices.

    The clitoral repair hospital will open on March 7, and Chantal Compaore, First Lady of Burkina Faso, will preside the ceremony.

    Dr Marci Bowers, MD, and Dr Harold Henning Jr, MD, volunteer surgeons from the United States, will perform surgeries at the new hospital and also train other surgeons to do it.

    Kenya is renowned for successful complicated surgeries, but not this service in a country where the Kuria, Masai and Kisii communities practice FGM.

    {{After the surgery}}

    But in an exclusive interview with The Nairobian, Clitoraid Communications Director Nadine Gary said “There are many patients who have contacted us from Kenya, indeed. One Kenyan patient is coming to our ‘Pleasure Hospital’ for her surgery in March.

    Also, a Kenyan doctor, who we will name at a later date is planning on coming to be trained during our hospital inauguration. All of our patients have reported improvements after the surgery, and about 60 percent of them have experienced orgasm – something they thought would never happen for them,” said Gary.

    Gary said hundreds of women are already on Clitoraid’s waiting list to have the surgery, which will be free for any woman who wants it.

    She says Clitoraid picked Burkina Faso because it is a relative stable country politically and they have the support of the government with the First Lady, Chantal Compaore and the local community as well with local African chiefs having donated the land upon which the $400,000 (Sh34 million) hospital is built.

    {{ Physical pleasure}}

    “Their wait is almost over,” Gary said. She said the new facility, called “the Kamkaso,” which means “the house for women,” has been nicknamed “the Pleasure Hospital,” since the surgery “will restore their dignity as women as well as their ability to experience physical pleasure, which was taken from them against their will.”

  • Italian PM Enrico Letta to Resign Today

    Italian PM Enrico Letta to Resign Today

    {{Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has said he will resign on Friday after his Democratic Party backed a call for a new administration.}}

    Party leader Matteo Renzi had earlier called for a change of government at a party meeting, saying the country could not go on in “uncertainty”.

    Speculation has been rife that Mr Renzi wants to take over as prime minister.

    He is eight years younger than Mr Letta and was elected leader of the party in December.

    Mr Letta said in a statement that his decision followed “the decision taken today by the national leadership of the Democratic Party”.

    He said he would formally submit his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano at the presidential palace on Friday.

    Relations between Mr Letta and Mr Renzi had become increasingly fraught, the BBC’s Alan Johnston reports from Rome.

    The Democratic Party now hopes that Mr Renzi will be able to replace him, and form a new administration, our correspondent adds.

  • Oscar Pistorius ‘Sorrow’ over Reeva Steenkamp Shooting

    Oscar Pistorius ‘Sorrow’ over Reeva Steenkamp Shooting

    {{South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has spoken of his sorrow over the fatal shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp exactly a year ago.}}

    In a statement on his website, he said: “The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

    Mr Pistorius is due to go on trial for her murder in Pretoria in March.

    He claims he mistook her for an intruder when he shot her through the toilet door on Valentine’s Day 2013.

    State prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated following a fight between the couple. He could face life imprisonment if found guilty of the charge.

    The rare statement by the Paralympic sprint star was dated 14 February 2014 and read:

    “No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved – and continues to love – Reeva.

    “The pain and sadness – especially for Reeva’s parents, family and friends – consumes me with sorrow.

    “The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Oscar.”

    He had linked to his statement through his Twitter account with the message: “A few words from my heart.”

    Reeva Steenkamp’s uncle said there would be a private family gathering near Cape Town to mark the anniversary of her death, though her parents and brothers would not attend.

  • CAR Vigilante ‘Chief’ Warns President Against Crackdown

    CAR Vigilante ‘Chief’ Warns President Against Crackdown

    {{The self-proclaimed leader of the Central African Republic’s Christian-dominated vigilantes warned President Catherine Samba-Panza on Thursday against any crackdown against his group.}}

    “Declaring war on the anti-balaka amounts to declaring war on the Central African population,” Richard Bejouane told hundreds of militiamen gathered in an anti-balaka stronghold in the north of the capital Bangui.

    The anti-balaka (“anti-machete” in the local Sango language) militias were initially self-defence groups formed in response to abuses committed by rogue ex-rebels from the mainly Muslim Seleka coalition that seized power in March 2013.

    With the remnants of Seleka on the back foot since France deployed 1,600 soldiers two months ago, most of the ongoing violence is now blamed on the anti-balaka’s attacks.

    Samba-Panza, a Christian who took over as interim president last month from ex-Seleka boss Michel Djotodia, said on Wednesday her administration was “going to go to war against the anti-balaka” if they didn’t stop committing crimes against Muslims.

    “The anti-balaka have lost their sense of mission. They are now the ones who kill, who pillage, who are violent,” she said.

    “The president is right to declare war against these bandits,” local health worker Arthur Bissiko told reporters. “Everyone wants peace after all that the ex-Seleka put the people through.”

    Amnesty International this week reported that anti-balaka violence had triggered “a Muslim exodus of historic proportions”.

    “The anti-balaka militias are increasingly organised and using language that suggests their intent is to eliminate Muslim residents” from the country, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

    The French contingent and more than 5,000 African Union peacekeepers have been unable to stem a looting pandemic and a cycle of revenge attacks.

    Bejouane claimed that anti-balaka ranks numbered 52,000, including 12,000 in the capital.

    Earlier this week, Patrice Edouard Ngaissona, the anti-balaka’s self-proclaimed “political coordinator,” claimed their number was closer to 70,000, with more than half of them in Bangui.

    But military sources dismissed these numbers as “bizarre”, and said they doubted the very existence of a unified command.

    Meanwhile, General Francisco Soriano, who has been heading up France’s Sangaris operation in the Central African Republic, cast doubt on Bejouane’s legitimacy as a leader.

    “Who are the anti-balaka? Who is their boss? What is their political message? What is their chain of command?” he said on Monday.

    “Nobody knows anything. It’s a network we’re unable to put a face on,” Soriano said, describing them as “the principal enemies of peace”, who should be treated as “bandits”.

    The first anti-balaka vigilantes emerged in August 2013 near Bossangoa, Djotodia’s home region around 250 kilometres (150 miles) north of Bangui.

    Their equipment was at first very rudimentary — bows and arrows, home-made hunting rifles, machetes and amulets for “protection”.

    They were soon joined by forces loyal to ousted president Francois Bozize armed with assault rifles, mortars and rocket-launchers.

    AFP